RahMoc Enterprises

Rahmoc Enterprises was a former NASCAR Winston Cup team that operated from 1978 to 1993. The team was owned by long-time engine builder Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock. Mock left Rahmoc in 1993 to form his own team. Rahmoc Enterprises is still operating today, with Dick and Bob Rahilly still turning the wrenches, as an engine builder and supplier for many NASCAR teams. They also build racecars and manage several smaller race teams.

Beginnings

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 was involved in a wreck not of his making early in the race. After the Daytona wreck, Rahmoc had several different drivers. Some were, Lennie Pond at Atlanta & Daytona, Bobby Brack at Charlotte, finishing 35th, and Bill Elswick for numerous races, his best finish being 16th at Richmond. Harry Gant drove in 1980 for the team at Riverside International Raceway, finishing twelfth and Texas world Speedway, finishing tenth. 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 replaced at Riverside by Jimmy Insolo.

1983-1992

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 fourth 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, finished second in The Daytona 500, 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.

Rahmoc's 1989 racecar.

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 have health issues fall off the pace and left Rahmoc at the end of the season. In February 1988, RahMoc and Bonnett took their Valvoline sponsored Pontiac Grand Prix to Melbourne, Australia for an exhibition race where they were the winners of the first ever NASCAR race run outside of North America, the Goodyear NASCAR 500 at the Calder Park Thunderdome. As the race took part in Australia where they use the Metric system, it was run over 500 kilometres rather than NASCAR's normal 500 miles. It took place on February 28, just one week after Bonnett and the team had won the Pontiac Excitement 400 at the Richmond International Raceway. Bonnett led home fellow "Alabama Gang" member Bobby Allison (who had won the Daytona 500 2 weeks previously) in a Buick LeSabre, and Dave Marcis driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Upon returning to America, Bonnett would go on to win his third race in as many weeks when he won the next Winston Cup series race, the Goodwrench 400 at Rockingham.

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 finished third in The Daytona 500 and had four top-ten finishes and finished 20th in points. Without a sponsor for 1992, Dick Trickle drove the car in the Daytona 500, finishing fifth. After that event, team co-owner Bob Rahilly elected to retire from Winston Cup Racing, and return to his roots as an engine builder/supplier. Mock went on to form his own new team, Butch Mock Motorsports.

Final years

After 1992 Rahilly and Mock split. Rahilly continues building engines under the name "RAHMOC Racing Engines". Rahilly had no more involvement in Winston Cup Racing after 1992. Mock was the sole owner of a new team he formed, Butch Mock Motorsports. Trickle came to BMM 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, beforePhil 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 BMM 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.

Driver History

• Butch Mock (1978–79)
• Bill Elswick (1979–81)
• Bobby Brack (1979)
• Harry Gant (1980)
• Lennie Pond (1980)
• John Anderson (1980)
• Chuck Bown (1980)
• Kyle Petty (1980)
• Jim Sauter (1980, 1986)
• Joe Millikan (1980–81)
• Dick May (1981)
• Tim Richmond (1981)
• Gary Balough (1981–82)
• Joe Ruttman (1982, 1987, 1991)
• Jimmy Insolo (1982)
• Neil Bonnett (1983, 1987–88)
• Dave Marcis (1984)
• Lake Speed (1985–86)
• Jody Ridley (1986)
• Morgan Shepherd (1986, 1988–89, 1996)
• Rick Wilson (1990)
• Dick Trickle (1992 Daytona 500, suspended operations; returned in 1993 with Butch Mock Motorsports)
• Todd Bodine (1993–95)
• Rick Mast (1997–98)
• Ted Musgrave (1999)
• Hut Stricklin (DNQ for 1999 NAPA 500)
• Wally Dallenbach Jr (2000)

External links

• RahMoc Enterprises Winston Cup Owner Statistics (1978-1992)