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It’s coming! The Daytona 500 is barely a month away, a fact underscored by FOX’s Daytona 500 commercial on Sunday during the NFC Championship Game. You can watch it below, and then read on for other spots from celebrities.



Daytona Day is fun, and so is FOX’s hit new comedy "The Mick," starring Kaitlin Olson — and therefore it made perfect sense for her to promo the Super Bowl of NASCAR during the network’s coverage of the Atlanta-Green Bay tilt.

However, let’s hope The Great American Race is more competitive than the 44-21 beatdown the Falcons put on the Packers. (Just ask Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. about entertaining finishes.)

Every family needs a funky aunt like "The Mick" to get the Daytona Day party started:

Or would Schmidt, played by Max Greenfield on FOX’s "New Girl," host the better party? Of course, he thinks so:

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RELATED: Learn more about the Class of 2017 | Martin’s top moments

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mark Martin described the rollicking ride of emotions leading up to his induction speech for the NASCAR Hall of Fame as far more difficult than anything that he ever experienced in a race car. A heady statement, since Martin’s path to stock-car stardom was anything but easy.


"I can’t tell you how it feels to stand up here in front of you tonight," Martin said. "It’s a feeling that my words could never do justice."


But Mark Martin had all the words Friday night, just over 1,500 of them in a heartfelt address that capped a stellar night in the Charlotte Convention Center. He joined Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons in the Hall’s eighth class of five inductees. When it was all done and Martin was officially enshrined, the 58-year-old driver felt invigorated.


"I feel like I’ve had a cup of coffee or I’ve been playing some Gucci Mane," Martin said with a laugh. "I’m wide open."


The circuitous path to NASCAR enshrinement, which started on the rickety back roads with one-lane bridges in his native Arkansas, was a long time coming. And though he’s just more than three years removed from his final big-league start — in a fill-in stint for the injured Tony Stewart in the 2013 finale — Martin says he’s transferred his trademark determination to more mundane pursuits.


"How shiny can I get my motor home. I’ve got to get that trash and take it out. That light bulb is burned out, dammit," Martin said of his day-to-day life now. "… You know, I just do all the things that I used to pay people to do. I still go like hell every day. That’s the same ol’ me.


"Yeah, I just really enjoy not — not having that laser focus. I’m still focused. Don’t get me wrong. And I’m still OCD and I still run wide open, and I’m still odd about how I want things and all that. I’m still that same guy. But you know, life is just a lot more serene for me now."


Martin nearly exited the sport twice, once because of unfortunate circumstances and another by his choice. His career nearly short-circuited during a struggle-filled 1982 season, but Martin stuck with it, eventually landing a second chance with car owner Jack Roush in a partnership that lifted both to elite status.


"Because racing was my passion," Martin said when asked what kept him going. "The easy thing to do was to go to the trucking company that my dad owned and go to work there. I had no interest in that trucking company. The only thing I knew was racing."


And when he dialed back his driving duties with two part-time seasons in 2007 and ’08, it was Hendrick — his fellow inductee and ever the salesman — who persuaded him back to a full-season ride. The agreement yielded one his most prolific seasons — the last five of his 40 premier-series wins and his last brush with the championship trophy that eluded him.


In his three-year absence from the driver’s seat, Martin says he’s missed the people, the media, the garage and the fans. He hasn’t missed driving the race cars, but his competitive nature, he says, has never left him.


Martin seems content in channeling his tenacious spirit toward fixing an electrical outlet or other do-it-yourself projects these days. But though the lure of the track may have faded, he said he looks forward to his career enjoying a sense of permanence in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.


"This makes me feel like I have a place, a little bit of a place," Martin says. "But the thing about racing is when you step out, the hole closes behind you so fast, it’s unbelievable, as a driver, as a crew chief, crew member, whatever. I’m sure even doing your job, you step out for very long, that hole closes, man. It ain’t easy to get back inside. I stepped out, and the holes closed, and I just — I embrace this opportunity to represent the NASCAR Hall of Fame because it makes me very proud that we have this because of how important it is to me to know the full story about Raymond Parks. I knew who he was and whatnot, but I know the full story now.


