An “impeccably preserved” No. 3 Dale Earnhardt race car tops the list of memorabilia his longtime friend and NASCAR team owner Richard Childress is auctioning off to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts.
Childress has never before sold or given away an original Earnhardt car from his personal collection, Richard Childress Racing officials said in a news release Thursday.
Team officials have not divulged which car is up for auction, saying only that it comes complete with its engine and that interested buyers should contact Richard Childress Racing directly. A team spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.
On Friday, Childress was likewise cryptic when he tweeted photos of four black No. 3 Earnhardt cars in his collection.
“I’ve got memories of every one of these cars, but I know the suffering that’s going on,” Childress said, referring to the novel coronavirus pandemic. “It’s a small sacrifice on my part to part with one of these cars.”
Earnhardt notched 67 wins and six of his seven Cup series championships with Richard Childress Racing after starting full-time with the team in 1984, according to a history of Richard Childress Racing on the team’s website.
Earnhardt, who was from Kannapolis, N.C., died in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18, 2001.
Childress launched the auction and sale on Thursday. The eBay site lists no end date for bidding on items.
All proceeds will go to COVID-19 relief efforts, including those supporting national and local first responders and frontline workers needing personal protection equipment, RCR officials said. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Some of the proceeds will benefit Feeding America, which provides meals to children whose schools are closed during the pandemic, to food banks and other efforts.
The auction and sale on eBay include “thousands of rare, hard-to-find and exclusive items from Richard Childress’ 50-plus years in NASCAR,” according to the RCR release.
“I’ve grown my personal collection of memorabilia throughout my career in NASCAR and have enjoyed each of these items, but it’s time to open it up to collectors and use the proceeds to support much needed causes during this unique time in history,” Childress said in the release.
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The sale includes numerous diecast cars and other collectibles featuring current and former RCR drivers.
A Kevin Harvick No. 29 Goodwrench 1:24 NITRO Boat is being auctioned for $66. A set of 1998 Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winner’s Circle Action Dolls is up for bid for $50.
Items also include “pre-production models of diecasts, some of which never went into production,” and memorabilia from other NASCAR drivers and other motorsports circuits.
More items will be added periodically.
“It’s so special to me to be able to share these exclusive items and give back to America at the same time,” Childress said in the release.
To bid or purchase items from Childress’ personal collection, visit https://www.ebay.com/str/RichardChildresscollection.
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