It’s hard not to think of Dale Earnhardt when driving into Welcome, N.C. Blink and you might miss the tiny rural community of less than 4,000 that exudes images of stereotypical country living in the South and thoughts of hard-working, blue-collar folk.
Tucked away in that small town is a place that helped create the Earnhardt legend through 67 victories and six of his seven championships.

It’s been seven years since an Earnhardt-driven car has rolled out of Richard Childress Racing in hopes of securing that elusive eighth Cup championship. Though the drivers, car numbers and sponsors have long since changed, Earnhardt’s presence is still there because through all of his success, he was establishing a successful foundation for the Childress organization.

It’s been seven years since an Earnhardt-driven car has rolled out of Richard Childress Racing in hopes of securing that elusive eighth Cup championship. Though the drivers, car numbers and sponsors have long since changed, Earnhardt’s presence is still there because through all of his success, he was establishing a successful foundation for the Childress organization.
That success was evident March 5 when Childress, Kevin Harvick, Todd Berrier and Shell Oil representative Kevin Ilges inducted Harvick’s 2007 Daytona 500-winning Chevrolet into the Richard Childress Racing Musuem. The red-and-yellow No. 29 still bears scrape marks from Harvick’s .020-second victory over Mark Martin, the silver and blue confetti stuck to the body proof of his triumph.
The car sits in a portion of the museum showcasing Harvick’s triumphs over the last seven years, which include victories at Watkins Glen Int’l in New York and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway among others. But perhaps more significant than those cars from his other victories — even the Daytona-winning car — is Harvick’s white-and-red- GM Goodwrench Chevrolet from his first victory.
At 25 years old, the Bakersfield, Calif., native was still in pursuit of his first Nationwide Series championship when he climbed into the former No. 3 car at North Carolina Speedway less than a week after Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500. “Happy” Harvick, a former NASCAR Grand National West champion, had huge shoes to fill, especially with the sports world grieving for the loss of a legend and a hero.
Yet Harvick soldiered on, finishing 14th in his debut. The next week, he came home in eighth at Las Vegas.
Then, in just his third Cup start, Harvick did the unthinkable, beating Jeff Gordon to the checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway by .006 second similar to Earnhardt’s victory over Bobby Labonte at the track the previous March. As the speedway erupted in cheers, applause and tears, Harvick drove around the track, saluting the fans in the stands by holding three fingers out the window. On pit road, crew members from other teams congratulated Harvick as they had when Earnhardt had finally captured the Daytona 500 in 1998.
That victory came seven years ago for Harvick in what had been Earnhardt’s car. Since that time, RCR has expanded to three teams and has captured 17 victories plus the 2007 Nextel All-Star Challenge.
And now there’s a second Daytona 500-winning car in the RCR Museum. The other belongs to Earnhardt, who, after 20 years of trying, finally tasted glory in the series’ biggest race after it had taunted him time and again.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate to win quite a few races,” Harvick said during the induction ceremony, “and this one definitely takes the cake as far as I’m concerned.”
Overlooking the ceremony stood Earnhardt, his image forever captured on a Coke machine standing in the corner of the room.
Yes, his presence is still very much felt in Welcome, N.C.