"So for a guy who’s been here for so long to learn that through this process, just think what it’s going to do 50 years from now, how important it’s going to be."


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RELATED: Class of 2017 enters Hall of Fame

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The name on the card for Friday night’s NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony read "Forever Legends."

 

But after watching and listening to the Hall’s eighth class as each was welcomed into the Hall, perhaps "Forever Family" would have been more fitting.

 

"How great is that, to have your wife and your two grandsons to induct you into the NASCAR Hall of Fame?" asked Richard Childress, who rose to prominence as the owner of Richard Childress Racing, his teams winning 12 championships across NASCAR’s three national series.

 

Childress, fellow car owners Rick Hendrick and Raymond Parks, and drivers Mark Martin and Benny Parsons made up this year’s Hall of Fame class.

 

And much like Childress, others paid tribute to family and the family atmosphere that has permeated NASCAR practically since it’s 1948 incorporation.

 

NASCAR drivers Austin and Ty Dillon introduced their grandfather on the special night. Although Childress is 71, Ty Dillon noted that he doesn’t believe his grandfather "will ever stop pursuing his passion."

 

"He will continue to live his life, fighting to keep this ground which we stand on tonight the best in the world," Dillon said. "He will always keep going to the track because that is what he loves to do, but most of all, he loves his family."

 

Family was also what drove Mark Martin to never give up on his dream, returning to the sport to rebuild a career that was halted almost before it began. With a wife by his side and four young children, Martin feverishly worked his way back into NASCAR to earn a second chance.

 

More than three decades later, after 96 wins in NASCAR’s three top series and five runner-up finishes in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points battle, Martin stood on stage and officially joined the list of racing legends.

 

"Tonight," he said, "for me is about recognizing the VIPs that made this happen. But the MVP is Arlene Martin.

 

"We met Christmas 1983, and Arlene, from that day, that day and every day since then, you have made me better. It’s incredible what we’ve seen and what we’ve done to get here."

 

RELATED: Martin recalls second chance, relishes induction

 

Emotions were kept in check, somewhat. Voices did crack on occasion. No surprise there. This was, after all, a big, big deal.

 

"We are like a big family, even though it’s a lot of us, we care about each other, and I don’t care if people think that’s corny," Hendrick, who was a racer himself long before he built a successful auto dealership empire, said. "That’s the way I was raised. It’s worked for me, and it’s worked in our companies, both of them."

 

When Hendrick arrived at the Hall prior to the ceremony, one of the first people he saw was executive director Winston Kelley.

 

Kelley, Hendrick said, told him that there was one thing he could tell the car owner and auto dealer about both his companies, that it was clear that his employees loved their boss.

 

"And I said, ‘You know what? Your telling me that means as much to me as getting into the Hall of Fame,’" Hendrick replied.

 

It was every bit as much validation for what he had strived to become as the Hall of Fame ring he would receive just a few hours later.

 

"I feel like ‘job well done,’" Hendrick said, "because you look after your people and they look after you."

 

Martin was still riding the adrenalin of the moment when he sat down with the media afterward.

 

"I feel like I’ve had a cup of coffee or I’ve been playing some Gucci Mane," he said, grinning. Retired from racing since 2013, he now spends his days focused on more mundane matters.

 

"How shiny can I get my motor home," he said. "I’ve got to get that trash and take it out. That lightbulb is burned out, damnit. …

 

"You know I just do all the things that I used to pay people to do. I still go like hell every day. That’s the same ol’ me."

 

It had been an emotionally draining week for others. Those still entwined in the never-ending cycle of competition, where forward focus is key and there’s no time for looking back.

 

"It really was," Hendrick, a leukemia survivor, said. "… This has been the toughest week, besides losing a family member.

 

"We’re all emotions up and down, and we had a little champagne toast before I went in there, and the two doctors, the doctor that invented the medicine that saved my life was in there, and I lost it. I mean, Jeff Gordon said, ‘I’ve never seen you that emotional in there since I’ve known you.’"

 

NASCAR is one big extended family. Full of the quarrels that divide them and the emotional ties that draw them back together.

