RahMoc Enterprises
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Owner(s) | Bob Rahilly (1978–2018) Butch Mock (1978–1992) |
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Base | North Carolina |
Series | Winston Cup, Busch Grand National |
Race drivers | Neil Bonnett, Morgan Shepherd, Dick Trickle |
Sponsors | Valvoline |
Manufacturer | Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Ford |
Opened | 1978 |
Closed | Rahmoc Ent. still exists today in its original location in Concord, NC as a racing engine building business |
Career | |
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
Race victories | 9 |
Rahmoc Enterprises is 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 competing in two events, at the NAPA National 500. Mock drove the No. 75 Chevrolet to a 26th-place finish. He also ran the Dixie 500at Atlanta, finishing 24th. Mock ran the 1979 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, Mock ceased driving and Rahmoc had several different drivers. Some were, Lennie Pond at Atlanta & Daytona, Bobby Brack at Charlotte, 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 his Performer Boats Company. John Anderson, Chuck Bown, Joe Millikan, and Elswick finished out the year. Millikan came back in 1981, but was replaced after the Gabriel 400 by Tim Richmond. Richmond got his first top 10 finish in that event at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Gary Balough drove for the rest of the 1981 season.
Balough returned in 1982, posting a top-ten at the Coca-Cola 500, but was released after his legal issues just five races into the season. Joe Ruttman took over for the rest of the season, Except for the Riverside Event, posting four top-fives, and numerous top tens.Jimmy Insolo filled in for the team at Riverside.
1983–1992
In 1983, Rahmoc signed a one year driver/sponsor agreement for Neil Bonnett to drive their first time for the team, full time sponsored Hodgdon Chevy. Bonnett picked up wins in the Busch Clash and the UNO 125 at Daytona, the World 600 at Charlotte and the Atlanta Journal 500. He finished fourth in points that year. For the 1984 season, and again without any sponsorship, long-time independent Dave Marcis was named driver, and had nine top-tens and a thirteenth place in points. Lake Speed took over in 1985, finishing second in The Daytona 500 in his first start with the team. This result brought full time sponsor Nationwize Auto Parts to them and they finished 10th in the points. Speed had two tenth-place finishes in 1986, but was released after four races by the sponsor. Jody Ridley stepped in as an interim driver and 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.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/MorganShepherd75car1989.jpg/250px-MorganShepherd75car1989.jpg)
In 1987, Bonnett returned with Valvoline as the 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. Morgan Shepard returned to the team to finish the season for the team, nearly winning the Rockingham Event.
Bonnett returned in 1988, finished 4th in the Daytona 500 and won at Richmond and Rockingham and at a special race at Calder Park in Australia, all in the first four races of the season. But eventually, he began to have health issues, fell off the pace, misseing several races. Due to Neil's health, sponsor Valvoline called for a new driver going into the 1989 season.
Shepherd, who had filled in for Bonnett twice in 1988, was named as the full time driver in 1989 with Valvoline again as the sponsor, the final of their 3 year agreement with Rahmoc. He garnered one pole and thirteen top-tens. Valvoline indicated they would return as a sponsor in 1990 if a younger driver could be had. So for 1990, Rick Wilson joined the team, which switched to Oldsmobile and with a late partial limited sponsorship from Food Lion/Dinner Bell Foods since Valvoline had ultimately decided instead to sit out the 1990 season. Wilson struggled heavily in his tenure, and mutually agreed to split with the team at season end. In 1991 1991, Joe Ruttman, and with full sponsorship from Dinner Bell joined Rahmoc for the second time in his career. 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. Bob and Dick Rahilly still build Championship Winning Race Engines and race cars at the original Rahmoc facility on Flowes Store Rd. in Concord, NC.
Butch Mock Motorsports
The team returned in 1993 with Butch Mock as sole owner under the name of Butch Mock Motorsports. The team ran the No. 75 Ford Thunderbird with sponsorship from Carolina Pottery and Factory Stores. Dick Trickle ran the first 18 races for the team before being replaced by Todd Bodine for 10 races. Phil Parsons would run the season ending race at Atlanta. Bodine was re-hired for the 1994 season, with returning sponsorship from Factory Stores. Bodine would qualify for 30 of 31 events in 1994. Bodine would be back once again in 1995, making 28 of the 31 races. Bodine would be released at the end of the year. Beginning in 1996, the team would gain sponsorship from firearm company Remington Arms, with Morgan Shepherd taking over the car. Shepherd would score 5 top 10 finishes, but would leave for to drive Precision Products Racing in 1997. Rick Mast was then hired. In two seasons with the team, Mast would score 3 top 10s, as well as the team's only pole position at Rockingham in 1998. Following his release from Roush Racing, Ted Musgrave would drive for a number of teams throughout 1998 before landing at BMR for 1999. Musgrave would score 2 top 10 finishes. Following the 1999 season, Mock would sell the team to Darwin Oordt, who would rename the team Galaxy Motorsports. Oordt would hire Wally Dallenbach, Jr. to drive the 75 Ford, with sponsorship from RotoZip Tools, Redcell Batteries, and Turner Broadcasing. The season was a disaster, with Dallenbach scoring only one top 10 finish and only five finishes inside the top 20, and 4 DNQs. Following the 2000 season, Redcell, RotoZip and Turner would all leave the team. Despite efforts to find sponsorship, nothing materialized and Oordt was forced to close the team, leaving Dallenbach without a ride, forcing him into retirement, and eventually being hired as part of NBC's and TNT's NASCAR coverage beginning in 2001.
Driver history
RahMoc Enterprises
- 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)