Chocolate Myers going behind the wall for good

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The saying, "all good things must end," will ring true for gas man Danny "Chocolate" Myers this weekend.

	Chocolate Myers says he's still capable of carrying the gas cans, but its time to let someone else do the job. Credit: ASP

Myers, who has been employed at Richard Childress Racing for 19 years, will serve the Goodwrench-sponsored Chevrolet for the last time in the Ford 400 at Miami-Homestead Speedway on Sunday. Myers first began hoisting the heavy gas cans in 1986 for Dale Earnhardt.

Earnhardt won six of his seven Winston Cup Series championships while driving for RCR and Myers was there for all six. After The Intimidator's death last year, Chocolate, 54, continued gassing the car for Kevin Harvick after the number was changed to No. 29.

When Childress did a crew swap between No. 29 team and the No. 31 of Robby Gordon, Myers made the move with his teammates. Now, after countless pit stops, it's time for him to move into another area with RCR.

"I've had the time of my life on the pit crew all these years at RCR, but its time to step down," Myers said. "I'm trying to do what is best for RCR. I'm still physically able to gas the car and would love to do so, but it's time to let some new guys have the chance.

"It takes a while for teams to gel and be successful, and I want to give them the opportunity to begin that process now."

LOOKING BACK  A list of other events that happened in 1986, the year Chocolate Myers began as a gas man for Richard Childress Racing.  •  Dale Earnhardt wins the Winston Cup championship over Darrell Waltrip and Tim Richmond.  •  The New York Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3 to win the World Series.  •  The Boston Celtics and league MVP Larry Bird won the NBA Championship.  •  The New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 36-20 to win Super Bowl XXI  •  Skier-turned-cyclist Greg LeMond wins the Tour de France.  •  The Goodwill Games get under way in Moscow.

During his tenure with Earnhardt, Chocolate was part of the famed "Flying Aces" pit crew that won a record four consecutive pit crew championships from 1985 to 1988. He parlayed his humor and popularity into speaking engagements, sponsor appearances and parts in television commercials and movies such as, "It Must Be Country," part of the "Smokey and the Bandit" series.

"We've been successful as a team and as a pit crew for several years and I couldn't be prouder to have been a part of that," Myers said. "I attribute a lot of our success to us not just liking each other, but loving each other. I will really miss going over the wall each Sunday, but I think I've made the right decision.

"When Richard first hired me, he said, 'I can't promise to make you rich, but I will make you famous.' But how could you be around Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt for so many years and not be recognizable? But that's not what this has been about for me. It's about the love of the sport and the people involved."

For Childress, it's bittersweet to see Chocolate come off the road. He is glad that Chocolate will stay with the team as the director of safety and help with the museum at RCR.

"Chocolate has been a cornerstone of RCR and a great friend to me through thick and thin," Childress said. "He has been a huge factor in RCR's growth from a handful of mechanics to what it is today, and he will continue to play a vital role in the future growth of our teams. Chocolate has been an icon in NASCAR since his early days and has served as a tremendous spokesman for the sport and RCR.

"We will miss him and the fun he brings to the racetrack, but he will always have an important place at RCR and in racing."

Myers is the eldest son of the late Bobby Myers, a pioneer of NASCAR who was killed while driving for the late Lee Petty in the1957 Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. NASCAR awards the prestigious Myers Brothers Award each year at the Winston Cup Awards Ceremony to the person, corporation or entity that has made the most positive impact on the sport that season.

The award is named in honor of Chocolate's father and uncle, the late Billy Myers, the 1955 champion of the NASCAR Sportsman Division, the series that became the Busch Series.