Can you believe that a man now worth a staggering $250 million once took on odd jobs to make ends meet? Before building his racing empire, Richard Childress was a stuntman, hustling to pay the bills. It was back in 1981, while he was laying the groundwork for his future racing team, that he found himself diving into the world of high-risk stunts.

With 285 race starts under his belt, Childress certainly knew his way around a steering wheel. But what might surprise you even more is his unexpected connection to the world of Super Mario Bros!

Fearless Childress earned 500 dollars as a stuntman 

While many might wonder that pursuing odd jobs as a profession is all about adrenaline, for Richard Childress it was more than that. It was a mean to pay for his bills. His career as a stuntman took off as he had close connections with professionals like Hal Needham and Stan Barrett. Both of these names are popular in the world of stunts and they ensured even Childress could put his talent into work. 

As a racer, he had already built his reputation. This translated well into performing high-speed chases, crashes, and daring stunts for film productions. The final chapter of this career unfolded on the set of Super Mario Bros., where he was performing stunts in Wilmington. Sharing the reason why he chose to end this avenue, Childress in an episode of Dale Jr. Download said, “We were filming it down in Wilmington. That’s where they used to build concrete ships in this big building. We were doing the stunt work down there, and the stunt coordinator— one of the guys ended up getting killed or really hurt bad. And I said, you know, I need to be done with this. That was the end of my stunt career. I came back with some beat-up knees and stuff.” 

Super Mario Bros went on to become one of the most iconic movies that fans ever witnessed. Though he walked away with some battered knees, he also carried with him stories of heart-pounding excitement.  His career as a stuntman wasn’t vanilla at all! One of his most memorable moments came when he doubled for Burt Reynolds. Taking on Reynolds’ iconic wig and sweatshirt, he took part in a high-risk motorcycle crash. But given the dangers related to the crash, this was the most reckless stunt of his career. It involved sliding a motorcycle directly in front of a landing Cessna 182. Given that the stunt was life-threatening it ended up paying well – around $4oo to $500.

Richard Childress‘ work in films like Smokey and the Bandit II added to his stunt credentials. This is where he and fellow stuntman Neil B even staged a mock police chase. The duo, playing fake officers, pulled over an unsuspecting Camaro driver with an Earnhardt plate. However, Childress after ending his stunt career was able to do good for himself and focus all his attention on his new team – Richard Childress Racing. Although the veteran team owner hung up his stuntman boots, his fearless spirit and appetite for risk lived on. 

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Childress expresses confidence in his most loved driver

The 2024 season had been tough for Kyle Busch, given that he could not claim even one victory. To add to that, his drive at Bowman Gray also wasn’t the best as he finished P15. However, Richard Childress Racing‘s owner has expressed his complete conviction on the driver and his pursuit. 

Speaking of how restless he has become for a win and this could be a motivating force, Childress said, “He is such an amazing individual. He has a passion for racing; he don’t wanna lose. Before the race on Sunday morning, they went and worked on the simulator because he knew he wasn’t good- and he wants to win. He’s gonna do everything.” Had the #8 team won races at Atlanta, Daytona, and Darlington, RCR could’ve been in a better place. But, the team just wasn’t firing on all cylinders in terms of week on week consistent performances.

Despite the lack of competitive speed and overall performances on his #8 Chevy, Rowdy didn’t backtrack on his commitment. “For him to work and still encourage the employees…he didn’t come loose and start cussing and raising hell like some people would think he would be doing. He’s trying to help us build that thing and I still got confidence that we can win a championship,” The team owner added.

Childress’ faith in Busch’s determination could very well be the gold lining the driver needs to turn things around. With such a strong work ethic and unshakable focus, Busch’s pursuit of victory may just propel him to claim his third championship title.