One-on-One with Richard Childress,
NASCAR Legend and PBR Team Owner
The Hall-of-Famer brings his winning ways to the fast-growing Team Series.
Let’s get one thing straight.
When Richard Childress speaks, you listen. It doesn’t matter if he’s recalling his memories of burning rubber behind the wheel of his No. 3 Kansas Jack Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna in the mid-70s, detailing how he built his own championship race teams in the 80s and 90s, or switching gears and outlining his aspirations as the present-day owner of the Carolina Cowboys of PBR Teams. When he takes time from his packed schedule to touch base, you better believe we’re all in.
During our hour-long conversation, it became clear that he’s a man of multitudes. He’s also a man who carries himself with distinct dignity and a deep admiration for those who served. The flag holds a special meaning to him, and his career accomplishments have always ran concurrently with a lifelong drive to support the military community in any capacity he can. That’s a major part of what makes him who he is, and as we at GOVX team up with PBR to provide ticket exclusive discounts to GOVX members and prepare to serve as a title sponsor of the 2024 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in Hampton, VA, we're honored to align ourselves with an icon and organization that puts active and former duty servicemembers first.
GOVX
What attracted you to getting involved with PBR in the first place? And what was the driving force behind deepening your PBR ties with your decision to exercise your option to purchase the Carolina Cowboys after the inaugural 2022 season?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
I’ve been a PBR fan since the early 90s, and friends with our commissioner, Sean Gleason for longer. He came to me about four years ago with the idea of putting together an A-Team series of riders. Since he knew we were involved with NASCAR and had experience operating a team model there, we held discussions on how we could add a team element alongside the already established Unleash The Beast format. I brought my ideas to the table and was offered the opportunity to run one of the teams. Before making my decision, I consulted both with Austin Dillon, my grandson, and Austin Craven, and together we formed a team and agreed to move forward with it. My grandson now serves as the team GM, and Austin operates as the Business Development Manager.
When we came up with the Cowboys name and branding, I began to see interest from fans and sponsorships, and it made our decision to exercise our option to purchase the franchise that much easier. Soon after I brought on Jeff Broin as a partner, and the team took off running becoming everything we anticipated from an ownership standpoint. It’s really been an amazing year, and we have our sights set on bringing a championship to Cowboys fans. As for the league, we now have eight teams of 5-on-5 and we’re looking to two more teams via expansion in the near future.
GOVX
As a NASCAR Hall-of-Famer and self-made racer, how has your previous experience and success in motorsports guided or influenced your approach with the Cowboys?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
You know that’s a great question. It’s all about people, the team, and the team atmosphere. Which is what our GM Austin has helped build. He’s the one that went out and drafted the riders and put the work in. We follow statistics and that’s something you see in motorsports as well, but at the heart of it, it’s still about people.
We believe in leadership and having the right people in the right positions. It’s the key to success in any business, team, or family. The whole thing in life is about carrying the team, doing the right thing as a team, and making sure you don’t have any rotten eggs in your pile.
DAVE
Retired Firefighter – Chief Coffee Roaster
JACOB
Licensed Q Grader – Director of Coffee
GOVX
As a follow-up, are there any similar characteristics you’ve seen between successful professional bull riders and successful NASCAR drivers?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
I truly believe the desire to win, physical fitness, and mental fortitude are integral components to any championship athlete. Today’s world is so different from when I was driving. You have to have a driver who understands the intricacies of social media. What to say and what not to say. Same deal with our riders. They have to know when and how to react. You’re in the public eye because of all the technology and in some ways that’s complicated. The drivers and riders understand that there’s a certain responsibility to be role models for kids.
GOVX
Well said. Pivoting just a bit, as evidenced by the 1,000 free tickets that the Cowboys donated to US military servicemembers for your Cowboy Days event, your monthly Veterans Coffee functions at RCR, and much more, it’s clear that you and the Carolina Cowboys have a focus on supporting the military community. Can you share your thoughts on this and why it’s important to you?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
I’ve been very fortunate during my time with NASCAR over the years. I consider it to be the most patriotic sport. With that said, I’ve always been taught to respect anyone in a uniform. Law enforcement officers, military, and other Americans who serve our country in a meaningful capacity. I hold a tremendous amount of respect for the service and bravery, and Veterans Coffee is representative of that respect.
