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Season Preview: Richard Childress Racing

by Tim Zaegel on February 15th, 2008

The six Winston Cups that Dale Earnhardt brought to the famed #3 Chevy team owned by Richard Childress Racing from 1984 to 2000 without a doubt legitimized the Childress organization in ways that even Richard himself had never dreamed possible. That legendary status suddenly (and sadly) came to a screeching halt at the 2001 Daytona 500, however, and we all know the story behind that. After renumbering the #3 to the #29 and replacing the legend with a rookie, Kevin Harvick appeared as though he might continue that legacy for RCR by bursting onto the scene with 2 wins, a 9th place points finish, and Rookie of the Year honors in ’01 – despite running only 35 races – but, that “success” story has had its ups and downs itself.

Although Harvick has been the only driver in succession to Earnhardt in the [now numbered] 29 car, Childress has struggled mightily in finding permanent fits for his other cars. Things have looked bleak at times, with only 16 wins for the entire organization since the death of Earnhardt Sr, but they really started picking up the momentum the last two years.  Harvick’s 2003 performance was the only top ten points finish for an RCR team from 2002 to 2005, but in ’06 Harvick and Jeff Burton both made the Chase for the Cup field, and in 2007, all three Childress cars wiggled their way into NASCAR’s “playoffs”.

There’s been a lot of talk in the garage and in the media that it may be up to RCR to knock Hendrick Motorsports down a notch or two, but there are still a lot of question marks that remain within the teams. While all three of the Childress drivers possess enormous talent and potential, they’ve all also been either streaky or unproven throughout their careers. RCR’s 2008 campaign will be determined by the answer to three questions:  1) Can Kevin Harvick remain consistent for the course of 36 races?  2) Is Jeff Burton’s driving career past his prime, or have the last two seasons told the true Burton story?  3) Was 2007 merely a fluke for the young Clint Bowyer?  I honestly don’t know the answer to those questions, in my mind making RCR the ultimate wildcard for 2008.

Cup Series Roster:

07: Clint Bowyer – After looking impressive at times in his 2006 rookie season, Bowyer finished only 17th in points that season, but he absolutely exploded last year. He picked up his first career Cup victory, recorded 17 top-ten finishes, and for the first half of the Chase for the Cup remained in contention with leaders Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, finishing third overall. I don’t think he will finish even remotely close to that high in points again next year, and honestly, he’s not one of my favorites to make the Chase field. I’m expecting him to finish somewhere around 15th or 16th this year. He just hasn’t proven anything to me yet.

29: Kevin Harvick – Seven years in the Cup Series, and four of them spent inside the top ten in points. After frustrating years in 2004 and 2005 – finishing 14th in both – Harvick has rebounded nicely with 4th and 10th place finishes, winning six races in ’06 & ’07. Aside from his confrontation with Juan Pablo Montoya last year, he also seems to be leaving a lot of the drama off the track, and that could have a lot to do with it. His short career has already had numerous ups and downs to this point, but I believe he’s as legitimate now as people thought he was earlier on. I’m sticking to my earlier predictions … the 2007 Daytona 500 winner will go onto finish 5th in the points this year.

31: Jeff Burton – His move to RCR late in 2004 has absolutely re-ignited his career. If you recall, at the end of his tenure with Roush Racing, Jeff couldn’t even get a primary sponsor for his ride in most of the races, and finally his relationship with Jack Roush had to come to an end. Burton has qualified for the Chase field in each of the last two seasons and has won two races for Childress. Despite his recently re-found success, I often find myself struggling at the notion of Burton being a legitimate force on the track. Still, I can’t deny the consistency he’s shown in the Chevy’s … somewhere between 8th and 10th for Burton this year.

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