Richard Childress Racing Museum
Museums / by Richard Childress Racing Museum / 635 views / Popular
The Richard Childress Racing Museum, located front and center on the 52-acre RCR campus in Welcome, North Carolina, offers visitors a walk through time and traces how an independent one-car team evolved into one of NASCAR’s most successful organizations.
The RCR Museum takes visitors through a journey that includes team owner Richard Childress’ earliest days as a NASCAR driver, the championship-winning years with Dale Earnhardt and the No. 3 team, the evolution and success of the team after Earnhardt’s untimely passing, and Childress’ passion for the outdoors.
Based in the 47,000-square foot shop that was home to Earnhardt’s No. 3 team for many years, visitors have the opportunity to step back in time to see race cars and other artifacts that have contributed to some of the most iconic moments in NASCAR history.
The museum hosts the largest collection of No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolets, including the 1998 Daytona 500-winning car, the 1995 Brickyard 400 winner and each of the special paint schemes driven by Earnhardt in the All-Star races from 1995-2000. Guests can learn how the RCR crew developed, built and prepared Chevrolets each week by walking through the different departments of the old race shop.
The museum is also home to some of the team’s most successful cars and iconic moments outside of the Earnhardt-Childress legacy:
– 1998 Budweiser Shootout-winning No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Mike Skinner
– 2001 No. 29 Chevrolet, driven to victory by Kevin Harvick at Atlanta Motor Speedway
– 2003 Brickyard 400-winning No. 29 Chevrolet
– 2007 No. 29 Chevrolet as it left Victory Lane after RCR’s second Daytona 500
– 2017 No. 3 Dow Chevrolet, driven to victory by Austin Dillon in the Coca-Cola 600
Along with the team’s Cup Series success, the museum also showcases RCR’s championship efforts in the NASCAR XFINITY, Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series. The center section of the facility is dedicated to Childress’ devotion to wildlife and outdoor conservation. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the North Carolina Wildlife Habitat Foundation, the National Wild Turkey Federation and Ducks Unlimited, all actively involved in the conservation of the nation’s wildlife and natural resources, are showcased in this area along with many of the animal trophies Childress has taken over the years.
The RCR team store has all of the latest apparel and souvenirs for RCR fans of all ages and sizes.
Look closely and you will see former No. 3 pit crew member and Museum curator Danny “Chocolate” Myers in his office, often recording his live show on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Museum & Team Store Hours:
Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.*
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.*
*The last ticket will be sold one hour prior to closing to allow visitors to fully experience the museum
** Please note the RCR Museum will be closing at 5 p.m. from August 30 – September 7.
*** The RCR Museum will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3.
- Listing ID: 787