Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inducts Richard Childress to its Class of 2016

Richard Childress

Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, was inducted to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Wednesday night at The Shores Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla. Childress was one of seven individuals inducted into the hall of fame, which honors and preserves the achievements of the greatest legends of motorsports on land, sea and air. He accepted the award presented to him by his grandsons, Austin and Ty Dillon.

"It gives me chills being amongst legends of not only stock car racing, but other forms of motorsports here tonight," Childress said to the audience of about 300. "It is a great honor to be inducted into a hall of fame that honors some of my heroes such as Louis Chevrolet, A.J Foyt, Dale Earnhardt and the France Family. I want to thank my family, my second family – the 525-plus employees at RCR and ECR Engines – and all of our great partners along the way. I could not have done it without them."

Childress has accumulated more than 100 victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and more than 200 wins in NASCAR's top three touring series as owner of RCR. With driver Dale Earnhardt and the legendary No. 3 car, Childress won Sprint Cup championships in 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994. He has also recorded multiple driver and owner championships in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Childress is also a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1998 and 2007).

The Motorsports Hall of Fame, which moved its operations from Detroit, Mich. to Daytona Beach, Fla. earlier this year, is located in the newly renovated Daytona International Speedway. Its 2016 class includes Childress (Stock Cars), Everett Brashear (Motorcycles), Gary Gabelich (At Large), Chip Ganassi (Open Wheel), Dave McClelland (Drag Racing), Sam Posey (Sports Cars) and Bob Sweikert (Historic).

Some notable current members of the MHOF include former RCR driver, Dale Earnhardt; legendary Indy Car drivers Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Rick Mears; and NASCAR greats Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace and Cale Yarborough.