We hold a monthly event every other Wednesday at our shop, and we’ve had some amazing turnouts. One that stands out is the 75th anniversary of D-Day, where we hosted 82 World War II veterans, amongst our total of 1,200 veterans in attendance that day. I was personally able to thank each and every single vet, many of whom became my friends.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of traveling around the world. I went overseas during the Iraq War to meet with our veterans and show my support. I’m involved with Helping a Hero, which is Lee Greenwood’s foundation that gets homes built for wounded vets. This kind of work is very important to me. We owe the veterans so much, and they’re the reason I’m able to talk to you today.
One more thing, our ticket donations also extend to our local law enforcement. If they want to attend a Cowboys event, we can get them squared away.
GOVX
It’s easy to tell how passionate you are about supporting our nation’s heroes. What advice would you give to others involved in sports ownership that may be interested in developing meaningful connections with military servicemembers and first responders within their own communities?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
I’d like to see every team owner in sports today speak up. If a team member doesn’t show respect to our military, veterans, or police, they need to go. Simple as that. Disrespect will not be tolerated. You’re not going to be on my racing team or on the Carolina Cowboys. That’s what I stand by, and what I live by.
GOVX
As we look at the PBR layout as it pertains to the teams, how do you feel about the potential for the development of regional pride and rivalries? As a North Carolina native now running a North Carolina team, does this deepen your drive to represent your home state?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
We put a lot of pride in the word Carolina. North Carolina. South Carolina. It means something to all of us out here. We want our team to represent our home state of North Carolina, and right now our home games are proudly played in Greensboro, NC. Our goal is to bring a championship from Las Vegas back to North Carolina. We know there’s going to be competition and with that comes rivals. I’ve seen that firsthand in NASCAR, and even been part of a few fights. Obviously, we don’t want that, but a little bit of smack-talking can get the competitive fires going, but I’ll leave that to my grandson. There’s been a bit of a push to form a natural rivalry with Nashville due to our proximity, but since most of the owners and GMs all know each other it’s best to leave that part of the game to the riders.
GOVX
You recently appeared on episode 4 of the Amazon Prime PBR reality series “The Ride” alongside your grandson, Austin. Can you tell us a little bit about what that experience was like and how you see PBR continued to push similar content to grow the sport?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
Yes, I think the Amazon series they did this past year was amazing and it helped generate a lot of new fans. I know plenty of people who told me that episode got them into watching PBR and becoming a fan. Whether they’ve become a fan of the Carolina Cowboys, Texas Rattlers, or Nashville Stampede, it’s helped bring attention to the sport and build affinity. I hope PBR will continue creating fresh content the same way Formula One has with Netflix, and growing the fanbase.
DAVE
Retired Firefighter – Chief Coffee Roaster
JACOB
Licensed Q Grader – Director of Coffee
GOVX
Circling back to the Carolina Cowboys, how do you see the team evolving? What are some of the short-and-long-term goals?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
We take pride in putting the work in. We’ve got a new trainer to assist with the medical side of things. Austin’s hired another assistant coach who speaks Portuguese to better communicate with our Brazilian riders. Short-term is about becoming stronger as a team. We have to build a strong foundation of high-caliber riders and staff so we can start winning from the get-go.
Long-term, our goal is to be champions. Plain and simple. It’s going to take a lot, especially when you need to keep your riders healthy. We intend to be a big player with PBR and grow the Team Series.
GOVX
On that note, PBR Teams is still so new but has had a tremendous start. Beyond just the Cowboys, what’s your vision of what PBR Teams will look like five years from now?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
With two expansion teams on the way, we have to add new riders. I think like NASCAR, you may see a Cup Series and then have something like the XFINITY Series. We already have the Velocity Tour, but I think eventually expanding the format will make it easier to develop riders.
GOVX
Richard, thank you so much for your time today. Just to close things out, can you tell us a little bit about what you consider to be the proudest moment of your illustrious career?
RICHARD CHILDRESS
Of course. Well, I've been blessed to have some great people around me to start with. One moment that stands out is winning the Daytona 500 for our first championship. Additionally, just being able to watch my grandsons go out there and become successful racers, it’s really been an amazing thing. I’d also have to point to my time spent with Dale Earnhardt, and everything he accomplished through his career. All these things are big reasons why I'm still doing what I do today. I love it, and it keeps me young.
