In one of the more shocking twists of the 2026 season, Richard Childress Racing’s 80-year-old owner Richard Childress will get back behind the wheel of a race car as part of Cleetus McFarland’s Crown Vic event at Stafford Speedway in July.
Cleetus McFarland’s rise in NASCAR received an extra boost in early 2026, when Richard Childress Racing signed the 31-year-old, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, to a part-time developmental deal to race in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
While Mitchell’s promotion was questionable, no one ever questioned whether or not RCR was the right fit for the YouTube star.
As part of his many automotive exploits, Mitchell hosts a series of All-Star races across the country using an old Ford Crown Victoria.
This somewhat informal series is popular amongst his fans and racing fans alike as it has drawn in names like Carson Hocevar and Tony Stewart in recent years.
But now RCR is crossing over with these Crown Vic events, as during his latest YouTube episode, he broke the news that 80-year-old Richard Childress, who has not raced professionally in over 40 years, will return to the driver’s seat on July 17 at Stafford Speedway.
Mitchell said that the idea sparked from a recent “high-speed fender bender” that Childress was involved in, and crew members at RCR pushed Mitchell to invite the former Cup Series owner/driver to compete at Stafford.
“The guys at RCR have been beating me up, saying, ‘You’ve got to get Richard in a race. You’ve got to do it, he’ll do it.’ So, I know he still drives aggressively. I hit him up, I said, ‘Hey, if you want to race Stafford, you know, we’ll do it.’ And he just texted me and said, ‘I’m in.'” — Cleetus McFarland
Mitchell also noted in the video that joining the mix of Crown Vics is another RCR team member, 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Jesse Love.
Of course, prior to his time as a NASCAR Cup Series Championship-winning owner, Childress owned and drove for RCR.
From 1969 to 1981, Childress made 285 NASCAR Cup Series starts, scoring a best career finish of third at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 1978.
While he did not win, Childress did stack on points throughout the season. In fact, he finished in the top ten in points five times during his driving career and even brought home fifth in points during Richard Petty’s 13-win 1975 Championship season.
Just 20 races into the 1981 season, Childress retired from driving, allowing reigning Cup Series Champion Dale Earnhardt to take over the No. 3 for the final 11 races of the season.
Earnhardt would race for Bud Moore in 1982 and 1983 while Ricky Rudd drove for Childress, before moving into the No. 3 for the rest of his racing career starting in 1984.
Stay close to the on-track action this weekend by following our Race Weekend Dashboard for everything you need to know before, during, and after the race. Share your thoughts by joining the discussion on Discord or X, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for further updates.
