Hidden Heroes - Dale Earnhardt / Richard Childress Pit Crew

This episode of the TNN Series Hidden Heroes focuses on Dale Earnhardt's Richard Childress Racing crew, The Flying Aces. Aired sometime in 1986, the episode is a behind the scenes look of the pit crew during the Winston Western 500 in November 1985.
**Note** the video is missing the first 7 minutes of the episode.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

This piece of racing history just goes to show how much smaller the RCR team was financially as compared to many of the other teams back then. Racing a car built only for the oval tracks on a road course........yet they still finished in 5th. Very respectable indeed. Thanks for posting this video.

[@crazykellywfo4240]

Finished 5th cause Dale drove the shit outta that Chevy.

[@mitchdrew9005]

@@crazykellywfo4240 everytime, every where. The best to ever do it

[@BUGBYTE_]

I like how the cars look like what they're supposed to. Monte Carlo is a Monte Carlo. A Thunderbird looks like a Thunderbird.

[@aaronmccall3849]

Those Monte Carlo's were pretty much a factory body (with some massaging from an English wheel) on a race chassis. Chevrolet worked a lot with the race teams back then to make that Monte a potent racer. Great days in racing.

[@CJODell12]

Wrangler Jeans was still Dale Earnhardt’s primary sponsor at this point, while GM Goodwrench signed on as an associate sponsor in May 1985.

[@BSNFabricating]

That crew, also known as The Junkyard Dogs, was together for a long time, and it's no wonder why they had so much success. Kirk Shelmerdine left after 1992, but Chocolate Myers, Cecil Gordon, Will Lind, David Smith, and the others were on that crew for years and years afterwards. You'd never see something like that today.

[@masoncole7331]

I thought they were the flying aces... I may be wrong.. just asking for information.. this was the greatest times in racing in my eyes..

[@davidparker8221]

@@masoncole7331 The Flying Aces nickname came later with sponsor changes. The Black & White/ Lt Gray or Silver with the touch of Red...colors you find traditionally on playing cards...became the uniform colors as the team switched from Wrangler's Blue & Yellow to GM and the "One tough customer" promotion. On Dale Jr's Podcasts, Kirk Shelmerdine and others of the team saw themselves as underdogs even as championships came. I don't know if it was the broadcasters or GM promotions that came up with the nickname, regardless the crew saw themselves as Junkyard Dogs in terms of personality. You're not wrong remembering "The Flying Aces".

[@crazykellywfo4240]

What this video fails to mention was that Dale and his RCR team won the championship at Atlanta the same year.

[@thecomicnerd8339]

My grandpa was on his pit cree

[@trippylights2736]

Very cool!! What position was he in?

[@JohnsonTheSecond]

@@trippylights2736 Pit crewman

[@user-cs3zs6jn1d]

Need to bring these tracks back

[@aaronmccall3849]

A GREAT and I do mean GREAT time in NASCAR. High water mark of the sport in my opinion. Great drivers with a variety of personalities, fantastic factory backed cars, great tracks, and the right amount of money in the sport. Happy I was around to see some of these races.

[@gordoeastlos323]

What a great video thank your for the upload

[@Jroc412]

Its crazy how much faster they are today.

[@aaronmccall3849]

@Engelsjr Polanco I think he meant the pit crews are faster today, but yes the cars back in the 80s were insanely fast.

[@codyleonard9798]

Best music ever

[@robertstarkey1634]

Amen. Great job Wrangler crew

[@mybrothakeeper7020]

Amazing back in those days the jackman had to pump like 50 times lol. Now just 1 pump lol.

[@robertstarkey1634]

Tire changer looks really fun

[@robertstarkey1634]

I would love to do any pit crew position

[@racecar157]

does anyone know why or ehat happened to the other episodes of this show several used to be on here

[@racefan8418]

Myers drove the truck to

[@jcearnhardt393]

No he didn't

[@trippylights2736]

@@jcearnhardt393 Then who did

[@MD21037]

1985

[@Jroc412]

Was the budwiser on the same team at the time?

[@johnriggle5336]

No that was Jr Johnson,s team

[@aaronmccall3849]

Neil Bonnett and Darrell Waltrip drove the #11 and #12 Budweiser Chevrolet's for Junior Johnson.

[@scottwilliams1925]

2 tires and gas 16 seconds yikes lol

[@dr.pepper1023]

Jacks and impacts weren’t the fastest back then. So that adds a little time.

[@drivewaystar6485]

What in the fuck is going on at 5:25

[@sbmcvp4525]

Unlike today, with pit roads that can accommodate all the cars, there wasn't enough space at Riverside, and they're nosing in and backing out.