 

"I meant what I said tonight about all the people in the sport," Hendrick said. "There are some great folks.

 

Hendrick and Childress had spoken earlier in the day. Joe Gibbs phoned, unable to attend Friday’s function but happy for his fellow team owner. So did Roger Penske.

 

Just three short months earlier, Penske, Gibbs and Hendrick met with the media in Homestead, Florida, each having drivers competing for the championship.

 

"We’re racing each other and we’re paying each other compliments," Hendrick said. "You wouldn’t see that in the NFL. We want to beat each other just as bad as anybody, but it’s really strange. It’s a different deal.

 

"I don’t know what it is, but it’s pretty special."

 

Forever Legends? Sure. But forever family? There’s no doubt.

 

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CHARLOTTE — Being a race car driver entails much more than getting behind the wheel.

Before the start of a new season, NASCAR walked its younger drivers through different aspects of the sport during its annual Driver Development Seminar. The 2017 edition was held Friday at the NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Through guest speakers and breakout sessions, the assembled group was given a chance to hear from some of the most influential individuals in the sport. Among the featured guest speakers were NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jill Gregory, Monster Energy Director of Motorsports Dave Gowland, FS1 broadcaster Adam Alexander, Lauren Murray, social media manager for Jimmie Johnson Racing Digital, and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson himself.

“It really is a pretty comprehensive experience,” driver Spencer Gallagher said. “I liked it. It’s worth getting up at 7 in the morning for.”

This was Gallagher’s fourth time experiencing the seminar, and the XFINITY Series rookie for GMS Racing called it NASCAR’s best one yet.

Among the topics broached was a look at the business of NASCAR, as well as a driver’s identity. Gallagher pointed out some of the more interesting sessions, such as being given advice on how to get the most out of social media, what goes into a good interview and a driver’s style.

“It’s a really informative event, especially about how we as drivers influence the direction of the series and the sport that we’re in and how we can be ambassadors to the outside world,” Gallagher said. “People have to want to watch us, and we as drivers play a very big role in that. It’s really good to see NASCAR putting forth the effort to help train us. They bring in the best in the business and then tell you exactly how they do it.”

Matt Tifft was equally impressed. Now a full-time driver in the XFINITY Series for Joe Gibbs Racing, Tifft listened as O’Donnell talked about NASCAR’s mission of seeing the sport’s next superstar potentially come from the assembled group.

With the welcoming of a new premier series sponsor, Monster Energy, Tifft was struck by how NASCAR is looking for drivers to show his or her individual personality this year. Something Tifft, at 20 years old, thinks will not only be a good thing, but also is needed for the sport to grow.

“They want us to be ourselves and resonate (with others) and cross promote and bring people in from other interests and things like that,” Tifft said. “I think it’s a good idea and I think we probably need to do more of that as a sport.”

Tifft missed a portion of the 2016 season following surgery to remove a brain tumor. During his time away from the track, Tifft said it gave him perspective on how drivers need to step out of the bubble they can become trapped in during a season and take a look at how they can better represent themselves on and off the race track.

The seminar drove home that point.

Drivers like Myatt Snider and Chase Briscoe were given plenty to digest as each is set to begin the next chapter of his career. Snider will compete part-time for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series, and Briscoe is going full-time with Brad Keselowski Racing.

“The biggest takeaway I’ve heard is they’re going to let us kind of be our self a lot more,” Briscoe said. “I think that’s going to be good for everyone; I think it’s going to be great for the sport, obviously. Looking forward to that.

“Other than that, it’s really cool to see how they’re telling us to expand our brand. I feel like as a race car driver your brand is one of the most important things you can do. So building that brand outside what you do in the race car is obviously big and it’s big for your future.” 

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How long do you think it took Christopher Bell to do the math?

Carl Edwards‘ announcement of his abrupt exit from the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has had a ripple effect that could go far beyond the promotion of Daniel Suárez to a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ride.

Because Suárez will fill Edwards’ seat in NASCAR’s premier series, he won’t defend his NASCAR XFINITY Series title. Bell will be one of the beneficiaries of the changes in Suárez’s schedule.

