Leader of the pack

Richard Childress to pilot Coca-Cola 600 pace car

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Posted: Monday May 24, 1999 05:10 PM

Childress raced from 1969 to 1981, driving his own NASCAR Winston Cup Series car to six top-five finishes and 76 top-10 finishes. David Taylor/Allsport

CHARLOTTE (CNN/SI) -- Thanks to Chevrolet, ex-driver and Winston Cup team owner Richard Childress will celebrate a personal milestone in style this weekend.

Childress will mark his 30th year in racing by driving the pace car for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600. He'll pilot the new 2000 Monte Carlo around Lowe's Motor Speedway during pre-race festivities, an occasion that's meaningful for Chevrolet, too. The Monte Carlo is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, a fact that the manufacturer trumpets.

Chevrolet's Monte Carlo pace car will also make motorsports history May 30 when it becomes the first car to pace two motor sports events on the same day. Comedian Jay Leno will drive Monte Carlo pace car at the Indianapolis 500.

"Monte Carlo is the most successful nameplate on the NASCAR circuit," said Don Parkinson, Monte Carlo brand manager. "It only makes sense that we put it out in front of the pack as the pace car, with a racing legend like Richard Childress. Both are already recognized leaders on the track."

Childress, who owns Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 team and Mike Skinner's No. 31 team, enjoyed his own successful driving career. It spanned 12 years from 1969 to 1981, and included six top-five finishes and 76 top-10 finishes. Childress switched from driver to full-time car owner in 1981, when Earnhardt replaced him in the driver's seat.

"It's an honor to be selected as pace car driver and to introduce the all-new 2000 Monte Carlo as a pace car," Childress said. "This is my 30th year in racing and most of those races have been in Chevrolets. You can't beat a Chevrolet product. I never won a race as a driver, but I'll be running out front at Charlotte in that 2000 Monte Carlo and I can't wait."

Thanks to Earnhardt, Childress has reaped plenty of wins as owner of Richard Childress Racing. That includes six Winston Cup Championships, including back-to-back Winston Cup titles in 1986 and 1987, 1990 and 1991, and again in 1993 and 1994. In 1995, he became the first team owner to win the inaugural NASCAR Truck Series Championship with Skinner. In addition, he has 63 Winston Cup wins, 203 top-five and 294 top-10 finishes in 429 starts -- all of which are Winston Cup highs for that period.

Childress Racing won a Winston Cup race every season from 1983 to 1996. The organization has finished in one of the top-three positions in points in nine of its last 12 seasons, as well as finishing in the top-five in points 11 of the last 12 seasons.

"I remember when Richard drove stock cars, and I don't think he will have any problems driving the Monte Carlo pace car," said NASCAR president Bill France. "Richard has always been one of my heroes and represents the backbone of our sport."

No other manufacturer has won as many manufacturer's or driver's championships on the NASCAR Winston Cup racing circuit as Chevrolet. And Monte Carlo's winning percentage is 70 percent greater than that of its nearest competitor.

 

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