“I’ve seen a lot”: $250M worth Richard Childress comes clean about his involvement in illegal moonshine activities to Dale Jr.

Richard Childress was the latest guest at the Dale Jr Download podcast with Dale Earnhardt Jr. This was the very first episode during the NASCAR 2025 season where two of the sport's monumental figures discussed everything about NASCAR, including how the stock car racing started during the Prohibition period. Childress, speaking about this, stated that he has seen everything from top to bottom as he came clean about his involvement with moonshine activities.

Years after NASCAR was founded (1948), rumors have it that bootleggers continued to race in the series, and interestingly, Richard Childress's name was there on the list. Dale Jr. in his recent podcast with the Richard Childress Racing owner, touched upon this and asked the latter if he was a real live bootlegger.

Answering this, Childress confirmed that he was a bootlegger, but with a different story. Interestingly, he also ran with the illegal moonshine, but there's a whole lot to it. Here's what he said in detail (1:11:42 onwards):

"Here's what happened I didn't bring it down from the mountains I was running a service station 11 to 7 in the morning then Moonshiners would bring. I worked there I didn't own - I had to work there and run it at night and I wasn't but 17 I think 16 17.

"And these Bootleggers would park the car come in there give me some addresses you know where to go these drink houses you deliver this there you deliver this here and you deliver there and I would do that now I did move a couple down from the mountains but most of the time drink houses yeah."

Following this, Richard Childress, who is worth $250 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth) explained what a drink house is and how it was very dangerous (because of its illegal and life-threatening activities) for him to go and deliver the moonshine to these places.

As he almost wrapped up, Earnhardt Jr. looked at him and said:

"You've done it all."

To which, Childress replied:

"I've seen a lot."

Richard Childress was born on September 21, 1945, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. During his time as a racing driver, he founded Richard Childress Racing (1969), which has become one of NASCAR's most successful teams.

---

What is the connection between NASCAR and bootleggers?

NASCAR and stock car racing traces its roots back to the Prohibition era from 1919 to 1933. It was the time when drivers, especially moonshine runners or bootleggers, would compete against each other on roads in a show of pride while transporting illegal liquor.

NASCAR founder and former CEO Bill France Sr., left, talks with a U.S. Secret Service agent regarding security for Vice President George H.W. Bush prior to the start of the 1983 Daytona 500 - Source: Getty

These runners or bootleggers used to transport the illegal moonshine from one part of the country to another in modified cars. These cars were heavier, faster and could carry more loads. Over the years, these runners turned out to be racers after Bill France Sr. founded NASCAR in 1948.

Following the foundation of NASCAR, several divisions were formed as the sport turned out to be popular, which eventually morphed into 'ladders". These 'ladders' are currently known as tiers, such as the top tier or Cup Series, followed by the middle and lower tier, the Xfinity and Truck Series, respectively.