- Labonte agrees to contract extension with Petty's: Bobby Labonte has reached an agreement to remain in the #43 car at Petty Enterprises after this season, sources told ESPN.com on Saturday. Labonte has been widely speculated as a candidate to drive the fourth car at Richard Childress Racing, but Petty officials have remained adamant that he will spend the rest of his career with the organization and that he is determined to be the driver that puts the 43 back into Victory lane. David Hovis, a spokesman for Petty Enterprises, said the team had nothing to announce Saturday about Labonte's future. "We still remain 100% convinced that Bobby will be with Petty Enterprises next season," Hovis said. Sources said Labonte's new deal will be announced as soon as details concerning a new sponsor are worked out. General Mills, Labonte's current sponsor, will be on the fourth car at RCR next season.(ESPN.com), one rumored sponsor for the #43 team has been Caterpillar, whose deal with Bill Davis Racing and the #22 Toyota runs out at the end of 2008.(5-3-2008) Comment here
- Childress talking to 3-4 drivers for 4th team: Richard Childress Racing owner Richard Childress said he's talking to three or four drivers for the fourth team he will start next season with General Mills as the primary sponsor. Childress would not identify the drivers, but said all currently compete in the Sprint Cup Series. "We hope to have something to announce in the next three or four months," he said.(ESPN.com)(5-2-2008) Comment here
- Wimmer to run 4th RCR car ar Richmond: Scott Wimmer will attempt to qualify for his first Cup Series race of the season this weekend at RIR driving the #33
Camping World Impala SS, giving RCR four entries in the Crown Royal 400. Wimmer was behind the wheel of the #33 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2006
(St. 24 Fn. 12) and most recently at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (St. 21, Fn. 31) in July 2007.(RCR)(4-29-2008)
- Childress Vineyards named one of America's Top 25: Wine Enthusiast magazine has selected Childress Vineyards as one of America's Top 25 Tasting Rooms. In the May issue, the magazine asked its editors and contributors to suggest tasting rooms that were memorable to them for a number of reasons. Wine quality was the top criteria considered, followed by décor, staff savvy, amenities and overall uniqueness. Reporter Lynn Seldon wrote that Childress Vineyards, founded by NASCAR team owner Richard Childress in 2004, has "quickly become a stand-alone destination in the Yadkin Valley American Viticultural Area." The write up encourages readers to "go for the Signature Tasting to reveal winemaker Mark Friszolowski's best work to date. The Reserve Syrah and the Signature Meritage are both sublime, as is the setting - a stone and stucco building, terra-cotta style roof and large tasting room, shop and The Bistro restaurant, all reminiscent of Tuscany." Childress Vineyards is open daily for tours, tastings and lunch at The Bistro. Tastings range in price from $10 to $15 and include a souvenir glass. Free tours are conducted at Noon, 2 and 4 p.m. each day.(RCR)(4-14-2008) Comment here
- Biffle Doesn't Consider Childress a Future Option: Greg Biffle, a sought-after Sprint Cup star in a contract year, doesn't foresee the recently announced #33 Richard Childress Racing Chevys as an option for his future. Biffle, who last week said he was "90 percent" sure he would sign a contract extension with his current team, Roush Fenway Racing, for 2009 and beyond, cited the fickle nature of the top-35 rule as a key deterrent from considering Childress' fourth car. "I don't really see that being an alternative for me," Biffle said. "The one thing a guy's got to look at is, I'm third in points [now] and have a chance to make the Chase right now, and I'm running fairly well. And to go to a team that has no points and try to qualify for the Daytona 500, and go to Las Vegas and try to qualify, and California, on time, and dodge rainouts -- we see all these teams struggle to get in the top 35. I don't see that as a smart career move for myself."(ESPN.com)(4-5-2008) Comment here
- Labonte/General Mills to RCR in 2009? Richard Childress acknowledged that his organization is close to fielding a fourth team in the Sprint Cup Series, and Yahoo! Sports has learned that the driver of that car beginning in 2009 likely will be Bobby Labonte [currently #43 Petty Enterprises]. Sources close to the deal point to General Mills, Labonte's current sponsor with Petty Enterprises, coming along with him to RCR. According to Childress, he will field a fourth car sometime this season, though he wouldn't set an exact time frame. He did say things were progressing well and that he was pleased with how plans were coming together. "We're looking at entering a few races before the end of the season," Childress said. Childress entered a fourth car (#33) in selected races in 2007 with Scott Wimmer as the driver. Wimmer likely is the choice to be behind the wheel when the car makes it back onto the track this season. However, Labonte likely will be the full-time driver in 2009. Hiring Labonte would be an ace up the sleeve for RCR. Labonte is a past champion, which means he would get a champion's provisional that would guarantee him a spot in the field at the start of the '09 season. Labonte already has a relationship with Childress, having signed with RCR this year to drive the #21 Nationwide car on a part-time basis this season.(Yahoo Sports)(2-23-2008)
UPDATE - RCR to Field Fourth Cup Team in '09 with General Mills Sponsorship: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and General Mills have agreed to terms on a multi-year partnership for the world's sixth-largest food company to sponsor the #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevy beginning with the 2009 Cup Series season. The driver for the #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevy will be announced at a later date. "RCR is honored to represent General Mills and its Cheerios, Hamburger Helper and many other brands in the NASCAR Cup Series," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "The partnership is another step in RCR's continued association with blue-chip global brands and companies. General Mills has a great history of activating its NASCAR programs so our focus now turns to the short list of drivers we feel will help continue that tradition as well as be at the same competitive level on the track as our current drivers and teams."
The 2009 season will mark General Mills' 13th year of sponsorship involvement in NASCAR as well as Richard Childress' 40th anniversary in the sport. RCR has earned 11 NASCAR championships, including six in the Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt, four in the Nationwide Series, and one in the Truck Series. Next year will be the first time RCR will run a fourth fulltime NASCAR Cup Series team.(RCR PR)(4-1-2008)
- Labonte/General Mills to RCR in 2009? Richard Childress acknowledged that his organization is close to fielding a fourth team in the Sprint Cup Series, and Yahoo! Sports has learned that the driver of that car beginning in 2009 likely will be Bobby Labonte [currently #43 Petty Enterprises]. Sources close to the deal point to General Mills, Labonte's current sponsor with Petty Enterprises, coming along with him to RCR. According to Childress, he will field a fourth car sometime this season, though he wouldn't set an exact time frame. He did say things were progressing well and that he was pleased with how plans were coming together. "We're looking at entering a few races before the end of the season," Childress said. Childress entered a fourth car (#33) in selected races in 2007 with Scott Wimmer as the driver. Wimmer likely is the choice to be behind the wheel when the car makes it back onto the track this season. However, Labonte likely will be the full-time driver in 2009. Hiring Labonte would be an ace up the sleeve for RCR. Labonte is a past champion, which means he would get a champion's provisional that would guarantee him a spot in the field at the start of the '09 season. Labonte already has a relationship with Childress, having signed with RCR this year to drive the #21 Nationwide car on a part-time basis this season.(Yahoo Sports)(2-23-2008)
UPDATE: Dustin Long went to Labonte on Saturday to ask him about the report. Here's what he said.
Q: What about the report?
LABONTE: "I just say that kind of like where that world is. I don't really believe a whole lot of stuff that you read and half of what you say sometimes, so I don't put nothing into it. What's the good of any? That's crap.''
Q: Robbie Loomis said the Pettys have presented you a contract offer, so what's the next step as you consider your future?
LABONTE: "Behind closed doors you work on it yourself. You don't need to know about it. You know what I mean? It's just the way it is. That's my next step (laughing). My next step is not to talk about it to you (laughing).
I also talked to Robbie Loomis, VP of operations at Petty, about the report. Here's what he had to say:
Q: What about the report?
LOOMIS: "I think that everybody knows that Bobby came here with a three-year deal. We're negotiating with him right now, in the middle of that. As far as the General Mills part, that was pretty outlandish I thought because we have a lot of things in our contract how specifically they won't touch a sponsor that is with alcohol, so for the General Mills piece to be going over (to RCR, which has Jack Daniel's as sponsor of the 07 car) ... I really find surprising. It's something we're in negotiations for sure and see where everything shakes out.
Q: What do you mean by negotiations with Labonte? Define where that is.
LOOMIS: "By the end of the year his current contract will be up, the end of '08, so you start negotiating to see if he wants to stay and he wants to make sure we're making the steps of improvement. It's just a shame that the story come out now because it disrupts the guys on the team and we're doing a lot of good things. We've got (crew chief) Jeff Meendering on board. The presence of the race team, moving to the race shop, so many good things going on, you hate to have an outside circulating story affect the inside.
Q: Where are you in the negotiations?
LOOMIS: "He has a contract from us. It's up to him what he wants to do with it, hopefully, he wants to sign it. We'd really like Bobby Labonte to finish career out with Petty Enterprises and the contract that's presented is kind of laid out that way. We think his values and what he stands for is a good fit for us. We'll see where the future is.''
Q: When do you need an answer?
