Want a Cup car? Team owners unloading inventory at bargain-basement prices
Quote selected text Published November 25th, 2007 in NASCAR News
Give Richard Childress extra credit for thinking extra early.
The very-aware Nextel Cup team owner had a hunch way back in February that while the plan was to phase in the Car of Tomorrow over two seasons before switching to it full time in 2009, the move would be made next season.
He was right.
With that in mind, Childress decided he would take a shot and at least recoup some money.
“You got to be thinking way ahead,” Childress said. “We started unloading in about February or March. … We were unloading before [they announced the full-time move]. We unloaded everything that was for a mile track and [shorter].”
Childress said he had done a good job of depleting his inventory of what are now obsolete Cup cars. He is retaining a few for his grandson to race in the ARCA series and in the Busch East series. But the rest have had various destinations.
Like other owners, Childress said he has sold several cars to driving schools, and others to collectors. He said one purchaser bought all of the Richard Childress Racing road-course cars.
Other owners have sold cars at auction and, from all accounts, those were snatched up quickly at bargain-basement prices. About 350-400 Cup cars have flooded the market.
“It’s definitely a buyer’s market, especially for collectors,” Childress said.
Clearly, this is not a seller’s market. Owners said they never expected to recoup all of the money they had invested in those cars, but something, of course, is better than nothing.
Childress said he has, in most cases, recouped 25 cents to the dollar.
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i wonder about how much they are going for?
I’ll throw down 30k for one
I really don’t understand why NASCAR doesn’t run the old cup cars in the Busch Series, that way its more cost effective… Then the old cup cars can be used in the ARCA Series, Busch East and Busch West and the Nationwide (formally Busch) Series. That works better for me anyway, is there something I am missing…
Yeah I never understood that either, if they can use them in Busch east why not let them use them in the big Busch (well Nationwide) series.
Probably because the Busch cars are all ready as fast, if not faster than cup cars on many circuits. NASCAR doesn’t want to have the ‘08 Busch faster than cup on ALL the tracks.
Do you ever notice how they never post the lap speeds of the pavement modifieds at New Hampshire?
They can’t use old Cup cars in the Nationwide Series because they are smaller cars. They have a 5 inch shorter wheelbase. Busch East and West are allowed to run both types of chassis.
Fisha695 wrote:
Well the cup cars are also bigger and hevier than busch cars
George Thompson wrote:
Yeah they are like 5″ longer in the wheelbase and a hundred or so pounds heavier. But in Busch east you can run Cup cars or Busch cars.
Also, Bruce I have seen lap speeds of the Mods at NHIS posted on NASCAR.com
Do you think RCR sold any of the 2001 Earnhardt cars that were lying around after Dale’s death? Probably not. Rumor has it Richard made a few into show cars. Also rumored that he gave one to Petree, one to Chocolate Myers and one to Marcis. Just rumors. I’d like to have one myself. I personally thought he cut up most of them.
He has the ones in the Museum, and the ones that were given to people, and the ones that were made into show cars. Then the rest went to his other teams and got wrecked/scraped/replaced as needed.
I would like to have one to piss off my stupid neighbors lol.
I highly doubt Childress has any of Dale Sr.’s cars left to sell, remember most of them were repainted when Harvick came along and he drove them.
Most of Dale’s old cars were put into a museum in N.C. and the others that were ready for the rest of the 2001 season were restickered for Happy’s #29.
i know the 1983 #43 was for sale not too long ago.