​Richard Childress hasn’t raced competitively in decades, but the NASCAR Hall of Famer is climbing back behind the wheel this weekend. At 80 years old, the longtime owner of Richard Childress Racing is slated to compete in Friday night’s sold-out New England 900 at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut, an event hosted by YouTube personality Garrett “Cleetus” McFarland. The appearance marks a rare return to competition for one of NASCAR’s most recognizable figures, and it has already stirred quite a buzz throughout the racing world.
Childress will pilot a Crown Victoria in the New England 900, a 90-lap exhibition that has rapidly become one of grassroots racing’s marquee annual events. Jeff Gluck of The Athletic first reported the news Thursday evening, noting that Childress had acquired a new firesuit and was gearing up for Friday night’s race. The event quickly sold out and features a diverse mix of drivers from across motorsports and online racing cultures.
Although he stepped away from full-time driving decades ago to devote himself to building Richard Childress Racing into one of NASCAR’s premier organizations, Childress’s competitive fire has never faded. The team owner has remained a constant presence in the NASCAR garage, overseeing championship-winning programs and helping develop generations of drivers. Now, he’ll once again strap into a race car himself.
The announcement sparked one of the weekend’s most humorous media moments. RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece, who won last year’s New England 900, was asked by Gluck about the prospect of racing against Childress. Preece didn’t miss a beat, recalling one of NASCAR’s most infamous post-race confrontations. “Hell, yeah,” Preece said. “Yeah, so I already told him to hold my watch.” The line referenced the well-known 2011 incident in which Childress removed his watch before confronting Kyle Busch after a Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway.
When Gluck jokingly asked whether Preece planned to rough up Childress, Preece made it clear that wasn’t the intention. “Rough him up? Yeah, I don’t want to rough him up.” After Gluck suggested Childress might be the one doing the roughing, Preece laughed and explained why he was excited to share the track with the NASCAR legend. “Well, he can hold my watch then,” Preece joked. “But no, I mean he’s coming to my place. Actually, when I was talking to him a few weeks ago, because I was pretty pumped, I saw that he was going to run it. I’m happy. He’s going to enjoy that experience, but he told me he had actually gone there and raced there way back in the day. And so, that was interesting to find out.”
Childress joins a star-studded field that includes Preece, Jesse Love, Ty Dillon, Bobby Earnhardt, Downforce Danny, Squirrel McNutt, and Cletus McFarland, among others, all converging for a weekend that promises high-profile action on the Stafford short track. The field’s eclectic mix—ranging from seasoned pros to beloved online personalities—has helped cement the New England 900 as a highlight of the grassroots racing calendar, amplifying the excitement around Childress’s unexpected return to the cockpit.