LOOMIS: "It's hard to say. We haven't really put a timeframe on it. Obviously the earlier the better so that everybody can get their eyes back on the racing.''(hamptonroads.com)
AND: Petty Enterprises has offered Bobby Labonte a contract that it hopes keeps the 43-year-old driver with the team the rest of his career, although an internet report states he could be driving elsewhere next year. "I don't really believe a whole lot of stuff that you read and half of what you say sometimes, so I don't put nothing into it,'' Labonte said Saturday afternoon of the Yahoo! Sports report. Labonte, the 2000 series champion, is in the final year of his three-year contract with Petty Enterprises. Robbie Loomis, vice president for operations at Petty Enterprises, said the team is awaiting word from Labonte on the contract offer. "It's up to him what he wants to do with it,. Hopefully, he'll sign it,'' Loomis said. "We'd really like Bobby Labonte to finish his career out with Petty Enterprises and the contract that we presented him is kind of laid out that way. We think his values and what he stands for is a good fit with us.'' Loomis said he doesn't have a timetable on when the team would like a response from Labonte, but admits that "the earlier the better, so that everybody can get their eyes back on the racing.'' Labonte said whatever he does next will be behind closed doors. "My next step is not to talk about it,'' Labonte said. Loomis also said he does not see General Mills joining Richard Childress Racing as long as that team has Jack Daniel's sponsoring one of its cars. "We have a lot of things in our contract how specifically they won't touch a sponsor that is alcohol, so for the General Mills piece to be going over there ... I really find surprising,'' Loomis said.(Roanoke Times)(2-24-2008) Comment here.
- RCR missing California win: Richard Childress Racing has earned a Cup Series victory at 18 of the 22 tracks on the 2008 schedule. The only tracks on the
current schedule where RCR hasn't earned wins are California Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway.
Additionally, RCR has Cup Series wins at 21 tracks, the three defunct tracks being North Wilkesboro (N.C.), Riverside (Calif.) and Rockingham (N.C.).(RCR PR)(2-20-2008)
- Wimmer not running Daytona 500; Shelmerdine will make attempt: Scott Wimmer won't race in the Daytona 500 this year as he had hoped. Wimmer drives part time in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, but Kirk Shelmerdine, who won four championships as a crew chief with the team, drove RCR's fourth [#33] car in the opening Sprint Cup testing this week at Daytona International Speedway. "It was a race that maybe we were going to run but we weren't 100% sure; we didn't have sponsorship," said Wimmer, who placed third in the 500 in 2004. "Kirk ended up coming with some sponsorship dollars. I'll still be there in the Busch car, and I'm looking forward to doing some more testing in the Cup car and maybe running some races after Daytona."(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(1-11-2008)
- Shelmerdine to test at Daytona for RCR: Kirk Shelmerdine will be testing the #33 RCR Chevy at the Daytona International Speedway Monday, January 7th and Tuesday, January 8th 2008 in preparation for the 2008 Daytona 500 on February 17, 2008. Kirk Shelmerdine began his career as a Crew Chief and tire changer at the age of 18. Shelmerdine is best known for his record-breaking achievements while working as Crew Chief for Richard Childress Racing. Between 1986 and 1992, he lead Dale Earnhardt, Sr. to four Winston Cup Championships and won honors such as Mechanic of the Year and UNOCAL Pit Crew Race Competitions multiple times. His statistics include 246 top tens, 142 top fives, 14 pole positions and 46 wins. Shelmerdine decided to become a full time Cup driver in 2002. In February 2006 he qualified for the Daytona 500 and finished 20th driving his Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Chevy. With his long history with Richard Childress Racing, Shelmerdine looks forward to driving for his friend and previous boss.(Wabash Motorsports PR)(1-6-2008)
- Holiday Inn Renews with RCR: Holiday Inn has exercised the option in its current contract with Richard Childress Racing by signing a multi-year contract extension as the Official Hotel of RCR and the primary sponsor of RCR's #29 Chevy in the Nationwide Series with co-drivers Scott Wimmer and Jeff Burton. At the same time, Wimmer has reached agreement with RCR on a contract extension with the 10-time NASCAR championship-winning organization. The 2008 season will once again feature Wimmer and Burton as co-pilots of the #29 Holiday Inn Chevy [in the Nationwide Series]. Wimmer will also run a limited schedule of Sprint Cup Series events next season.(RCR PR)(10-25-2007)
- Childress likely sticking to three full-time teams: Richard Childress said Friday he would likely not expand to four Sprint Cup entries for 2008 because he can't find the "right situation." Childress fields three Nextel Cup cars - for #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton and #07-Clint Bowyer - and wanted to add a fourth team next year. But the lack of sponsorship appears to be the main issue. Busch Series driver Scott Wimmer would "probably" be the driver of the fourth team, Childress said. Cars were already built for the fourth Cup team, Childress said, but those would be used among the three current teams.(SceneDaily.com)(9-28-2007)
- Wimmer to attempt Cup race: Scott Wimmer will attempt to qualify for his second Cup Series race of the season at Dover International Speedway, giving RCR four entries in the Dodge Dealers 400. Wimmer was behind the wheel of the #33 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, where he started 22nd and finished 33rd after being involved in an incident on pit road. The #33 Chevy will be sponsored by Holiday Inn and will be crewed by RCR's #2 Busch Series team and crew chief Dan Deeringhoff.(RCR PR)(9-19-2007)
- RCR still looking for 4th car sponsor, no driver signed: Richard Childress Racing has extended its own internal deadline to land a sponsor for its proposed fourth car until the end of this month. A team source at Richard Childress Racing said Saturday that contrary to Internet rumors making the rounds, the team has not signed David Reutimann and has nothing definite on a possible fourth car.(SPEEDtv.com)
AND: David Reutimann expects to get a contract proposal from Michael Waltrip Racing by early next week, but he didn't rule out going to another team. "It's an option," he said of re-signing with MWR. "It's a solid option. But I haven't seen the proposal yet."Reutimann would not expand on his options, but said recent improvements at MWR don't hurt the organization's chances. Sponsorship issues with Burger King and Domino's are the biggest question.(ESPN.com).(9-16-2007)
- Childress Nearing Deadline for 4th Team: Richard Childress said he has a drop-dead date of the end of September to make a decision on a full-time fourth car for the 2008 season. Childress listed the chances of working everything out at 50/50. Childress was asked if J.J. Yeley still was a candidate to drive a fourth RCR car next year. "I'm still interested, but I think he's already gone to the #88," Childress said. Childress also is talking to 2007 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti about moving to NASCAR.(ESPN.com)(9-3-2007)
- Sports Teams Owner is Childress' Guest at California: [MLB's Texas] Rangers and [NHL's Dallas] Stars owner Tom Hicks and members of his family were scheduled to attend the Sharp Aquos 500 Nextel Cup race at California. Hicks said it was a social invitation by team owner [#s 07, 29, 31] Richard Childress. He wouldn't comment on whether he has any interest in investing in a NASCAR team. But his sports empire has grown this year. In February, he became co-chairman of the Liverpool Football Club, one of the most storied soccer franchises in the English Premier League. Hicks' partner in that purchase was George Gillett, the owner of the NHL's Montreal Canadians and now a major investor in Ray Evernham's NASCAR team.(Dallas Morning News)(9-3-2007)
- RCR's 4th team may be part-time in 2008: Angelique S. Chengelis on ESPN2's NASCAR Now said that Richard Childress Racing is not going to expand to four teams just for the sake of it and sources say the team could run Scott Wimmer in a limited schedule in 2008, running 14 Cup races which also includes a full 2008 Busch Series season ride.(8-28-2007)
- Franchitti could be RCR option for '08 UPDATE: The next prominent open-wheel driver to break into NASCAR could be Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti. Franchitti is friends with Nextel Cup team owner Richard Childress, who's had preliminary discussions with the 34-year-old Scotsman about possibly piloting a fourth car for Richard Childress Racing next season. Childress said Franchitti, who has 17 career Indy-car wins and is the current points leader in the Indy Racing League, is one of about three drivers he's looking at for next season, and the only one from outside of NASCAR. "Dario is a friend," Childress said. "We just talk a whole lot. He calls me sometimes after my races, and I call him sometimes after his races. He's thought of this, but right now he's concentrating on the championship and concentrating on what he's doing there. But maybe at the end of the year, we'll sit down and talk."(in part from NASCAR.com)(8-18-2007)
UPDATE: Dario Franchitti, this year's 500 winner, said running NASCAR was one of his options for 2008, but he indicated it's too much of an unknown to make a judgment on now. In addition to spending 11 years in Indy-car racing, Franchitti has enjoyed his limited time in the Acura that competes in the American LeMans Series. Both are options for him next season.(Indianapolis Star)(8-27-2007)
- Chevy and RCR continue partnership: Chevrolet, the winningest nameplate in NASCAR, will continue its partnership in NASCAR competition in 2008 with one of racing's elite organizations, Richard Childress Racing (RCR). "2008 marks Richard Childress's 39th year as a team owner and his cars proudly carry the Chevy bowtie," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. "At Chevrolet and GM Racing, we are very excited to continue a long and successful relationship with one of the best racing organizations in NASCAR, both on and off the track." RCR's lineup includes #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton and #07-Clint Bowyer in the Cup Series and Harvick and Tim McCreadie in the #21, Burton and Scott Wimmer in the #29 and #2-Bowyer in the Buscg Series.(GM Racing PR)(8-18-2007)
- Childress still contemplating 4th team: Now that he’s lost out on the Kyle Busch sweepstakes, car owner Richard Childress is contemplating his next move. He’d like to add another quality Nextel Cup Series driver to his team so he can put a fourth full time car on the track next season. However, time is running out to get that done. “We’ll make a decision by September 15th if we’re going to do it or not”; said Childress. “That’s my deadline I’ve set. If we don’t do it by then we probably won’t do it.” If the pieces don’t fall into place, RC says “We’ll run four cars some races next year, but there’s a couple of opportunities out there that’s not even in NASCAR.” When asked if one possibility was Canadian Patrick Carpentier, Childress would only say; “He’s not on my list...but you are getting in a good area.”(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(8-16-2007)
- Kenny Wallace out of #78 ride? UPDATE 2 confirmed: hearing Kenny Wallace and the #78 Furniture Row team have parted ways effective immediately, no word who will drive the car at Michigan this weekend.(8-14-2007)
UPDATE: Furniture Row Racing, a Denver-based Nextel Cup Series racing team, announced today that Kenny Wallace is stepping down as the driver of car #78. Officials for the team have stated that Wallace will remain with the team as a consultant and will be called upon to run races as needed, but that he will also be available to drive for another team.