“Right now, we have a solid plan for Christopher,” said Dave Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development (TRD) USA. “He exceeded our expectations. He got all the way to Miami (the championship race of the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase at Homestead-Miami Speedway). This year, we expect him to get to Miami and win.

“And if circumstances play out, we really would like to get him into an XFINITY car for a couple of races. We’re working hard on that, and we’re optimistic, but that could very well be a domino that falls. Those are helpful — those couple of races where there’s zero pressure, but it gives you a look at the next step.”

Last week at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the 22-year-old Bell wasn’t thinking about the next step. He was contemplating the next race, trying to become the first native Oklahoman to win the marquee event of midget racing since Andy Hillenburg accomplished the feat in 1994.

(And, no, the Andy Hillenburg in question is not the Indiana-born driver who ran NASCAR races and later bought Rockingham Speedway. The Andy Hillenburg who won the Chili Bowl is a sprint car racer from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.)

Bell was also thinking about the upcoming season in the Camping World Truck Series, where his own expectations mirror those of the Toyota brass.

“I guess it could open it up for me,” Bell said of Edwards’ departure. “But, honestly, I haven’t even really thought about it, because my schedule’s already set, obviously, with Kyle Busch Motorsports. That’s where my focus is, and we’re going to aim really hard to win races this year.

“We came close on the championship last year, but we didn’t win many races — we won one time. My goal is to win races with KBM.”

That doesn’t mean, however, that Bell wasn’t enthused about the prospect of getting his first taste of the XFINITY Series.

“That’s great,” he said during a break between features at the Chili Bowl. “That’s good that I might get a couple of races — that’s really good.”

The extent of Bell’s participation in XFINITY races depends to some degree on sponsorship. Wilson said Suárez’s primary sponsor, Arris, which also sponsored Edwards, will be confined to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup car, even though Suárez will still run between eight and 12 XFINITY races.

“If he (Bell) does what he should do in ’17, then, naturally, we would love to get him into an XFINITY ride in ’18,” Wilson said. “Yes, this could play into Christopher’s further development and get him one or two more XFINITY races that we may not have foreseen prior to the news (about Edwards).”

Last Saturday night, Bell fulfilled his long-standing dream of winning the Chili Bowl, noting that competing in the Truck Series had informed his approach to dirt-track racing. Biding his time in the 55-lap “A” Main, Bell started on the front row and passed polesitter Justin Grant on Lap 26. He stayed out front the rest of the way.

“In years past, it’s been attack, attack, attack,” Bell said. “This year, it didn’t have to be that way. I just ran hard enough to stay in position but not get into trouble. I was able to ride behind Justin there for a while. I knew the bottom was slowing down quite a bit and I kept trying the top. I tried it two times and I almost got passed, so I knew it was going to be a matter of too early or too late at the top.

“I started to watch the big screen. (Eventual runner-up Daryn) Pittman was running the top at the time. I knew he was in eighth, and I looked up and he was third or fourth so I knew I had to go. Once I went, I was able to squeak by Justin on the straightaway, and then it was a matter of just not screwing up.”

That sort of patience is emblematic of Bell’s maturation as a driver. Early last season, he didn’t look like a championship contender. In the second race of 2016, at Atlanta, his aggressiveness led to a wreck that collected Suárez, his teammate, and fellow Toyota driver and two-time series champion Matt Crafton.

But Bell won at Gateway Motorsports Park nine races into the schedule, and he finished outside the top 10 just twice in the last 16 events.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR fans, make sure to set your alarms: As announced over the weekend, there is a press conference today at 6 p.m. ET to discuss the 2017 season.
 
Plenty of special guests will be on hand, so make sure to watch the live stream on NASCAR.com at this link to take stock of the big names and learn more about the coming season.
 
Among the dignitaries scheduled on stage for the announcement: NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, NASCAR Executive Vice President & Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell; Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski; former drivers and current analysts on FOX and NBC, Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton; International Speedway Corporation President Joie Chitwood III and Speedway Motorsports Inc., Chief Executive Officer Marcus Smith; and team executives Dave Alpern (Joe Gibbs Racing), Marshall Carlson (Hendrick Motorsports), Brett Frood (Stewart-Haas Racing) and Steve Newmark (Roush Fenway Racing).
 
