Similarities undeniable in friends, competitors Childress, Hendrick – Nascar

CONCORD, N.C. — Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick have more in common than being long-time car owners in NASCAR.

Both men have seen their teams win multiple championships. Both have fielded entries for some of NASCAR’s most talented drivers.

And both are going into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2017.

Their friendship has been built on respect for each other’s accomplishments as well as years of fierce competition.

Sometimes, what has taken place on the track has tested the limits of that friendship. But it remains unchanged.

“We’ve had some situations where we’ve had to go up to each other and say, ‘You know, we’re not driving the cars,’ ” Hendrick said Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of the Coca-Cola 600.

Specifically, in 1988 when Dale Earnhardt, driving for Childress, and Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick, were embroiled in a feud that became so intense it resulted in all four being summoned to NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida, to meet with CEO Bill France.

It was a rivalry that had been building for quite some time. It all came to a head here at CMS.

“That was back when Dale and Geoff were wrecking each other, right here (at Charlotte), and it was costing us a lot of money,” Hendrick said.

It was the Coca-Cola 600 race weekend, and during the Saturday race, the Winn-Dixie 300, contact from Earnhardt sent Bodine spinning and into the wall. Afterward, Bodine made a trip to Earnhardt’s garage stall, drawing an imaginary “X” over the car.

“That was his engine builder next to the car. I was just wishing him good luck for today,” Bodine said during a pre-race television interview.

In Sunday’s 600, contact between the pair sent Bodine’s No. 5 Chevrolet to the garage. This time, NASCAR officials penalized Earnhardt, holding the driver of the black No. 3 Chevrolet on pit road for five laps.

The following week, both drivers and the two car owners were summoned to Daytona. The incident was recreated for the movie “Days of Thunder.”

“They made a movie about it,” Hendrick recalled. “We got summoned to Daytona; Bill France brought us in a room … Dale, Geoff Bodine, Richard and myself.

“I’m not going to use all the words he used but he said, ‘There aren’t two monkeys that are going to mess up our show. … We can sit here and watch videos all day.’ … but Richard and I had already agreed that we couldn’t control it; we tried to, but it was costing us a lot of money.

“Mr. France said, ‘We’re going to go have dinner.’ Dale said, ‘I’ve got some plans.’ Mr. France said, ‘There’s the phone, change your plans.’

“Richard and I rode together; Dale and Bodine rode together and we never did have any more trouble.”

Childress, who won six premier series titles with Earnhardt at the helm of his cars, said such incidents weren’t exactly “great,” but said it was a fun time in the series.

“That wasn’t fun that night,” Hendrick said.

“That wasn’t any fun at all,” replied Childress. “He (France) was serious. He definitely said ‘I don’t care if one of you has to run on one side of the track and the other run on the other side, you better not do it again.’ He was pretty serious.

“But you look back on that … to be part of it and build the friendship we did … it was quite a trip.”

In addition to Childress and Hendrick, drivers Mark Martin and Benny Parsons, along with former car owner Raymond Parks, will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2017.