Joe Garone, Team Manager for Furniture Row Racing, said: "Kenny has been the perfect driver for us as we have looked to his veteran experience during our first year-and-half in the Cup Series. His personality has brought much positive exposure to the team and to Furniture Row Companies, the team¹s owner and sponsor. This has included winning the fan vote to participate in this year¹s All-Star Challenge events." Looking at the remainder of this season, officials for Furniture Row Racing have said that they will be intensifying efforts to fine tune their performance in preparation for next season¹s run. Wallace added: "I've enjoyed my run as the primary driver for Furniture Row despite all the challenges of a new team. I look forward to helping them as they move forward in building a program that will be competitive for many years to come."(Furniture Row Racing PR)
UPDATE 2: been told that Scott Wimmer will drive the #78 at Michigan and hearing that Sterling Marlin will drive at Bristol, no word who will drive for the rest of the season.(8-14-2007)
- Rusty turns down offer to un-retire: Rusty Wallace told ESPN on Monday that he turned down an offer to drive for Richard Childress Racing next year. "I'm retired and am a broadcaster now," the ESPN motorsports analyst said. Foxsports.com reported Monday that Wallace "still has the bug" and that Richard Childress Racing was interested in hiring him to drive for the team in 2008. "Rusty Wallace is not an option for our fourth Cup team. He is not on our list," Richard Childress told ESPN on Monday. "There was never anything that went anywhere with trying to do anything with him. We never went down that road." Wallace, who retired from racing in 2005, joined ESPN as a racing analyst in 2006. He won 55 Cup races in his 22-year career and was the Cup series champion in 1989.(ESPN.com)(8-13-2007)
- Childress hopes to announce 4th team soon: Richard Childress Racing officials hope to announce next month who their sponsor and driver will be for their new fourth car for next season.(Roanoke Times), some rumored drivers are Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman and Scott Wimmer.(7-29-2007)
- Newman's status up in the air? to RCR? denied: #12-Ryan Newman’s future continues to be a question mark in the NASCAR garage [Jayski note: Newman is signed with Penske at least thru 2008], and it’s not clear if he will be back with car owner Roger Penske next season. If not, Newman could become a candidate for the fourth Richard Childress team.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-26-2007)
UPDATE: ESPN2's Marty Snider reported on today's NASCAR Now that there is no merit to any Ryan Newman laving Penske Racing rumors and Newman has a contract thru at least 2008.(7-29-2007)
- RCR to honor Prosser at Indy, run Wake Forest decals: Richard Childress Racing's (RCR) Nextel Cup Series teams will honor Skip Prosser, the former Wake Forest University men's basketball coach who died unexpectedly on Thursday, with Wake Forest decals in Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. RCR's three Chevys driven by Kevin Harvick (#29 Reese's), Jeff Burton (#31 AT&T) and Clint Bowyer (#07 Jack Daniel's) will carry a Wake Forest decal on the B-Post of each machine. Scott Wimmer will also attempt to qualify the #33 Holiday Inn Chevy for this weekend's Nextel Cup race. If the Wimmer makes the race, the #33 machine will also display the decal. "I grew up in Winston-Salem and have spent my entire life living and working in the area," said RCR president and CEO Richard Childress. "We just want everyone in the Wake Forest Community to know that we're thinking about them during this difficult time." Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, N.C., just 14 miles north of RCR's campus in Welcome, N.C.(RCR PR)(7-28-2007)
- Wimmer to run at Indy: Scott Wimmer will attempt to qualify for his first Nextel Cup Series race of the season this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) driving the #33 Holiday Inn Chevy, giving RCR four entries in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Wimmer was behind the wheel of the #33 at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November, where he started 24th and finished 12th. Dan Deeringhoff, RCR's #2 Busch Series crew chief, will lead the #33 Holiday Inn Racing team this weekend at IMS. Wimmer's #29 Holiday Inn Busch Series crew will go over the wall.(RCR PR)(7-25-2007)
- Childress interested in Kyle Busch: Car owner Richard Childress was unable to sign Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but his team is hardly hurting as is. The car owner said Saturday that like a lot of car owners in the garage, he’s very interested in talking with newly minted free agent Kyle Busch, possibly for a long-rumored fourth Richard Childress Racing car. “Anybody would look at Kyle right now - any team in here,” said Childress. Childress, one of the most independent minds in the Nextel Cup garage, is not someone even remotely daunted by Busch’s reputation as a hot head. “I can name you eight or 10 guys in here at his age that were a handful. He's learning." Of Busch, Childress added, “He's the hottest property on the market right now.” In fact, some in the garage believe that Busch’s driving talent is equal to or even ahead of that of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.(SPEEDtv.com)(6-17-2007)
- Some teams looking to add 4th team: The season is not even half over and several teams say they want to expand for next season. Officials from Dale Earnhardt Inc., Evernham Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing have said they'd like to expand to four cars next year. There have been hints other teams might look add a team. How many actually do will depend on what kind of sponsorship they can find.(Greensboro News and Record)(6-16-2007)
- DEI and RCR team up to build engines: One of NASCAR's greatest partnerships - Childress and Earnhardt - has been expanded with the creation of Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies. Richard Childress and Teresa Earnhardt announced today that the joint venture partnership will combine the Chevrolet engine departments of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), with engine development work to begin immediately. Construction of a permanent stand-alone facility located between RCR and
DEI will begin later this summer with completion expected by mid 2008. A specific site has not been announced, although a location has been identified pending zoning approval. Until that facility is complete, all work will be divided between the RCR's engine shop in Welcome, N.C. and DEI's shop in Mooresville, N.C. It is anticipated that all six RCR and DEI cars will run the first common engine at Daytona in July. Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies will develop and build engines for the Chevrolet Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series teams campaigned by the two companies. A long-term goal of the joint venture will include an engine leasing program for teams in NASCAR's top three divisions. The partnership also has long-term plans to diversify and expand beyond NASCAR by providing race engines to teams competing in series such as the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, various off-road and stock car series, sports car series, etc. This is not the first time RCR and DEI have worked together in a technology partnership. RAD, an acronym for the three teams owned by Richard Childress, Andy Petree and Dale Earnhardt, was formed in the late 90's as an aerodynamic consortium between the programs. The partnership was considered wildly successful with the three teams dominating the aerodynamically sensitive restrictor plate tracks Daytona and Talladega for the next few years.(DEI PR)(5-18-2007)
- Dale Jr. to RCR? done deal? #33? UPDATE 3 RCR denies: FOX25(Boston's FOX affiliate) is reporting.......Dale Earnhardt Jr. will soon be racing under the same legendary #3 Chevy that his dad used to race in. A source with direct knowledge of negotiations tells FOX25 that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finalized a deal with Richard Childress Racing Thursday night and an official announcement will be coming soon. At a press conference today to announce that he was leaving the company his late dad built, Dale Jr. said he would have mixed emotions about driving his dad's #3 Chevy, but again, FOX25 has learned that this is a done deal.(FOX25)(5-10-2007)
UPDATE: FOX8 News has confirmed Junior is negotiating late Thursday night with Richard Childress to join Richard Childress Racing. An announcement could come as early as Friday. Childress has scheduled a news conference Friday at Darlington Raceway, the site of Saturday's Nextel Nextel Cup race. Sports Director Rich Brenner has also confirmed the talks between Junior and Childress include plans for Earnhardt driving the #33 Chevrolet for RCR. Budweiser, the primary sponsor for Junior's #8 car with DEI, will follow him to his new race team. (FOX8 News)(5-11-2007)
UPDATE 2: been told by sources at the track that Richard Childress addressed the media at Darlington this morning and denies signing Earnhardt, details as I find any.(5-11-2007)
UPDATE 3: Richard Childress said Friday morning at Darlington Raceway that he has not signed Dale Earnhardt, Jr., to drive for Richard Childress Racing and is giving the driver time and space to weigh his options. Along with Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, RCR is considered one of three front-runners to sign Earnhardt, Jr. for 2008 and beyond, but the car owner emphatically denied that a deal already had been struck, has reported by at least three television stations Thursday. “Dale, Jr. just made a major decision in his career and in his life yesterday,” Childress said Friday morning at Darlington. “And out of respect for Teresa (Dale Earnhardt, Inc. team owner Earnhardt), Dale, Jr. and this situation, let’s all give him some time to make the decisions that he needs to make and be fair. He’s got a lot of tough decisions to make coming up with the direction he’s going, and I just think it’s fair if we all let him have some space and some time to kind of think about what he wants to do in the future." Childress said that while he would welcome Earnhardt on his team, the two sides have not yet begun negotiations. “We will sit and talk, I’m sure,” Childress said. “I’m hoping he’s considering us, but I think right now, we just give him some time and space to do is own due diligence on the race teams he’s looking at. I’ve been friends with the family for many years and I’m sure we’ll talk.” As for television reports that a deal was already struck, Childress was categorical in his denials. “There’s nothing to it … it’s way too soon to even talk about it,” Childress said.(SPEEDtv.com)(5-11-2007)