The event also will be streamed on Facebook Live on the official NASCAR Facebook account.
 
Stick around after the live stream, too, for full coverage of the event on NASCAR.com, including video segments featuring Regan Smith.

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Go Fas Racing is pleased to announce that Gene Nead will assume crew chief duties for the No. 32 Ford Fusion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the 2017 season.


"I’m excited to be joining the Go Fas Racing team," Nead said. "I’ve enjoyed working with Matt the last couple of seasons and I’m really looking forward to working with the rest of the guys on our No. 32 Ford team."


Nead, a veteran crew chief, brings to GFR more than 20 years of crew chief experience in NASCAR’s top-three series’ and has accumulated 9 wins, 66 top-five finishes, and 11 poles. Last year, he served as crew chief of the No. 83 at BK Racing, where he worked with Matt DiBenedetto, and together they earned their best ever finish of sixth place at Bristol Motor Speedway.


"I am so fortunate to have Gene with me at Go Fas Racing. He has made me into a better all-around driver and his experience has taught me so much in the past year and a half. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be the driver I am without him," said driver Matt DiBenedetto for GFR. " We have a great relationship and we are both extremely competitive. Gene is going to make a big difference in our program at Go Fas Racing and we all appreciate him coming on board."

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MORE: Track Suarez’s path to NASCAR star 


Daniel Suarez‘s rise to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition following the abrupt departure of Carl Edwards from full-time racing has us wondering how the incoming Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender will fare in his first season at the big league level.


Let’s take a look back at how the reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series champion has performed throughout his NASCAR career in lower series across tracks he’ll be racing at in 2017.


(Note: While success at certain tracks as a driver moves up the ranks doesn’t necessarily guarantee similar results at the Cup level, it can give a bit of insight into a driver’s strengths and weaknesses.)


First and foremost, Suarez picked up three wins over two full-time seasons in his XFINITY Series career, all three of which came en route in 2016 to his first NASCAR national series title. 


The three victories came at Michigan (four laps led), Dover (123 laps led) and, of course, Homestead, where Suarez led a dominating 133 of 200 laps from the pole to secure the race victory and the championship. Three distinct tracks, three different lengths (2 miles, 1 mile, 1.5 miles, respectively.) Tough to draw much from that other than point out that Suarez, clearly, isn’t a one-trick pony.


Let’s dig a little deeper.


Over his 68 total XFINITY Series starts, Suarez had multiple top-five finishes at six tracks. Guess what? None of them were the ones he won at, muddying the picture a bit more. Phoenix and Kentucky top the list with three apiece, followed by two each at New Hampshire, Bristol, Charlotte and Darlington. All of these tracks range 1-mile to 1.5-miles in length, save for the half-mile Bristol. We may be getting warmer.


Suarez has four tracks on his resume at which he averages a finish inside the top five in Darlington, Homestead, New Hampshire and Indianapolis. He’s led more than 100 laps at Homestead and Dover, and has a pole at Kentucky, Homestead, Auto Club and Daytona.


Moving onto the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Suarez has just a single win at Phoenix, but has only compiled a total of 27 starts across three part-time seasons.


Still, he has multiple top-five finishes at Texas (three), Phoenix and Dover, with multiple top-10 finishes at those tracks and Martinsville. 


The new driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also has a pole at Kentucky, where he’s led a total of 77 laps — tied for the most he has at any track in the series with Bristol. 


Suarez averaged starts in the top five at three Camping World Truck Series tracks (Kentucky, Chicago and Phoenix), while averaging a finish inside the top five at Dover, Phoenix and Texas. 


And, hey, for good measure — he won at Daytona in the K&N Pro Series East in 2014.


Alright, now that our heads are good and dizzy from a blizzard of numbers and facts, let’s digest and make some bold semi-predictions. 


