Following the untimely death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, Richard Childress Racing has made few visits to victory lane and faded out of the Nextel Cup championship picture all together. Rebuilding a fallen dynasty takes time, but RCR is poised to once again become one of the prominent teams in NASCAR.

At the center of RCR’s resurgence is Kevin Harvick and his new three-year deal that will keep him with the team through 2009. Harvick is the most talented driver in RCR’s stable and his charismatic personality has made him a fan favorite and a sponsor’s dream. Numerous rumors were circulating about Harvick’s future with many experts predicting he would drive a
Toyota next season. Team owner Richard Childress realized how important Harvick is to his team’s success, and he opened up his checkbook and locked up the cornerstone of his race team.

In addition to signing Harvick to a long-term deal, Childress has spared no expense to update all facets of his race team. RCR expanded from a two-car team to a three-car team in order to keep up with the multi-car teams of Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick. Childress built a massive, multi-million dollar garage and hired some of the best engineers and fabricators in the business. The engine department has improved dramatically and is expected to supply even more horsepower by the time this season ends.

More importantly, RCR has actual team chemistry for the first time since expanding to a three-car operation. To be successful in Nextel Cup, teammates must work together and share information. Robby Gordon, Johnny Sauter, Jeff Green and Dave Blaney have come and gone, and Childress has finally found the right driver combination with Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer. These three drivers should be collecting trophies for RCR for years to come.

Nine races into the season, the on-track results speak for themselves. Harvick is fifth in the Nextel Cup standings, has five top-10 finishes and has already visited victory lane at Phoenix this season. Burton is 12th in the standings with a pole and five top-ten finishes of his own. Bowyer is 15th in the standings – the highest of any rookie.

RCR’s drivers are flexing their muscles in the Busch series as well.
Harvick is leading the standings by a wide margin and has three wins and 0 top-ten finishes in only 11 races. Bowyer is second in the standings, nd Burton has a win and four top-ten finishes in five starts.

Winning a race is tougher today than it has ever been, and RCR has become ompetitive week in and week out. All three cars are capable of running in he top ten every week, and the races where the RCR cars a simply too slow o keep up have almost dsappeared. In fact, Harvick, Burton and Bowyer sem to be getting stronger every race. Last week at Richmond, poor pit srategy was the only thing that stopped Harvick from picking up his second win of the year and all three drivers from finishing in the top
ten.

RCR might not win a Nextel Cup championship in the near the future, and it is still a stretch to compare Harvick to elite drivers like Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. However, RCR is again a force to be reckoned with at every track, and the victories are going to start coming.

RCR was on the verge of fading into mediocrity just a few years ago, and Childress deserves a ton of credit for rebuilding his race team. Harvick appears to be a lock to make the Chase for Cup this season, making him the first RCR to compete for the Nextel Cup. Burton is currently eligible for the Chase and could join Harvick as a title contender. It is probably a reach to expect Bowyer to make the Chase, but he will likely win Rookie of
the Year.

I’d like to welcome Richard Childress Racing back to NASCAR.