- Wimmer suing Davis: Scott Wimmer filed a lawsuit earlier this week against Bill Davis Racing, claiming he is owed $1.2 million in salary for the 2006 season because the team did not follow the procedure in the contract to fire him. In the suit filed Monday in North Carolina Superior Court in Greensboro, N.C., Wimmer alleges BDR did not tell him until Oct. 24, 2005, that he would not be the driver in 2006. He claims that violated a clause in the contract which states that if the driver is not in the top 25 in the standings by Sept, 1, "team shall have the right to issue a written notice that driver is being placed on a 30-day notice stating that performance level must be improved to the satisfaction of sponsor and team by September 30th of current year or team may issued [sic] a written notice of termination of driver agreement at the end of current Nextel Cup season." Wimmer claims he received no written notice, that the team told the media around Oct. 8 that he would return in 2006 but then sent him a termination letter Oct. 24. According to the lawsuit, Wimmer was being paid $600,000 for the 2004 season, $900,000 for 2005 and $1.2 million for 2006. He also received 45% of prize money as well as 33.3 percent of royalties from team merchandise. Wimmer drove in Nextel Cup for Morgan-McClure Motorsports for much of the 2006 season. He is driving for Richard Childress Racing in select Busch and Nextel Cup Series events this year.(SceneDaily.com)(5-3-2007)
- Wimmer to attempt Texas: Scott Wimmer will attempt to qualify for his first Nextel Cup Series race of the season this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) driving the #33 Holiday Inn Chevy, giving Richard Childress Racing four entries in the Samsung 500. Wimmer was behind the wheel of the #33 at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November, where he started 24th and finished 12th.(RCR PR)(4-12-2007)
- Camping World to sponsor Wimmer at Atlanta: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Camping World have agreed on a multi-pronged sponsorship agreement for three of RCR's Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series teams for 2007. Camping World, based in Bowling Green, Ky., is the world's largest supplier of RV accessories and camping equipment with over 65 retail outlets in key regional
locations. The multi-team program will include: Scott Wimmer in the #33 Camping World Chevy at the March 18 Kobalt Tools 500 Nextel Cup Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway; Clint Bowyer in the #07 Camping World Chevy at Nextel Cup Series events at New Hampshire International Speedway (July 1) and Pocono Raceway (Aug. 5); and Bowyer in the #2 Camping World Chevy in the Busch Series races at Phoenix (April 20), Talladega (April 28), the Camping World 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway (June
30) and Chicagoland Speedway (July 14). For more information go to campingworld.com.(Richard Childress Racing PR)(3-15-2007)
- Wimmer first to run new Chevy engine: This weekend, Richard Childress Racing will be the first team to utilize Chevrolet's new R07 motor when Scott Wimmer hits the track with the #33 Holiday Inn Chevy on Friday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Per NASCAR regulations, the R07 displaces a maximum of 358 cubic inches. In contrast to the SB2's "mirror port" cylinder heads, the R07's cylinder heads resemble production LS-series small-block cylinder heads with alternating intake and exhaust valves. While production small-block V-8 engines employ electronic fuel injection, the R07 port layout is optimized for the single four-barrel carburetor mandated by NASCAR. The R07's key technical advances over the SB2 include 4.500-inch cylinder bore centers (vs. 4.400 inches in the SB2), a raised camshaft that improves valvetrain dynamics, a new six-bolt head bolt pattern that reduces cylinder bore distortion, and a targeted cooling system that minimizes temperatures at critical locations. A cast camshaft tunnel, integral piston squirter galleries, and overhead oil feed galleries reduce engine assembly time. Relocating the fuel pump to the inboard side of the car and eliminating external oil and coolant lines enhance safety. RCR will be the first team in the Nextel Cup ranks to utilize Chevrolet's new engine combination.(RCR PR)(3-14-2007)
- Neighbors not happy with RCR engine noise, RCR working on problem: Until a few months ago, racing the engines at the Richard Childress Racing [#'s 07,29,31,33 in Nextel Cup] garage in Welcome, NC was never a problem, according to residents. Then, the team cleared 10 acres of forest between its buildings and nearby neighborhoods for its expansion. Those trees served as a muffler for the noise. Now that they're gone, people say the noise is unbearable. Some neighbors said the noise rattles their windows. Monday night, the Davidson County Commissioners granted RCR a zoning request that green lights the expansion. While the neighbors were disappointed with the decision, RCR spokesman Bill Patterson said the racing team will plant cypress trees along the back property line to create a buffer. Patterson also said the team has spent $500,000 on reducing noise and will do more. Neighbors said they'd like to see a sound reduction wall.(wxii12.com)(12-12-2006)
- Holiday Inn/RCR Cup debut Nov 19th UPDATE: no real details, but on the Holidayinn.com site, it shows [bottom right corner] a #29 Holiday Inn Chevy [which has been raced by Jeff Burton for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) in the Busch Series] but it has a driver 'greened' out and says "November 19: The Last Race, A Cup Debut, A New Teammate", the teammate could be Scott Wimmer, who has been testing for RCR lately and has been rumored to be running a partial Busch/Cup scheduled for RCR in 2007, possibly in the #33 4th RCR Chevy.(11-8-2006)
UPDATE: Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts will expand its winning Busch Series program with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) in 2007 to a full season of competition with co-drivers Jeff Burton and Scott Wimmer. The program is the next step of this season’s 10-race program with Burton behind the wheel of the #29 Holiday Inn Chevy. In those ten starts, Burton earned one victory (June 3 at Dover International Speedway in Delaware), five top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Wimmer is also scheduled to drive RCR’s #33 Chevy with sponsorship from Holiday Inn, in this season’s Nextel Cup Series season finale, Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “It’s an honor to be able to continue and grow our relationship with an American icon like Holiday Inn,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Jeff Burton, Pat Smith (crew chief) and the entire team have done a solid job on the competition side and the folks at Holiday Inn have done a great job in promoting their program to their customers. We’ve had pretty good success the past couple of years running a two-driver program and we think that will only continue with the Holiday Inn team in 2007.” Burton and Wimmer will split the 35-race season down the middle, though which driver runs an 18th race is yet to be determined. Plans for 2007 also call for Wimmer to compete in two still-to-be-determined Nextel Cup Series events in RCR’s #33 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS with primary sponsorship from Holiday Inn. “I’m really excited about the opportunity to drive for Richard Childress and his Busch Series program,” said Wimmer. “Being teamed up with Jeff Burton, and having Kevin and Clint (Bowyer) to draw from, is one of the big reasons why I decided to drive for RCR. I’ve raced in NASCAR for almost six years and have never had a teammate. It’s something I’ve always been missing in my career so I’m really looking forward to it, especially with someone the caliber of Jeff Burton. Growing up in the Midwest, I think I had every birthday party from the time I can remember until I was 14 or so at a Holiday Inn Holidome so it’s great to be driving for them. We had a lot of fun in those Holidomes and I’m looking forward to having just as much fun in their race cars.” Call 1-800-HOLIDAY or log onto www.holidayinn.com for more information or to book a reservation.(Richard Childress Racing PR)(11-9-2006)
- 4th RCR team in 2007? UPDATE: Richard Childress is considering a fourth car, probably with Holiday Inn as a sponsor.(Ford Racing)(8-28-2006)
UPDATE: Car owner Richard Childress' long-rumored fourth Cup team may be closer to fruition, according to sources. The big question is who the driver might be. As hot as Childress' stuff is right now, potential drivers should be clogging the phone lines to his Welcome shop. Jeff Burton, one of Childress's drivers, was less than enthusiastic last year when a fourth team was proposed, for fear it would take away from the three other teams, which at that time weren't very spiffy. Now, however, Childress' three men - Burton, Kevin Harvick and rookie Clint Bowyer - are all hot, and Bowyer has been a distinct plus for the operation.(Winston Salem Journal)(9-4-2006)
- 4th Childress Team? Jarrett considered: Before Dale Jarrett accepted Michael Waltrip's offer to run Toyotas on the Nextel Cup tour next season, Jarrett considered a ride with Chevrolet's Richard Childress, in a fourth Childress car, as part of a six-year package, according to sources close to the situation. Under the proposed Jarrett-Childress deal, Jarrett would have signed on for three more seasons as a driver, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and UPS would not only have followed Jarrett to Childress' but would have agreed to another three years of sponsorship beyond 2009, according to sources. However the deal never came down, in part because Childress was leery of expanding to a fourth team, given the problems he had when expanding to a third Nextel Cup team.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-20-2006)
- 4th RCR team,,,with Mears? denied: RCR team sources tell [Marty Smith - NASCAR.com] the organization would like to add a fourth team with [Casey] Mears [current driver of Ganassi's #42 Dodge] as driver, but RCR spokesman David Hart discounted the speculation Wednesday. "No decisions have been made to add a fourth team with Casey Mears or any other driver," Hart said.(NASCAR.com)(4-27-2006)
- RCR..no plans to run Tracy: Richard Childress Racing gave Champ Car driver Paul Tracy a two-day test at Michigan in August and said he would let him race at that track if the session went well. The two ultimately decided not to enter the race. Now Childress says there have been no further discussions. "Paul and I haven't talked in about a month," Childress said. "We're just trying to get our in-house program put together for next year."(ESPN.com/RPM)(10-16-2005)
- Bowyer in, Tracy on hold: The Paul Tracy experiment in NASCAR is on hold, according to team owner Richard Childress.
