NASCAR team owner Richard Childress will auction an original No. 3 Chevrolet during the Barrett-Jackson Online Only May 2020 Auction to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts across the United States. The sale of the Dale Earnhardt-driven race car marks the first time Childress has parted with an original Earnhardt car from his collection. Bidding for the car will begin on Friday, May 8, and will end on Saturday, May 16. The entire sale price will be donated to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts.
“I’ve grown my personal collection of memorabilia throughout my career in NASCAR and have especially enjoyed the Dale Earnhardt cars in my collection because they each have such a unique history that bring back priceless memories of my years winning and racing with Dale,” said Childress. “I’ve never parted with an Earnhardt Chevrolet from my collection, but with a global pandemic taking place and people in our communities suffering, it’s time to do what I can to help. All proceeds will benefit much-needed causes to fight the devastating effects of COVID-19 on a local and national level.”
Earnhardt made select NASCAR Cup Series starts in this intermediate-style Chevrolet at tracks such as Bristol Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Rockingham Speedway and Darlington Raceway between 1996 and 1999. Highlighted by a win at Rockingham Speedway in 1996, Earnhardt did not finish worse than fourth with Chassis No. 22 in its first three on-track appearances.
“We’re incredibly honored to assist Richard Childress during this crucial time in our nation’s history,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “Not only is this a rare chance to own an original race car from his NASCAR collection, but it’s a chance to come together as Americans and help those who have been affected by COVID-19.”
A variety of national and local causes will benefit from the auction and sale, with Childress contributing 100 percent of the sale price to various COVID-19 relief efforts, including providing support to national and local first responders and front-line workers in need of personal protection equipment. A portion of proceeds will also benefit Feeding America, which provides meals to children out of school, supports food banks and the distribution of essential food and non-food household items.
In addition to the race car, Childress’ personal memorabilia collection, which includes a variety of rare and hard-to-find items – including pre-production models of diecasts, some of which never went into production – are available on eBay at https://www.ebay.com/str/RichardChildresscollection.