Richard Childress Accepts NASCAR Teams’ Rule Manipulation Tactic, Confesses His Struggles With NASCAR’s New Innovative Approach

What if you were told that Dale Earnhardt’s fourth title was won through manipulation instead of merit? The #3 Chevrolet driver of Richard Childress Racing was an undisputed legend. But his team owner Richard Childress got away with many contentious actions that would have been heavily penalized today.

NASCAR’s technological advancements led to greater scrutiny by the governing body and the once champion team has been left searching for its next trophy for nearly 30 years. In a recent interview, Childress opened up on the break-neck speed of modern innovation that has compelled racing teams to step up their game.

Next Gen cars have made engine manipulation trickier, per Richard Childress

The swanky Next Gen race cars have come a long way from the stock cars that were originally used for racing on Daytona Beach. Over the years, the unmodified stock version of street cars took a more distinct “racecar” look when teams began modifying the engines, body parts, and materials to gain an advantage over their competitors. In the late 80s to early 90s, the alterations entirely transformed the Gen-3 and Gen-4 cars, and they were skillfully capitalized upon by Richard Childress Racing. 

Perhaps fearing a disconnect from their fans due to a drastic lack of resemblance, the Generation VI and the Next Gen cars were once again designed to match their showroom counterparts. But the racing authorities also grew wary of the misuse of rapid technological growth, forcing teams to employ creative strategies within the limited room for changes granted by NASCAR. In a roundtable conducted at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, Richard Childress admitted, “I think these cars today, you constantly got to be looking for every advantage you can get within the rules.”

Recalling the days of greater leeway, Childress said, “Sometimes you go a little past it, but I think these cars are so tight today that there are a lot of things that you can’t do that we used to do to the cars.” That does not mean they don’t attempt it where they can. Childress revealed, “You still try to get it. Now we’re looking for thousands within the bodies or chassis or wherever we’re working, where before you could move pieces and parts and stuff. But the engineering side of it today is a whole key to it.”

However, the 78-year-old team owner has trouble keeping up with the intricate details and leaves it in the capable hands of his expert engineers. Childress continued, “I sit in there and watch our guys going through all the simulation and all the stuff they’re doing and it just amazes me. It’s way over my head. This is an old country boy. It’s just when they start talking all these numbers and stuff, it’s got so technical. They’re still innovating, but they’re doing it in a different way today through engineering.”

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Interestingly, RCR was also innovating through engineering in the 90s but was not above employing questionable mechanisms either.

Racing teams doubted RCR engines during their golden years

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After his first Winston Cup championship win in 1980, Dale Earnhardt moved to Richard Childress Racing to make NASCAR history. Together, they were unstoppable during their 17-year partnership, especially after legendary engineer Eddie Lanier joined the stable. Lanier was determined to produce a Daytona 500-worthy race car for the Intimidator in 1990. 

Reported by motortrend.com, Lanier was quoted as saying, “That Earnhardt had won practically everything at Daytona except the 500 was always the big story.” In his enthusiasm to secure the prestigious race for Earnhardt, Lanier experimented with enhancing RCR’s engine quality. But the first set of modifications were outside the legally permissible bounds of NASCAR. 

Lanier, however, had claimed to rectify and bring it within the legal limits. Although Earnhardt did not win the Daytona 500 till 1998, he did win nine races and the fourth Cup championship of his career in 1990. But the season ended on a controversial note when RCR led NASCAR to penalize eventual runner-up Mark Martin over engine allegations.

Although proved to be unfounded later, the points lost by Martin paved the way for another title for Childress. As far as the racecar was concerned, Lanier maintained his unimpeachable stand. As reported by dailypress.com, the RCR engineer had then said, “I know quite a few teams think we were doing something illegal, but I can say with a clear conscience that we have never cheated on our engines.” 

Nonetheless, the season’s disputed end and the recent admission by Richard Childress might make fans wonder about the veracity of that statement over two decades ago.

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