Childress, who tested the Champ Car driver in August, is focused on helping Nextel Cup driver Kevin Harvick win the $1 million bonus for finishing 11th (his current position) and Clint Bowyer win his first Busch Series title. Bowyer is 49 points behind Martin Truex Jr. following Saturday's United Way 300 at Kansas. Childress said he would rather give Bowyer -- and not Tracy -- a chance in a Cup race before the season ends. "I think he's ready," he said.(Indianapolis Star)(10-9-2005)
- Tracy offered another ride in another seires..to run Cup at Atlanta: Champ Car driver Paul Tracy is now being wooed by the brand new A1 Grand Prix series to drive for the so-called Team Canada entry. According to yesterday's edition of Autosport magazine owners of the A1 series have approached Tracy about driving in selected races after the Champ Car finale at Mexico City Nov. 6. But Charlie Johnstone -- Tracy's agent -- said Tracy "is not seeking" a job in the A1 series. The other issues facing Tracy include his deal with his Forsythe Championship Racing team. Tracy is slated to try to qualify a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet at the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Oct. 30. Contacted by The Toronto Sun, Forsythe public relations specialist Joe Kirklin was adamant that Tracy would be with the team in 2006 and even 2007. "Paul has a multi-year agreement with Forsythe for this year and beyond," Kirklin told the Sun. "We look forward to continuing to battle for the championship this season and winning more championships with Paul in the future." Johnstone, on the other hand, said yesterday that Tracy still has designs on debuting in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Oct. 30 in Atlanta with RCR. "Atlanta is still on as far as I know,"Johnstone told the Sun. Tracy has also been contacted by the Hall of Fame Nextel Cup team owned by former NFL quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.(Toronto Sun)(10-1-2005)
- RCR, Tracy Decide Not to Run at MIS: After two days of successful testing at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Paul Tracy have decided that not enough time remains before the Aug. 20 GFS Marketplace 400 at MIS to prepare for Tracy's first entry in a NASCAR event.
"I'm very impressed with Paul's ability in a race car, whether it's a Cup car or a Champ Car, but it was just too short a time to put the
right program together," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of RCR. "Paul's a champion and he had a very good test but we want to do this right and be fully prepared to give him a maximum effort." Childress hopes to race Tracy again later this year.
"I have the greatest respect for the guys that drive Cup cars week-in and week-out," said Tracy. "It takes a lot of preparation to be ready
for a highly competitive event like the NEXTEL Cup Series and we just didn't have the time to do the job right. I want to thank Richard for
giving me this opportunity and the crew guys at the test for all of their effort. My primary goal this year is the pursuit of the
Bridgestone/Ford Champ Car World Series Championship."(RCR PR)(8-12-2005)
- Tracy tests at Concord [Caraway], talks about NASCAR - CORRECTION: Paul Tracy said team owner Jerry Forsythe would like him to stay with the team. But Tracy has an opportunity that could lead him away from open-wheel racing after this season. Tracy drove a stock car for the first time Tuesday on a half-mile oval in Concord, N.C. -- an experience he called "a completely, completely different deal." It was Tracy's first spin in a heavy stocker after logging 231 Indy car races and 30 victories. Tracy used a rented former NASCAR Cup car to acclimate himself to driving a stock car. Next, he faces a key test Monday and Tuesday at Michigan International Speedway in a Cup car owned by Richard Childress Racing. "I just wanted to learn how to start the thing and know how to put it in gear," Tracy said. "I needed to know how to put the seat belts on. It went OK. The test will be real important. I have to qualify for the (Aug. 21) race on time." If all goes well, Tracy will try to qualify Childress' No. 33 Chevrolet when the Cup series returns to the Michigan track in two weeks. "If I qualify for the race, I'll be happy to finish on the lead lap," Tracy said. "I'll take the chance. I feel I have the driving ability. Racing is racing is racing."(Las Vegas Review Journal)
CORRECTION: have been told Tracy tested at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, NC, ran some laps, then on his second session, backed the car into the wall, no word on damage or if he continued to practice.(8-5-2005)
- Paul Tracy to run for RCR at Michigan UPDATE: Robin Miller of Speed Channel reports: It won't be official for a few days but Paul Tracy will make his long-awaited NASCAR debut in three weeks at Michigan, driving a fourth car for Richard Childress [probably the #33 team]. The 36-year-old Canadian and Champ Car's winningest active driver is expected to test at MIS this week. Tracy, who will have to qualify on speed, has been hinting for the past year or so he wants to try NASCAR full-time down the road.(Speed Channel)(7-31-2005)
MORE: After nearly two decades as an open wheel racer, Canadian Paul Tracy figures its time to sit in a race car with fenders. The 2003 Champ Car World Series champion has struck a deal with NASCAR team owner Richard Childress to test a stock car over the next two weeks with the eventual goal of competing in the Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 21. Tracy will get behind the wheel of a stock car for the first time in his career on Tuesday at Concord (N.C.) Speedway in an ARCA car prepared by former stock car driver and now driving instructor Andy Hillenburg. Tracy then will head to MIS the day after the Brickyard to test the #33 Chevrolet for Childress. If everything falls into place, Tracy will make an attempt to qualify for the race at MIS, which he'll have to do based on speed. Regardless of the outcome of the next three weeks isn't ready to say he's moving to NASCAR. Tracy's interest in NASCAR dates back to 1999 when a friend showed him an article in a NASCAR publication that quoted Childress as saying he'd like to see Tracy in a stock car. Tracy isn't the first open wheel driver in recent years to dabble in the world of stock cars. Several have unsuccessfully attempted the transition into NASCAR, including past Champ Car champion Jimmy Vasser, Scott Pruett, Christian Fittipaldi and most recently Mexican driver Michel Jourdain Jr., who ran in the Busch Series this year. Vasser drove two Busch races for Braun Racing in 2003, a year during which he raced in NASCAR, the Indy 500 and in his regular Champ Car ride. Tracy isn't ready to make any official announcements. "Check back with me in a couple of weeks," he said. "I'm going to drive a car a couple of times. I want to go do the race and then, think about what I want to do."(Yahoo!Sports)(8-1-2005)
UPDATE: Open wheel star Paul Tracy will test August 8-9 at Michigan International Speedway in Richard Childress Racing's (RCR) #33 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Chevrolet in preparation for the Aug. 21 GFS Marketplace 400. The Ontario, Canada native is the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion and has 30 victories, ranking him first among the series' active drivers and third all-time. Tracy is currently second in the 2005 point standings with two victories (Milwaukee, June 4; Cleveland, June 26), six top-five finishes and two pole positions after eight of 14 races. He finished second in the July 31 Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San Jose (Calif.).
"Paul and I have talked about an opportunity like this for the past couple years and it has finally come together for Michigan," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of RCR. "I'd like to thank Gerry Forsythe and Forsythe Championship Racing for allowing us the chance
to give this a try. This will be Paul's first shot in a stock car but he obviously has a great deal of talent and knows how to win races and
championships. We'll take a look at how things go after the test and, if all goes according to plan, get him ready for the Cup race the next
week." Tracy is looking forward to testing his driving skills again at the MIS oval. He competed in Champ Cars there 10 times (1992-2001),
earning four top-five and seven top-10 finishes and a pole position (2000). The 2000 pole speed set the track qualifying record at 234.949
mph (30.645 seconds). "I'm very excited about this opportunity especially at Michigan where I have a lot of experience," said Tracy. "Driving a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup car will be totally new to me but my focus is to develop a package that will help Kevin (Harvick), Jeff (Burton) and Dave (Blaney) and their teams for the race weekend. I want to do whatever I can to help."(RCR)(8-2-2005)
- RC Wine...the good stuff: A bottle of 2004 Childress Vineyards' Barrel Select Pinot Gris was chosen as one of the top wines produced by celebrity wine proprietors in today's USA TODAY. Legendary NASCAR championship team owner Richard Childress is also the proprietor of Childress Vineyards, located at the gateway of the Yadkin Valley in Lexington, N.C. In a "Food & wine" column ("Heard about stars through the grapevine", July 8, 2005), columnist Jerry Shriver wrote about celebrities involved in winemaking and the taste test USA TODAY entertainment reporter Donna Freydkin conducted with 11 wines having celebrity connections. Freydkin mentioned the Childress Vineyard selection first, commenting that she "preferred the smooth, easy-to-drink-while-sitting-on-your-porch character" of the North Carolina wine crafted by award-winning winemaker Mark Friszolowksi.
