Former crew chief now keeps busy at slower pace

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- The simplest way to put it is that after 26 years in the fast lane, Cliff Champion traded down to one of the slowest lanes possible.

The former crew chief for the likes of some of the most recognizable names in NASCAR -- Ricky Rudd, Dale Jarrett, Cale Yarborough, Benny Parsons, Phil Parsons, Richard Childress, Alan Kulwicki, among others -- now serves as the captain of a different crew. He has made his living for the last seven-and-a-half years as captain of an 80-foot Somerset luxury boat that offers charters for "corporate entertaining, holiday parties, bar mitzvah celebrations" and other events.

Champion sails the waters of Lake Norman, just outside of Charlotte, N.C. His three-story boat holds up to 125 people and moves at a leisurely pace, leaving his hectic previous life in its gentle wake.

"It's like going from 200 miles an hour to 5," Champion said. "We run about 4 or 5 miles an hour out here."

Champion grew up and went to school with Ricky Rudd and Rudd's brother, A.J. More or less on a whim, they went to see Cliff's cousin, Bill, run the July race at Daytona International Speedway in what was then known as the Grand National series in 1974.

Bill offered Cliff a job as his crew chief -- as his entire crew, as a matter of fact -- and suddenly Cliff Champion's 26-year foray into NASCAR was off to a start.

"I went down there and he offered me a job. It was July 3, 1974 -- my 21st birthday," said Champion, now 54. "I started doing it then and it was kind of like, 'Join the Navy. See the world.' I just kept doing it after that."

At first it was just him and Bill. But soon Bill, who was much older, stopped driving and Cliff started serving as crew chief to others. In 1975, he was crew chief for James Hylton -- the longtime driver who resurfaced in the news this past February when he narrowly missed qualifying for the 2007 Daytona 500 at age 72.

"I stayed with Bill, and then I went with James Hylton in '75. What a great guy," Champion said. "I learned the most from him, because he took the time to teach me and he was a great mechanic. I learned the most from James Hylton. We actually finished third in points that year."

As time went on, Champion said the crews slowly started expanding and the sport started changing -- and, in his mind, not always for the better.

"It was fun back then," Champion said. "You still only had two or three guys on a crew. And then you would have a couple other guys come and help you. But mostly that was just guys who worked in gas stations, local guys who would come and help out. They would show up on Sunday. There was a lot of camaraderie. (Continued)