February 18, 2001, came to be known as NASCAR’s darkest day after Dale Earnhardt lost his life during the Daytona race. This was a moment that shook up the entire NASCAR community and his presence is still missed in the sport today. Richard Childress, the team owner of Dale’s car, who first believed it was just a normal incident, was distraught after he realized that there was no response from Earnhardt on the radio.

This loss was tragic for the team, and at one point, Childress also decided that he would quit NASCAR. However, he persevered through the emotions and continued the team because that’s what he believed Dale Earnhardt would have wanted. It was a difficult situation for Childress and during such a difficult time he needed all the support he could get. Luckily for him, he had a team that was there for him and the one man that he credits for his recovery is none other than Kevin Harvick, the former RCR driver.

How Kevin Harvick helped Richard Childress get over Dale Earnhardt Sr’s passing

After an incident like Dale Sr’s accident, it’s hard to get back on track knowing that any race could be your driver’s last. With this feeling in Richard Childress’s heart, he continued to have his team race that season in memory of the lost legend. Many nice things have been said about Dale Sr. over the years, but it was only on the recent episode of Kevin Harvick’s podcast that Richard Childress confessed what it took for him to pull things together.

On the 3rd September episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX, the host called down Richard Childress to talk about the sport. The two discussed pressing matters like Kyle Busch’s recent slump before talking about the driver that was lost at Daytona. Speaking about Dale Earnhardt Sr., Childress told Harvick, “I’ve seen a lot, but I don’t remember much. Yeah, and it’s like me; it’s my memory is a little bit further away on day, but I think the things I remember about it are how everybody pulled together so hard.”

Childress did not beat around the bush and he told Kevin Harvick, “I ain’t saying it, because you’re saying here, I’ve said it before, that I don’t know of another driver that could have gotten that car under the circumstances and the pressure of driving that car that Dale Earnhardt got; he drove a car all you know, drove the cars he was driving had been driving, and that could have done what we did. But the thing I remember that stands out is how much we all pull together.”

All the credit for the team getting back on their feet went to Harvick, as Childress explained, “I think winning your first race in Atlanta, seeing Dale Jr. win, seeing I think it was Parks. It was so many healing moments that sport needed. And I think it started with your win in Atlanta, the third race, and going out there and winning it.” Dale Earnhardt was a true lover of the sport and although he won his first championship with Osterlund Racing, it was Richard Childress Racing that helped him win the next 6 titles.

Knowing what a fierce force Dale Earnhardt was, it’s only fair to believe that he would want the team to continue to race and win in his memory. So when the team stepped up and started to win races, Childress felt like he made the right decision to stay in the sport. On the note of ending the topic, Childress left it at rest by saying, “A lot of those things were the healing moments that we all needed at that time.”

How losing his best friend affected Richard Childress

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Dale Earnhardt was not only Richard Childress’s star driver, but the two were also best friends. Over the years of working together, Dale Earnhardt Sr and Childress grew a strong bond and when the No. 3 driver passed away on track, the team boss’s life came crashing down. Even 20 years after Dale Sr’s passing, Childress was unsure if he wanted to continue in the sport, as he revealed in a 2023 interview with Fast Cars 2 NASCAR.

During the interview, Childress revealed, “That night after that, I went back and talked to my wife, and I said, ‘You know, we’re going to sell this thing as soon as I get back home. I’m going to get out of it; I’m out of racing.’ I lost my best friend; Dale was our franchise for RCR.” Now that it’s been 20 years, the pain from the incident has not worn off, and Childress remembers the times they spent together.

As friends, Earnhardt and Childress used to go hunting on horses and one incident that Childress remembers was from one of those trips. Earnhardt and Childress had gone hunting when the latter slipped and fell off the ravine. When Earnhardt rescued him, Childress told Dale Sr, “You know if I hadn’t made it off this mountain today, you’d have to go and race on from next weekend.”

Like best friends often do, Dale Sr had a smart response to Childress’s statement, saying, “If it ever happens to me, You gotta go and race.” With this sentiment in his heart, Childress decided to carry on the team and continue to keep Dale Earnhardt’s legacy alive. Are you glad that RCR pulled itself out of grieving the tragedy and got back to winning races? Share your thoughts on this in the comments below.