The list of celebrities, other than Richard Childress, proprietor of Childress Vineyards president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing,
included: movie director Sofia Coppola; her father, director Francis Ford Coppola; the rock band Doobie Brothers, music legend Bob Dylan; golfers Ernie Els, Greg Norman and Arnold Palmer; Vince Neil, lead singer for Motley Crue; and acting legends Fess Parker and Fred MacMurray.(RCR PR)(7-10-2005)
- RCR makes changes in the engine dept: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) continues to make personnel moves to improve its championship-winning engine department. Engine shop manager Spenny Clendenen, an RCR employee since 1985 and head engine builder from 1995 to 1997, has been named to the position of general manager in charge of the department’s business and administrative responsibilities. He will also be the focal point for RCR’s customer engine program, which furnishes engines for Kevin Harvick, Inc. (Busch and Truck), PPI Motorsports (NEXTEL Cup) and Morgan-Dollar Motorsports (Truck). Rick Mann has been named chief engine builder and will oversee all competition-related responsibilities. He brings 17 years of NASCAR engine building experience and nearly 30 years of overall engine building experience to his new position. Assistant engine shop manager Danny Lawrence, an RCR employee since 1985 and head engine builder from 1998 to 2001, has been named assistant chief engine builder. He will responsible for all at-track activities involving RCR’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team engine tuners and will assist Mann at the shop. "I think the reorganization we’ve made is a positive new start to our entire engine department,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of RCR. ”We’ve had tremendous growth at RCR over the past couple of years and the workload we’ve asked our management group to be responsible for was keeping us from achieving the success I know we’re capable of. These moves, in addition to bringing on Nick Hayes to head up our engine research and development department, have put RCR in a much better position to reach the goals we’ve set for ourselves.” A new engine shop manager will be named at a later date.(RCR Site)(7-8-2005)
AND Nick Hayes has been named by Richard Childress Racing (RCR) as its engine research and development director
and will lead all RCR engine research and development activities from a newly-created R&D facility at the RCR complex. Hayes comes to RCR after a well-documented yet unique career at Cosworth, which is based in England, including spells in Formula One
engine design, development and track support before rising through the ranks to lead its F1 program through the late 1990s. Recent years saw him leading all technical activities at Cosworth as Technical Director. The move to RCR marks the start of a new chapter in Hayes' illustrious and successful race engine career that has covered a wide variety of series but, until now, has not touched NASCAR significantly.(RCR PR)(7-10-2005)
- Sad News: Richard Childress Racing's (RCR) fabrication shop manager Paul Wise passed away this morning after a
brief illness. He was 58. Wise was employed by RCR since January 2003 after spending two-and-a-half years in a similar position with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. All six RCR cars competing this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, in both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series, will carry "In Memory of Paul Wise" decals. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at Charity Baptist Church, 2420 Brantley Road in Kannapolis, N.C. The Rev. R.J. Hammond and the Rev. Gene Beaver will officiate. The body will be placed in the church one hour prior to the service. Internment will follow at Carolina Memorial Park in Kannapolis. The family will receive friends from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday, June 29, at Charity Baptist Church.
Born Jan. 6, 1947, in Cabarrus (N.C.) County, Wise was the son of C. Winfred Wise and Ethel Howell Wise of Kannapolis. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War and was a recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal. He worked with many NASCAR teams during his career. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Paula Jean Wise, Feb. 14, 1975.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his wife, Barbara Austin Wise; son, Jason Paul Wise and wife, Brittany Cromer Wise, and
granddaughter, Jayleigh Austin Wise of Kannapolis; sister, Anne W. Watts and husband, Charles, of Raleigh; brothers, Phil Wise and wife, Lynda, of Kannapolis and Mark Wise and wife, Derlene, of Raleigh; along with 13 nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society, Dancers for Cancer, c/o Carolina Dance, 2353 Concord Lake Road, Suite 110, Concord, N.C. 28025.(RCR)(6-28-2005)
- Korbel Champagne to sponsor the #33 at Infineon: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Korbel California Champagnes have reached an agreement for a one-race sponsorship with 2000 SCCA Trans Am Champion Brian Simo piloting RCR’s #33 Korbel California Champagnes Chevrolet Monte Carlo in this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Established in 1882 in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley, Korbel Champagne Cellars produces the United States' most popular méthode champenoise champagne. Owned and managed by the Heck family since 1954, Korbel currently makes 10 champagnes and a limited amount of still wine. In a separate facility, Korbel also produces one of the country's most respected brandies. Korbel California Champagnes reminds race fans to “Celebrate Responsibly.” (RCR PR)(6-23-2005)
- Simo to run the #33 at Sonoma: some nice background about Brian Simo as folks may not know much about him: Brian Simo will return to NASCAR Nextel Cup racing this week, driving the #33 Chevrolet with Richard Childress Racing. Simo, of Carlsbad, Calif., will be up against NASCAR’s rule reserving 36 [including the champ prov for #11-Labonte] of the 43 starting positions for series regulars, but is confident of his chances of qualifying for a fourth career Cup start. “RCR has been great to work with and I’m really looking forward to racing with [crew chief] Bobby Leslie and [engine-builder] Danny Lawrence. I appreciate what Richard Childress and RCR have accomplished, and it’s great to have the opportunity to run with them,” Simo said. “There are only seven spots, so we’ll try to first make it into the field, then worry about the race. We can’t afford any mistakes in qualifying, so we probably need a less-than-fast run, but solid enough to get in the show.” Simo competed in three previous Cup races. In his last time out, with no testing or advance seat time, he qualified 15th of 48 drivers in only his second attempt at single-lap qualifying and raced as high as fifth place in his third race. He has also contested several NASCAR Busch Series races, where he led on two occasions before retiring with mechanical failures. He won the highly competitive Trans-Am Series championship in 2000 and was first or second in the series for five consecutive years. In sports cars, he has achieved success in every race he has entered – a 10-lap GTS win and a GTS1 podium finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, two IMSA GTS victories and two GT podiums in the 1000-mile Petit Le Mans.(Speed Channel)(6-23-2005)
- Another Earnhardt: Another generation of the Earnhardt family visited victory lane at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Va., earlier this month. Jeffrey Earnhardt, son of NASCAR driver Kerry Earnhardt and the grandson of the late Dale Earnhardt, won the Hornet Division feature two weeks ago. Earnhardt took the lead halfway through the 15-lap race for drivers age 12-16 and steered his four-cylinder car to victory lane, where he celebrated with his father and a group of Earnhardt fans. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(5-30-2005)
- Bowyer to make Cup debut at Phoenix: Clint Bowyer will make his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series debut driving the #33 Sylvania Chevrolet Monte Carlo. RCR also runs the #33 with Kerry Earnhardt under the Bass Pro Shops banner. The #2 ACDelco Busch Series pit crew that will jump over the pit wall for Friday’s NASCAR Busch Series race will perform the same duties Saturday night. Gil Martin, crew chief of the #2 team, will call the shots Saturday night, as well.(RCR) see images of the car on my #33 Team Schemes page.(4-20-2005)
- Bowyer to debut at Phoenix: Richard Childress said on Speed Channel's NASCAR Nation that his Busch Series driver, Clint Bowyer, will make his Nextel Cup debut at Phoenix International Raceway in the #33 Chevy with Sylvania as the sponsor.(3-17-2005)
- Earnhardt tests the #33 at Talladega: Kerry Earnhardt and his Richard Childress Racing team are fine-tuning the black #33 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the fast-approaching Daytona 500. While the season opener is the true focus of the next two days of testing, they're also gaining a little more information for May 1, when Earnhardt will drive the machine in the Aaron's 499 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race. Toyota Racing Development booked the two-day test for its NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams, and allowed Earnhardt to share track time with truck drivers Johnny Benson, Bill Lester and Mike Skinner of Bill Davis Racing's #23, 22 and 5 teams, as well as Robert Huffman of Darrell Waltrip Racing's #12 team. Earnhardt said he still hopes to run a full season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the Billy Ballew-owned #15 Chevrolet powered by Dale Earnhardt, Inc. engines. (Talladega Superspeedway PR)(1-28-2005)
- Kerry Earnhardt tests truck at Talladega, will run #33 there in spring: Kerry Earnhardt, 34, the eldest son of Talladega Superspeedway's top winner Dale Earnhardt, will drive the #15 Chevrolet owned by Billy Ballew in the Craftsman Truck Series next year. The team hopes to run a full season, but is still working on sponsorships, Earnhardt said. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. will supply the team with engines, as it did last year when driver Shane Hmeil brought its first victory in Las Vegas. Although the truck series does not compete at Talladega, Earnhardt said fans can expect to see him behind the wheel of the #33 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet owned by Richard Childress again here in 2005. Childress, who found unparalleled success as team owner for Earnhardt's late father, fielded the cars in both Talladega events last year, and Earnhardt said they plan to work with the sponsor to do it again next year. He also expects to be in the car at Daytona.(Talladega Superspeedway PR)(12-9-2004)
- Kerry Earnhardt coast-to-coast UPDATE just in the Showdown: Kerry Earnhardt has received an invitation to race in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on Saturday at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway. Earnhardt, who drove in eight races and finished 17th in the Grand National Division West Series while also participating in Nextel Cup and Busch series races this season, was extended the invite after two of the top 15 drivers were unable to attend. At the Showdown, the top 10 Southwest Series drivers will face off against the top 10 drivers from the other three series (Midwest, Northwest and Southeast) that comprise the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division. The Toyota All-Star Showdown begins Thursday with a full day of practice. On Friday night, each division (AutoZone Elite Division and NASCAR Grand National Division) will hold twin 50-lap preliminary races. The results of those races will establish the starting lineups for Saturday's feature races, with the 50-lap race winners starting up front in the main events. On Saturday, the AutoZone Elite Division all-star field will race for 125 laps, followed by the NASCAR Grand National Division all-stars (from the Busch North Series and West Series) in a 150-lap showdown. Friday's and Saturday's events will be telecast live on SPEED Channel [listed on my TV Listings page or right hand side of this page].(NASCAR.com), Earnhardt is also scheduled to run the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday.(11-11-2004)
