"I'd like to see ours drink it": When Richard Childress envisioned his wine in NASCAR victory lane

NASCAR team owner Richard Childress once shared a vision of seeing his own champagne in the victory lane. A year after founding Childress Vineyards in North Carolina in 2004, he talked about his winemaking passion and its potential connection to motorsports in an interview with Eric Arnold. Childress looked at vineyard opportunities in California and New York before deciding to open his own winery in his home state.

Richard Chidress had a driving career that lasted from 1969 to 1981, where he got six top-5 finishes and 76 top-tens. He then built Richard Childress Racing (RCR) into one of NASCAR’s most successful teams with 6 Cup Series wins between 1986 and 1994 with Dale Earnhardt. The team also has 5 Xfinity Series and 2 Craftsman Truck Series titles.

The RCR owner started to shift some of his focus to his lifelong passion, winemaking, in the early 2000s. He wanted to make wine a part of the NASCAR culture. He launched his winery in 2004, named Childress Vineyards. In a 2005 interview with Wine Spectator, Chidress was asked if NASCAR drivers should break from tradition and toast victories with wine instead of milk.

"I sure would like to see ours drink it. We're gonna make some champagne, but it'll be about a year before we bottle it. Hopefully we can get some of the Childress champagne in the winner's circle." Richard Childress responded.

At the time, Childress Vineyards was still in its infancy, sourcing grapes from 19 different North Carolina vineyards while its own estate vines matured. Childress talked about his goal of making wines for all palates. Despite skepticism from the media, he remained committed to making the winery a success.

Reflecting on public perception, Childress shrugged off the early reactions to a NASCAR team owner entering the wine business.

“We've been jabbed at in Sports Illustrated and Jay Leno made a comment on it. But when Mark Friszolowski, our winemaker, came on, I told him, "I want to make wines that will fit everyone's palate." It takes time to get there. I want something that a wine connoisseur will enjoy drinking, but I also want to introduce wine to the new wine drinkers.” added Richard Childress.

With RCR not winning the championship since, his idea of NASCAR winners celebrating with wine never transpired. But Childress Vineyards did become a respected name in the industry.

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How did Richard Childress Racing fare in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup?

RCR fielded 3 cars in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup. Kevin Harvick drove the No. 29 as new joiners Jeff Burton took No. 31 and Dave Blaney moved over from No. 07 to take the No. 30. Bobby Gordon moved out of Richard Childress Racing ahead of the season to start his own team. The RCR team mostly struggled in the season with either driver failing to finish in the top 10 at the final championship standings.

Kevin Harvick (21) dives below David Stremme during the Food City 250 - Source: Imagn

Kevin Harvick was the only driver who secured a win at Food City 500 in Bristol. He also started in pole positions at Talladega and Richmond but neither he nor his teammates were serious contenders for the championship. Tony Stewart won his second Nextel Cup as current RCR No. 8 Kyle Busch won Rookie of the Year in what was an underwhelming season for RCR.