Richard Childress Interview
5/13/202631 min
In this special episode of SPEED with Harvick and Buxton, Kevin Harvick returns to a place that's very special to him, the Richard Childress Racing Museum in North Carolina. Kevin sits down with the man who gave him his start, Richard Childress, for a candid and emotional conversation about the moments that defined an era of NASCAR. They pull back the curtain on the heavy days of 2001, discussing the immense pressure and profound grief of Kevin stepping into the seat of the No. 29 Chevrolet just days after the tragic loss of Dale Earnhardt Sr. The duo also explores Richard’s famous "curator" habits, touring his massive 47,000-square-foot collection of history, from pristine championship cars to the tiny mementos Richard refuses to throw away. Later in the show, Dr. Andy Randolph, Technical Director of ECR Engines, joins the conversation to bridge the gap between history and the future. Dr. Andy breaks down the "Performance Revolution" driven by POET bioethanol, explaining how the same high-octane fuel that powers 200+ RCR victories is fueling energy security and engine longevity for drivers across America. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:49 Kevin’s RCR history 01:28 Dale Earnhardt cars at RCR Museum 02:56 Reflecting on 2001 7:20 1998 Daytona 500 08:55 Evolution of the Engine Shop 10:24 Seat on the Board of Directors for Growth Energy 11:44 Racing Driving Biotechnology? 12:56 Museum Car Rotation 14:00 Kevin’s Defining RCR Moment 16:18 Kevin Driving Dale Earnhardt’s Car In 2001 18:55 Dr. Andy Randolph Joins 19:11 Transformation of Bioethanol Fuel 21:06 Working Relationship with POET 22:14 Best Conversations Between Dr. Andy Randolph & Richard Childress 24:12 Development of the Engines 26:45 What Is Zero-carbon Bioethanol? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRichard Childress· Guest0:00
I can't think of somebody that would get in it, and did what you did, and handled the pressure that you were under to drive Dale Earnhardt's car.
Kevin Harvick· Host0:08
You brought me in the office and you said, "Look, we gotta quit crashing cars. I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but are you a pack rat?"
Richard Childress· Guest0:14
Sorta, yeah.
Kevin Harvick· Host0:15
[laughs] Yeah. [laughs] Welcome to a special episode of Speed with Harvick and Buxton, fueled by POET. And today, we have, uh, one of my great friends, car owner, a mentor, I would definitely put that i- in the category- [laughs] ... Richard Childress, in, in what I would, uh, I, I would call one of the most special places, um, in NASCAR racing. But thanks for letting us take some time today to, to be able to come up here and talk about the museum.
Richard Childress· Guest0:48
Great having you back here, Kevin, having you home.
Kevin Harvick· Host0:52
Yeah.
Richard Childress· Guest0:52
This was your home for a few years. Not right in this building, but it was, uh, back up here in Welcome, North Carolina. And, uh, you got a lot of history in this building- Yes ... yourself- Yes ... besides Dale's.
Kevin Harvick· Host1:04
Well, I, and I think when, when you look at the history, right now we're sitting in what was Dale's shop when, when he was really in the, in the midst of, of everything that you guys were doing while he was driving the cars. A- and you look around and, and you see all... I mean, I see engine hoists, I see cars with hoods open. You see mine in the background. It, it's, it almost doesn't need to be in here, but, um, you know, you see some of the history of, of the cars