UPDATE: Earnhardt will not run in the Southern 500, will concentrate on the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway.(11-12-2004)
- Kerry Earnhardt back in the #33 at Atlanta: Kerry Earnhardt will drive the #33 Bass Pro Shops Chevy at Atlanta Motor Speedway for Richard Childress Racing. This is the same car Kevin Harvick raced last spring at AMS. Earnhardt tested at AMS
Tuesday, Oct. 19 and Wednesday, Oct. 20 in preparation for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500. Bobby Hutchens and Bobby Leslie will serve as co-crew chiefs of Earnhardt's #33 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet this weekend. Former crew chief Gil Martin has taken over the reigns of the #2 ACDelco Busch Series entry replacing Butch Hylton. Martin will continue in that role with driver Clint Bowyer in 2005. Earnhardt will sport a special paint scheme this weekend highlighting Bass Pro Shops' support of the National Wild Turkey Federation. The #33 also showcased the NWTF during the NEXTEL Open at Charlotte. Earnhardt won the 2001 Pork the Other White Meat 400 ARCA Re/Max Series race at AMS. Additionally, he made one other ARCA start at the Hampton, Ga., track (11/18/00), where he finished sixth. In addition to his driving duties with RCR, Earnhardt has been wheeling the #20 NAPA Chevrolet for Bill McAnally Racing (BMR) in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series. In eight starts for BMR, Earnhardt boasts two top-five and four top-10 finishes. In just eight West Series races with BMR on a 13 race tour, Earnhardt finished 18th in the final championship standings.(RCR PR)(10-27-2004)
- Kerry Earnhardt to the Trucks? during the Truck Series race at California Speedway, it was mentioned that there is a chance that Kerry Earnhardt will race the #15 Bill Ballew truck in 2005. Shane Hmiel is driving the truck this year, has won a race and there is a good chance Hmiel will move up to Nextel Cup in 2005, running the #23 Dodge.(10-3-2004)
- Sauter returns to Cup with RCR: Mag-Lite Flashlights and Johnny Sauter are teaming together this weekend to light up the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Sauter will be driving the #33 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Mag-Lite Chevrolet with additional support from the GM Card. Sauter will have backing from Mag-Lite and the GM Card for both the Richmond and Phoenix Nextel Cup Series events. Known for its excellent design, the Mag-Lite flashlight was introduced in 1979. Police officers, firefighters, and mechanics quickly spread the word about the rugged, reliable anodized aluminum flashlight, which would change the portable lighting industry forever. Often referred to as the "Work of Art that Works," the Mag-Lite and Mini Maglite flashlights have received many prestigious honors and awards. Mag-Lite is also proud to be a leader in the current renaissance in American manufacturing. All Mag-Lite products are made domestically and bear the "Made In The USA" tagline. Sauter identifies with the "Made In The USA" tagline as the youngest of 12 brothers and sisters from the Midwest, but he might better
identify with the tagline, "Racing at Richmond." Sauter will be a busy man this weekend driving in all three NASCAR events (Trucks, Busch and Cup) at RIR.(Mag-Lite PR/Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing), Sauter also mentioned on FSN's Totally NASCAR that he may run the #33 in the NHIS Cup race next week if the car comes out of Richmond intact.(9-8-2004)
- Kerry Earnhardt race update: Despite a slow leak in his right-rear tire, Kerry Earnhardt held on for a seventh-place finish at Irwindale Speedway, Saturday Night in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series NAPA Auto Parts 150. Earnhardt qualified the Bill McAnally Racing (BMR) #20 NAPA Belts and Hoses/NAPA Auto Care Chevy 12th in the 26-car field and raced among the front-runners for the majority of the night. Earnhardt's teammate Austin Cameron won the event, marking three straight NASCAR West Series' victories for Cameron and BMR. Earnhardt's next NASCAR West Series appearance will come in two weeks at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway for the NAPA Auto Parts 200. The following week, Earnhardt will return to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competition driving the #33 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing at Michigan International Speedway.(RCR PR)(8-2-2004)
- Martin Moved to Crew Chief of RCR Special Teams Program: Gil Martin has been named crew chief for Richard Childress Racing's (RCR) special teams program. Martin's new responsibilities will include the crew chief roles for the #33 Bass Pro Shops team (with driver Kerry Earnhardt) in the Cup Series and the #29 ESGR team (with an all star cast of drivers) in the NASCAR Busch Series. He has been the team manager for RCR's #29 GM Goodwrench team since midway through the 2002 season. He served as the team's crew chief for the first 23 races before handing the reins over to current crew chief Todd Berrier. The three races remaining on the 2004 Bass Pro Shops calendar are Aug. 22 at Michigan International Speedway, Oct. 3 at Talladega Superspeedway and Oct. 31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The ESGR team is scheduled to race twice more this season -- Sept. 25 at Dover International Speedway (with Earnhardt/Air National Guard & Air Force Reserves) and Nov. 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (with Harvick/Coast Guard Reserve). Martin has earned two victories as a crew chief in the Cup Series and 11 in the Busch Series. Martin replaced Gary Cogswell, who was released July 13.(RCR PR)(7-20-2004)
- Kerry Earnhardt finishes 4th in West race: Kerry Earnhardt turned in a strong performance Saturday night at Evergreen Speedway finishing fourth in his NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series debut. Earnhardt, a veteran of 65 NASCAR Busch Series starts and four NASCAR NEXTEL Cup starts, qualified his Bill McNally-owned #18 Napa Auto Care Chevrolet sixth in the 24-car field and lurked in the top-five for the majority of the 200-lap event. While tire stagger issues kept Earnhardt from challenging for the win, he paced himself throughout the night at the bumpy five-eighths mile Monroe, Wash., oval. Earnhardt's Bill McAnally Racing teammate Austin Cameron won the event with fellow BMR driver Jeff Jefferson scoring runner-up honors. Next up for Kerry Earnhardt in the NASCAR Grand National, West Series will be a trip to Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway Saturday, July 31, for the NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 presented by Southern California Pipe Trades.(RCR PR)(7-20-2004)
- NRA on the #33: The #33 Bass Pro Shops Chevy with Kerry Earnhardt driving, will sport a special paint scheme this weekend saluting the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA boasts a membership of approximately 4 million people and is the foremost conservation and firearms safety organization. Additionally, the NRA certifies over 48,000 firearm instructors who train millions of gun owners every year. Over 11,800 certified law enforcement instructors educate members of the law enforcement community along with military personnel. The "Eddie Eagle" gun safety program has reached over 16 million kids since 1998. The NRA has spent over $100 million over the last 10 years on gun safety and education programs.(RCR PR)(7-1-2004)
- Changes at RCR: A change in management occurred last week when Richard Childress Racing [#'s 29,30,31,33] promoted Mike Dillon, a former Busch Series competitor and Richard Childress' son-in-law, to general manager. Bobby Hutchens was named vice president of competition. Childress says RCR has been operating as a three-team organization despite its growth to five full-time teams in Cup and Busch. Childress did not rule out additional changes with his teams if performance does not pick up. Dillon added, "We're trying to improve all aspects of competition, and the change will take some of the weight off Bobby's shoulders." The move will allow Hutchens to spend more time with the engineering and R&D departments.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(6-7-2004)
- RCR Crewman wants Biffle: Crewmen at Richard Childress' shop are chomping at the bit with the possibility of acquiring Greg Biffle. "We need someone to step this operation up a notch," an RCR crewman said. "And Biffle could do that. Childress needs to get him - no matter what it costs."(Winston Salem Journal)(6-5-2004)
- Engine Competition UPDATE: there was some sort of Engine Competition at NASCAR Institute between Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. XM Satellite NASCAR Radio reports that RCR had the fatest time of 19:52, but nothing is official yet barring penalties.(5-26-2004)
UPDATE: Lanny Barnes and Todd Hamm of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) defeated Mike Maiwald and Shane Parsnow of Hendrick Motorsports Tuesday night in the final round of the 2004 Clevite Engine Builder Showdown. The four-round competition, which began in January at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, N.C., and concluded with the final round at the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C., requires each team build an engine from the block up and specifies that it run for one minute. The RCR team turned in a time of 19:52 minutes while the Hendrick team finished in 20.33 minutes. Each team was penalized one minute for a rules infraction (the RCR team cross-threaded an oil pan nut), canceling what would have been a record time for Barnes. RCR has won two of the last three final rounds of the Clevite Engine Builder Showdown. Danny Lawrence, RCR's assistant engine shop manager, won the event in 2002 and was runner-up last year. Barnes defeated Lawrence in the semifinals this year. Lawrence owns the record time for the build, 20:26 minutes, which he established during the 2002 competition. This was Barnes' fourth appearance in the competition and first time in the final. Richard Childress, president and CEO of RCR, attended as an analyst for The Speed Channel's coverage of the event, which is scheduled to air July 18 at 8:00pm/et.(RCR PR)(5-26-2004)
- Kerry may attempt the 600 also: #33-Kerry Earnhardt hopes to enter next week's Coca-Cola 600 as well. "We're going to see how the all-star race goes and make sure we have a good enough car to make the race and get in the Coca-Cola 600," he said. "If everything goes well, we'll make that decision Saturday night."(ThatsRacin.com)(5-22-2004)
- Kerry Earnhardt to run the Nextel Open: #33-Kerry Earnhardt will pilot chassis #112 from the Richard Childress Racing stable at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Nextel Open. This is the same car Kevin Harvick drove to a 13th-place finish in February at Rockingham. Harvick also raced this car last season at Texas (3/30/03), California (4/27/03) and Michigan (6/15/03). The NASCAR NEXTEL Open will be Earnhardt's second Cup Series start of 2004 for RCR. His most recent appearance came last month at Talladega where he qualified 36th and finished 35th. While the end result was a less than desirable outcome, Earnhardt was running inside the top-15 when he was tapped by another car and spun into the inside retaining wall, ending his day 63 circuits short of the scheduled 188 lap distance. Earnhardt will sport a special paint scheme this weekend highlighting Bass Pro Shops support of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Earnhardt tested chassis No. 93 May 10-11 at LMS in preparation for the NASCAR NEXTEL Open. Earnhardt also tested at Michigan International Speedway last week in preparation for the Sirius 400, June 20. The NEXTEL Open will be Earnhardt's second NASCAR Cup attempt at LMS. He attempted to make the UAW-GM 500 in October 2002 with FitzBradshaw Racing, but missed the field due to lack of owner championship points after rain washed out qualifying. Earnhardt won the 2001 EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 100 ARCA Series race at LMS. Additionally, he made two other ARCA starts at the suburban Charlotte track, recording second and 20th-place finishes.
