Portion of freeway named in honor of Richard Childress

Richard Childress at the dedication ceremony

Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett today joined N.C. Board of Transportation member Nancy Dunn and other state and local officials to dedicate a 5.5-mile section of I-85 from U.S. 64 to Lake Road (State Road 2085) in Davidson County as the Richard Childress Freeway, in honor of the former NASCAR driver and current team owner Richard Childress. A ceremony officially naming the highway for Childress was held at Richard Childress Racing in Welcome Tuesday morning.

“Richard has been a great contributor to the sport of automobile racing, North Carolina’s growing wine industry and the economy of Davidson County," Tippett said. “Naming this stretch of I-85 for him is a fitting tribute to the many ways he has given back to this state and its communities."

Childress is the president and owner of Richard Childress Racing. His race team, based in Welcome, has won 12 NASCAR championships including six Sprint Cup, five Nationwide Series and one Craftsman Truck series.

Childress is also the owner of Childress Vineyards, located in Lexington. The vineyard, which opened in November 2004, has received several industry awards and was recently named one of America’s Top 25 Tasting Rooms by Wine Enthusiast.

Through his efforts and dedication to the local community, Childress has helped create more than 500 local jobs and made the Childress group of companies one of Davidson County’s top five private employers. He has also directly invested more than $100 million into the local economy and recently donated $5 million to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center to initiate the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma.

The Davidson County Board of Commissioners requested the road naming, and the N.C. Board of Transportation passed a resolution dedicating the stretch of highway in Childress’ honor in July, 2008.