'There's a certain amount of fighter left in me': When Richard Childress stood tall for RCR’s second chance

Even as Richard Childress Racing surged back into contention in 2010, few moments defined its rebirth more than a quiet toast in victory lane. Kevin Harvick had just won at Michigan, and with Budweiser announcing a landmark deal to sponsor Harvick's No. 29 car, the celebration was complete.

Amid the longnecks, Richard Childress was reclaiming his legacy, almost a decade after the tragic loss of his star driver, Dale Earnhardt. The man steering RCR back at the front had the same quiet conviction that built the team from scratch.

At nearly 65, with a Montana ranch and a successful winery to his name, Childress could've stepped away. But he didn't. Instead, he reminded the NASCAR world that resilience doesn't age.

"There's a certain amount of fighter left in me. I'm getting a little older, but I still... gotta fight to survive. And I want to win another championship for this organization. I want to be involved in it. And that drives me," Childress told ESPN's Ed Hinton in August 2010.

Richard Childress watched his cars struggle in 2009 and decided to revamp RCR from the ground up. Over the next year, his engine program with Earnhardt-Childress Racing became the envy of the garage. Moreover, with Budweiser coming on board and John Menard investing in a new car for his son, sponsorship was no longer a concern.

Clint Bowyer (33) leads Kurt Busch (2), Kevin Harvick (29), and Jeff Burton (31) during the 2010 Coke Zero 400. Source: Imagn

All three RCR drivers: Clint Bowyer (#33), Jeff Burton (31), and Kevin Harvick (29) now had secure backing and qualified for the 2010 playoffs. They failed to win the title with Harvick finishing third in the final standings and Bowyer tenth. However, the infrastructure, and more importantly, the belief were in place.

Richard Childress' roots and the Earnhardt years

Richard Childress congratulates Dale Earnhardt after his 4th NASCAR Cup win. Source: Getty

Growing up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Richard Childress swept school hallways for lunch and sold peanuts at Bowman Gray Stadium. That was where his NASCAR dream began, not behind the wheel, but in the grandstands, watching legends like Junior Johnson tear up the track while selling concessions.

Long before he became a championship-winning owner, Richard Childress lived a life that demanded fortitude. His father passed away when he was just five, and from that moment on, he saw himself as an adult.

"From then on, I considered myself a man. Had to. There was nobody to go home to and whine, 'Johnny whipped my a*s today.' I had to fight my own battles."

His teenage years took him into a darker world. Working at an all-night gas station, Childress got involved in the liquor trade as a delivery man for local drink houses. He saw violence up close and realized money wasn't worth dying over.

His NASCAR Cup debut came during the 1969 Talladega boycott, where replacement drivers were called up. Childress earned $7,500 when he was seen celebrating with a bologna sandwich in one hand and champagne in the other. A symbol of his street-smart duality, never without class.

Richard Childress congratulates Dale Earnhardt after his 4th NASCAR Cup win. Source: Getty

Childress' first taste of real success came in the early 1980s when he handed over his own car to a brash young driver named Dale Earnhardt. Though it wasn’t sustainable at first, the two reunited in 1984 and soon became NASCAR's most iconic pairing. They won six Cup championships in eight years, combining Earnhardt's grit and Childress' belief.

Neither man had finished high school. Both had grown up scrapping for everything they had. When Earnhardt tragically died at Daytona in 2001, it was more than a personal loss for Childress. Yet even then, he didn't retreat and put a young Kevin Harvick in the seat.

Over the next nine years, Harvick and Richard Childress Racing endured criticism, growing pains, and near-misses. But in 2010, the persistence of that little boy from Winston-Salem was finally paying off.