"A lot started with that $20 race car, selling peanuts": Richard Childress reveals how Bowman Gray Stadium shaped his NASCAR journey

As NASCAR is returning to the Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time in 54 years, Richard Childress touched upon how he wouldn't be anywhere without the aforementioned venue. In a recent conversation with WXII 12 news, Childress took a trip down memory lane and narrated how he started from Bowman Gray as a child, selling peanuts.

Richard Childress is the proud owner of Richard Childress Racing, one of NASCAR's most renowned and successful teams, and the Richard Childress Vineyards situated in Lexington, North Carolina. However, none of this would have been possible without the Madhouse, as people call it.

“Yeah going back in history, I was probably nine or ten, I can’t even remember, I was a kid," Childress said. "My middle brother and we went over one night. And my stepdad took us to a race, and we just fell in love watching them and seeing these kids selling peanuts and popcorn. So we asked them if we could come back next week." (0:53-1:12)

Following this, Childress spoke about how he started off his NASCAR journey from Bowman Gray Stadium. Here's what he stated,

"I do quite a bit of public speaking, and I always like to start out by saying, 'Only in America, Only in America could a kid with a $20 race car and with a dream be here today at the WXII. That's the story." (2:45-3:04)

NASCAR is returning to the Bowman Gray Stadium for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray this weekend. It will be the season opener for the Cup Series. As the wait is over for fans to indulge themselves in the sport, none anticipates the event more than Richard Childress.

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How did Richard Childress start Richard Childress Racing?

Richard Childress founded Richard Childress Racing in 1969 when he was a driver. He invested the money he received from his NASCAR debut at Talladega, and it was the formation of a team that went on to script history.

Fast forward to 1981, Childress roped in Dale Earnhardt, and it stood out as the most remarkable move for RCR in the team's history. Together with Earnhardt, RCR won races one after another and stamped themselves as a force to reckon with.

The late 1980s and the early 1990s were the golden age for RCR, where they won six Cup Series championships in 1984, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994. RCR also entered the Xfinity Series a few years later and won five owner's titles in 2001, 2006, 2008, 2013, and 2019.

However, in recent times, Richard Childress Racing has not seen the face of success. They have not won a championship in the Cup Series for third years now. Currently, they field two full-time (Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon) and one part-time car in the Cup Series.