Team owner to pilot pace car at IMS

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Richard Childress will get behind the wheel of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Pace Car to lead the field at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Richard Childress Racing has earned 15 championships and over 200 wins across NASCAR’s top three series in its 50 years, which made them the only organization to win championships in all three national series. 

“What an honor it is to have been chosen to lead the field to the green flag at the Brickyard this year,” said Childress, chairman and CEO, Richard Childress Racing. “RCR has had a tremendous amount of success at this historic speedway, all backed by our longest-standing partner in General Motors and the Chevrolet brand. Chevy and RCR have been together for all 50 of RCR’s years as a company, and I couldn’t be prouder to represent them.”

The North Carolina native began his career as an owner/driver in 1969 and made over 285 starts before retiring as a driver in 1981 to focus as a team owner. Childress saw his greatest success from 1984 – 2001, when the team won 67 races and 6 championships with the no. 3 car of the late Dale Earnhardt.  

The race is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, September 8 and is the last race of the regular season, which will set the 16-driver field for the NASCAR Playoffs.