If Suarez is able to win a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race — don’t forget, an unexpected rookie won in 2016 (Chris Buescher) and two made the Chase (Buescher and Chase Elliott), so it’s certainly a distinct possibility that he could — it appears the most likely tracks will be in that 1-mile to 1.5-mile range. 


Tracks of this stature make up exactly half the schedule, with 10 races before the Chase begins. Given that Suarez is stepping into a competitive ride immediately — one that nearly won the 2016 championship just two months ago — the talented incoming rookie will have an excellent shot at securing his first win. 


Look specifically to Dover, Phoenix, Texas, Kentucky, New Hampshire and — *gulp* — Homestead as the tracks most likely to see Suarez land in Victory Lane.


Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Vintage tweets from drivers, Vol. 1 | Vol. 2

RELATED: Read more Inside Groove


VINTAGE TWEETS, VOLUME THREE!


So many NASCAR drivers have mastered the fine art of social media. But it didn’t happen overnight, as is evidenced by some of their very early, and often awesome, initial tweets. What follows are actual posts from actual drivers, as they first immersed themselves into the Twitters. 


Jamie McMurray


AH, swell deal. Enjoy the movie.


OK, to save space, we didn’t include the tweets informing us that they were almost to the theater to see "It’s Complicated," they had found a parking spot at the movie theater that was showing "It’s Complicated," and the follow-up reminder that they were going to see "It’s Complicated" in case we missed the first two notifications.


Had we just withheld this information, we would have been spared the 5,000 pictures of his Rolex and his ghoulish life-size bobblehead.


Oooooo, someone wins the Daytona 500 in 2010 and suddenly the dude from U2 is his PERSONAL CHAUFFER TO MARTINSVILLE. Fame corrupts.


It was spreading false information, such as tweeting that Jamie was on his way to see "Sex And The City 2" instead of "It’s Complicated." Stuff like that’s gotta be shut down.



Danica Patrick


She’s going two months between yoga sessions. I bet she loses interest in yoga entirely, just watch.


OH MAN, needs two cups of coffee to muster the energy to work out. I bet she gives up working out entirely, just watch.



Probably just an innocent little text conversation that doesn’t really lead to much. Maybe he just wants to borrow some of her clothes.



Now’s probably a bad time to point out "dosent."



OK so maybe she picked yoga back up but doubt it becomes a regular thing.



Greg Biffle


Da Biff got dat phone hook-up mang.



Market trends suggest dumping all your money into Blockbuster.



What a stout driver lineup for Roush Fenway Racing — one that will remain intact and solid like mahogany for years to come.



OH MAN, cell phone pics from the inside of race cars! This should become a thing.



Good. Tell that guy the belts may need a little work.



Clint Bowyer


Clint Bowyer‘s maiden tweet could not possibly have been more Clint Bowyer.



Whoever explained Twitter to Clint left out that "Your wife can read everything you post" part …



… AND, well, she can now reciprocate with a tweet about this.



Clint’s first entry into the Folksy Exclamation Hall Of Fame. The other entries in the Hall Of Fame all belong to Clint also.



If you’ve ever wanted to experience the first-person perspective of a national treasure, here you are.



Ryan Blaney


I have two questions about this tweet and they’re both "What?"



You got 137 more characters if you want, bro.



Well now that you’re in Cup, go back five years later. Won’t come off as creepy at all. It’s engagement season.



I think Dale Jr. tweeted something similar once and got 3,000 likes. There’s a reason your phone has a camera, Ryan Blaney.


And here you’re complaining about the wiener dog.


Posted on by Staff Report

Members of the eighth NASCAR Hall of Fame class joined their rightful place among other NASCAR legends Friday night in Charlotte, North Carolina.


Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons officially answered the call in a most prestigious ceremony.

The class

Richard Childress



Long before he became one of the pre-eminent car owners in NASCAR history, Richard Childress was a race car driver with limited means. Still, he persevered, which is what you do when you purchase your first race car for $20 at the age of 17. Having formed Richard Childress Racing in 1972, Childress retired from driving in 1981. Eventually he would hire Dale Earnhardt as his driver. The rest, as they say, is history. | WATCH CHILDRESS’ SPEECH