| Owner(s) | Bob Rahilly(1978-1992) Butch Mock(1978-1999) Darwin Oordt(2000-2001) |
|---|---|
| Base | North Carolina |
| Series | Winston Cup |
| Notable car numbers | 05, 57, 75 |
| Notable drivers | Neil Bonnett, Morgan Shepherd, Dick Trickle |
| Notable sponsors | Valvoline |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet, Buick, Ford |
| Opened | 1978 |
| Closed | 2001 |
| Career | |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 4 |
RahMoc Enterprises is a former NASCAR Winston Cup team. The team was owned by long-time engine builder Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock, as well as Darwin Oordt in the team's later years. RahMoc Enterprises continues to operate as an engine supplier for several NASCAR teams.
Contents |
RahMoc's debut in NASCAR came in 1978, at the NAPA National 500. Mock drove the #75 Chevrolet to a 26th place finish. He also ran the Dixie 500, finishing 24th. Mock ran the Daytona 500 the next year, but finished 35th when he wrecked his Buick early in the race. Bobby Brack took over at Charlotte, finishing 35th, and Bill Elswick for three races, his best finish being 16th at Richmond. Harry Gant began 1980 driving for the team at Riverside International Raceway, finishing twelfth. Elswick returned over the next eleven races, and the team also picked up sponsorship from Performer Boats, before he was released. Gant returned for the next two races, before the team switched to part-time. John Anderson, Chuck Bown, Joe Millikan, and Elswick finished out the year. Millikan came back in 1981, but once again was released after the Gabriel 400. Elswick took over at Daytona, before running with Gary Balough and Tim Richmond for the rest of the season.
Balough returned in 1982, posting a top-ten at the Coca-Cola 500, but was released after just five races. Joe Ruttman took over for most of the rest of the season, posting four top-fives before being released at Riverside by Jimmy Insolo.
In 1983, RahMoc signed Neil Bonnett to drive their Hodgdon Chevy. Bonnett picked up wins at the World 600 and the Atlanta Journal 500. He finished sixth in points that year. After that year, long-time independent Dave Marcis was named driver, and had nine top-tens and a thirteenth place in points. Subsequently, Lake Speed took over in 1985, and had a tenth-place finish in points. Speed had two tenth-place finishes in 1986, but was released after just four races in favor of Jody Ridley. Ridley had one top-ten before moving on after 10 races. Jim Sauter had four starts, before Morgan Shepherd took over for the balance of the season, posting two top-tens.
In 1987, Bonnett returned with Valvoline as sponsor of RahMoc's Pontiacs. Bonnett had fifteen top-tens and was on his way to a top-ten points run, when he broke his hip in a crash at the Oakwood Homes 500. Ruttman returned to the team to finish the season for the team. Bonnett returned in 1988, and won two of the first three races. But eventually, he began to fall off the pace and left RahMoc at the end of the season. Shepherd, who had filled in for Bonnett twice in 1988, took over the team full-time in 1989. He garnered one pole and thirteen top-tens. After leaving for Bud Moore Engineering for 1990, Rick Wilson joined the team, which switched to Oldsmobile and with sponsorship from Food Lion/Dinner Bell Dog Food. Wilson struggled heavily in his tenure, and left after just one year with the team. In 1991, Ruttman replaced Wilson. He had four top-ten finishes and finished 20th in points.
Without a full-time driver for 1992, Dick Trickle drove the car in the Daytona 500, finishing fifth. After that, the team suspended operations for a year.
After 1992 Rahilly and Mock parted ways. Rahilly continued building engines under the name "RAHMOC Racing Engines," leaving Mock as the sole owner of the race team. Trickle came back to the team in 1993 with sponsorship from Carolina Pottery/Factory Stores, as the team switched to Ford. Trickle failed to finish in the top-ten, and was released following the DieHard 500. Todd Bodine ran the next eleven races and had a best finish of 23rd, before Phil Parsons ran the season finale at Atlanta. Bodine became the team's full-time driver in 1994, and had seven top-tens and a 20th place in points. He was not able to duplicate that success in 1995, as he struggled in qualifying and had only three top-tens. He was released at the end of the season.
Shepherd returned in 1996 with new sponsor Remington Arms, and had five top-tens on his way to a nineteenth in points. Despite this, he left at the end of the season, and was replaced by Rick Mast. Mast struggled in his first year with the team, failing to qualify for three races and finishing 32nd in points. Mast seemed to improve in 1998, winning the pole at North Carolina Speedway, but after missing three of the last four races, he left to drive for Cale Yarborough. Ted Musgrave took over in 1999. Due to the team's lack of performance however, Musgrave grew increasingly vocal about the way things were run. During the summer of 1999, Mock sold the team to newspaper entrepreneur Darwin Oordt, who also owned a Busch Series team. Still, the team continued to struggle, causing Musgrave to quit after the Pennzoil 400. Hut Stricklin took over the car at the NAPA 500, but failed to qualify.
In 2000, the team, now known as Galaxy Motorsports, signed Wally Dallenbach, Jr. to drive the car, with rotating sponsorships from Cartoon Network/TBS, Rotozip, and Red Cell Batteries. However, Dallenbach struggled to get performance out of the car, and the team finished 34th in points. All of the primary sponsors left at the end of the season, and a potential deal with Pizza Hut fell through. Despite this, Dallenbach had signed a three-year contract with Galaxy, but eventually left the team. Later in the season, Dallenbach filed a lawsuit against Oordt for violating his contract, stating that he had intentionally misled him into thinking the team was running in 2001. The judge ruled in his favor. Mock eventually assumed control of the team and would liquidate team's equipment later that season.