Aug 15 2007
Five minutes with Richard Childress
Five minutes left us with a lifelong memory. Here’s how:
The Turn 3 Race Team had descended on Ponder, Texas for the annual Pre-Race Steak Night outing. Ranchman’s Steakhouse is the nearest sit-down dining to the Texas Motor Speedway, and enjoys a fairly heavy crowd of speedway diners during race weekends. It’s a place you have to call ahead if you want a baked potato. A day earlier than the normal race crowd, we were the only group in the place wearing typical race attire.
Our salads had just been served when Richard Childress walked in with two loud, obviously-Texan guests and sat at the table next to ours. Here was one of NASCAR’s biggest names sitting right beside us. As fairly normal race fans, we were awestruck. But, with good upbringing and all, we remained polite enough to leave the man alone to enjoy his dinner and his company.
Purely by chance, our group of six stood to leave at the same time as the Childress group. Richard had excused himself to the men’s room. As we headed toward the door, we were joined by Richard’s good-ol’-boy friends.
“You know who that is we’re sitting with?” drawled the tall one.
“Yep, we know,” answered Nick.
“I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you tell him you think he’s gay,” grinned the tall one.
Ever the quick wit, Nick answered, “A hundred won’t replace the teeth Richard will knock out of my head.” That’s about when Childress re-joined the group.
Introductions were made over residual laughter about the bet that wasn’t going to be made. Then, we stood talking on the front porch of the restaurant for a few minutes.
The Turn 3 Race Team consists of a group of friends who regularly reside in the infield of the Texas Motor Speedway during races. Our spot is next to the track, directly under the spot identifying turn three. A while back I designed a logo for the group, based on Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3, owned by Richard Childress. Occasionally, I will make shirts or caps with the logo for the team members.
My wife, Jeanette, was wearing her brand-new Turn 3 logo shirt on this particular evening. As we were standing on the porch talking with Richard, his eyes suddenly found her shirt, and he didn’t miss that the logo looked awfully familiar. For just a moment it occurred to me that he may be a little possessive about his number three, what with the copyright and all. But, he grinned a great big Richard Childress grin and asked Jeanette, “Would you like me to sign your shirt,” as he pulled a Sharpie out of his pocket.
Jeanette’s shirt had to be replaced. We had the signed one framed and it hangs on the wall as a regular reminder of five minutes on a porch in rural Texas, face-to-face with one of NASCAR’s finest gentlemen.