Crew Gary Cogswell says: "Kerry and I have tested together twice at two different tracks and I think I have a pretty good direction as to what I need to give him so he can drive the car hard. I'm eager to go this weekend. Kerry is really motivated. He knows he has a chance to drive a quality car with a lot of support behind him to help him run well. As far as expectations go, we just want to be able to race. We want to win, but we're not going to put the cart in front of the horse. To me, if we can run the whole race competitively - if we can pass cars, if we get
passed that's ok, as long as we can pass too. If we can stay out of trouble and run all the laps we'll call it a good day."(RCR PR)(5-18-2004)
- Kerry gets shunned by Mikey UPDATE: Kerry Earnhardt was so angry at Michael Waltrip for their run-in at Talladega that he grabbed a radio from the DEI rig during the race and tried to talk to Waltrip, but Waltrip wouldn't reply. Then Earnhardt, according to sources, showed up at DEI's Monday meeting, to talk with Waltrip, but Waltrip skipped the meeting.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-3-2004)
UPDATE: Kerry Earnhardt is Montana with Richard Childress fishing (they are shooting a segment for an upcoming show called NASCAR Outdoors - not sure where or when it will air). Earnhardt is not blaming Waltrip for the incident and knows it was not intentional. He told Claire B. Lang on XM Satellite Radio [before Earnhardt left for Montana]: "I'm sure Michael didn't intend on taking me out, he just come down, I think [Jeff] Gordon was there [Gordon tapped Waltrip, who had no place to go]. He got turned sideways and, fortunate for him that I was on the bottom to keep him from going through the infield there. So, it was an unfortunate situation for myself to get taken out in that manner - but it was part of racing - it was speedway racing. I'm sure all those other (Talladega) wrecks didn't happen intentionally either."(XM Satellite - NASCAR Radio 144)(5-4-2004)
- Cogswell to RCR? UPDATE 2 it's official: hearing current #12 Fitz-Bradshaw Busch Series crew chief, Gary Cogswell, is leaving to go to Richard Childress Racing but not sure in what capacity. Tim Fedawa drives the #12 car.(4-21-2004)
UPDATE: Gary Cogswell has tendered his resignation as crew chief of the #12 FitzBradshaw team and driver Tim Fedewa and will take a similar position at Richard Childress Racing working with its part-time Busch and Cup teams, ThatsRacin.com has learned.
Cogswell will work this weekend's race at Talladega with Fedewa before he leaves. Fedewa is currently ninth in points. "While we wish Gary the very best of luck, we feel the team can continue to build on the positive momentum it has built so far," said team co-owner Armando Fitz.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-22-2004)
UPDATE 2: Richard Childress Racing announced today the hiring of veteran crew chief Gary Cogswell to head up the #33 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Monte Carlo of driver Kerry Earnhardt in the NASCAR Cup Series and the all-star cast of the #29 Employer
Support of Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Chevy in the NASCAR Busch Series. Most recently, Cogswell served as crew chief for the #12
Chevrolet and Busch Series driver Tim Fedewa. Last season, Cogswell called the shots for Todd Bodine in NASCAR's premier division with the #54 Ford.
"It's an honor for me to be able to join RCR," said Cogswell, a 13-year NASCAR veteran. "Most of the racing world, whether it be people who work on race teams, the casual fan or the serious fan, recognize RCR as one of the cornerstones of NASCAR. I was very flattered to be considered for this position and to be honest it really didn't require much thought on my part to accept. This organization has been here so long and is so solidly planted into the sport that I feel like I'll never have to look for another job." Cogswell owns 14 NBS victories as a crew chief, as well as seven poles, 51 top-five and 85 top-10 finishes. A native of Holt, Mich., Cogswell began his professional racing career after moving south in 1991. "Gary has been a winning NASCAR crew chief for 10 years. We're very excited to have him at RCR working on our ESGR and Bass Pro Shops programs," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "We've put together a strong team for those two programs and I know Gary will work very well with Bobby Hutchens (RCR's general manager of competition team manager for the ESGR and Bass Pro Shops programs) and the crew. This move will only make the team stronger."(RCR PR)(4-28-2004)
- Testing at Kentucky UPDATE 1a: Kentucky Speedway's weekly calendar shows plans for four Nextel Cup drivers and two Busch Series drivers to test this week. Cup testers expected on Wednesday are #12-Ryan Newman, #0-Ward Burton and #24-Jeff Gordon and #25-Brian Vickers. Vickers is also scheduled to test on Thursday. The track says #24-Mike Harmon and Chad Blount are expected to test Busch Series entries on Wednesday and Thursday. The track says the schedule is subject to change and says spectators may watch testing from its Fan Center.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-12-2004)
UPDATE: Kentucky Speedway's updated test schedule for today [Wednesday] shows Kerry Earnhardt testing a research and development Chevrolet from Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick had been expected to test Jeff Gordon in the #24 Chevrolet and rookie Brian Vickers in the #25 Chevrolet, but the schedule today shows only Vickers and Earnhardt, the eldest son of the late Dale Earnhardt, on hand from the team. The ASA tests on Friday the 16th.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-15-2004)
UPDATE 1a: been informed....Kerry Earnhardt is at Kentucky doing a motor test for Dale Earnhardt Inc. NOT testing for Hendrick.(4-15-2004)
- #33 Crew Member Injured: During the first caution period in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, John Wallace, a tire carrier for #33-Mike Skinner, fell from the wall onto pit road, suffering a hairline fracture of his right arm and requiring 8-10 stitches in his forehead, just above his nose, team general manager Bobby Hutchinson said. "A tire from (#32-Ricky Craven) rolled into our pit as John was jumping off the wall, and he landed right on it," Hutchinson said. Hutchinson said another crew member filled in for Wallace on Skinner's next two pit stops, and then after Robby Gordon was caught up in a multi-car crash on Lap 70, a tire man from Gordon's crew filled in on Skinner's team. (Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-16-2004)
- Sponsor for the #33: during Speed Channel's Wed Nextel Cup practice, it was mentioned that Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Marine Boats would be the sponsor of the #33 RCR Chevy and driver Mike Skinner for the Daytona 500. The sponsor is NOT AOL as I earlier reported. Also see the PR at RCR's site.(2-11-2004)
- Skinner back with RCR at Daytona [UPDATE]: Mike Skinner will return to Richard Childress Racing, at least for the Daytona 500. Skinner, who won the 1995 Craftsman Truck title for Childress, is racing full time in the No. 42 Toyota truck, but he will drive the #33 Cup car for RCR at Daytona with Bobby Leslie as crew chief. RCR's #2 AC Delcxo [Ron Hornaday] Busch team will pit Skinner's Cup car at Daytona. RCR pit crew coordinator David Smith says the snowstorm that hit the Carolinas last week hampered the crews' practice. "We're still digging out the stalls so we can practice," Smith says. Smith swapped the #s 2 and 21 Busch pit crews in the offseason.(Yahoo Sports/Sporting News)(2-2-2004)
- Kerry Earnhardt to run five Cup races for RCR in the #33 UPDATE 2 Skinner in the Daytona 500?:- Kerry Earnhardt will compete in five NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races in 2004 for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) in the #33 Bass Pro Shops Chevy. Earnhardt, 34, is the eldest son of Dale Earnhardt who, with RCR, earned 67 race wins and six of his seven NASCAR Cup Series championships. He is scheduled to compete April 25 at Talladega, May 22 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord for the NASCAR All-Star Challenge, July 3 at Daytona, Oct. 3 at Talladega and Atlanta on Oct. 31 [Halloween]. Earnhardt has one Nextel Cup start, driving the #71 Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet at Michigan on Aug. 20, 2000. He also has 65 NASCAR Busch Series starts since 2000, earning two top-five and five top-10 finishes. In 11 starts over two seasons (2000-01) in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, he had four wins, seven top-five and eight top-10 finishes. RCR and Bass Pro Shops have maintained a relationship since 1998, when the nation’s leading retailer of premium outdoor gear signed on as an associate sponsor of the No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet. That same year, Dale Earnhardt drove a Bass Pro Shop paint-schemed car in The Winston at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.(RCR PR)
AND Earnhardt will attempt to make the starting field for the Daytona 500.(Gaston Gazette)(1-22-2004)
UPDATE: been told by RCR there are no plans for Earnhardt to run the Daytona 500.(1-23-2004)
UPDATE 2: from a FoxSports column - The color black is part of Bass Pro Shops sponsorship package for the five Nextel Cup races that they plan to do. In fact, I [Larry McReynolds] think Mike Skinner is going to drive the #33 car in the Daytona 500, but I think it's going to be an AOL car.(FoxSports)(1-26-2004)
