Richard Childress, Kevin Harvick pace the field at the Quaker State 400 in special tribute

To get this Quaker State 400 underway, Richard Childress and Kevin Harvick paced the field as the RCR owner drove the historic 2001 No. 29. Childress was behind the wheel of the car Harvick drove to NASCAR Victory Lane in Atlanta back in 2001. Now, it is the pace car with Harvick riding right alongside.

Absolute chills. During the pace laps of this race, the No. 29 looked amazing. Fans in the stands were holding up No. 3s with their hands in honor of Dale Earnhardt. A few were holding up 4s for Harvick. Richard Childress looked badass behind the wheel, too.

This is a moment you won’t see again in NASCAR. Enjoy it while you can.

ICONIC.@KevinHarvick and Richard Childress lead the field at @ATLMotorSpdwy.

📺 : @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/sJHFwu8TMc

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 9, 2023

That car is chassis No. 70. It is the same car and setup that Dale Earnhardt drove at Atlanta in his 2000 win. It is the same that Harvick took to victory just a year later after Earnhardt’s death. That No. 29 Chevy Monte Carlo looks as good as the day it won at Atlanta 22 years ago.

400 miles of racing in Atlanta is ahead of us. Richard Childress is the grand marshal as well as the pace car driver to start the night’s event. A really special moment for him and Kevin Harvick to come together again.

Richard Childress gets special honor ahead of Quaker State 400

This race is a fun one. Superspeedway racing on an intermediate track. The new Atlanta is fast, hot, slick, and the track is aging nicely. Richard Childress is essentially the guest of honor. According to Harvick, Childress was looking forward to this moment for weeks.

The thing is, Kevin Harvick, might have another win up his sleeve. Let’s not forget that Harvick rallied off back-to-back wins in 2022. If he catches a good line, he can take the win tonight. Harvick started off P6 and is going to have a chance at this one.

If he does win, I hope Richard Childress gets to be in Victory Lane. Even for a quick congratulations and photo. It would be fitting to see the two of them together one last time after a win.

This is a day of Fords as the qualifying round showed the blue ovals have tons of speed. That gives more credence to the Harvick momentum in this race. Let’s just hope for an exciting 400 miles in Atlanta.