Childress drivers back in the race

 

It’s your right if you don’t want to make a big deal about how well Richard Childress Racing is doing after two races this season.

But after a disastrous 2009, you can excuse the RCR guys if they’re puffing out their chests a little bit.

Last year there was little to be happy about, even after two races.

The RCR drivers left California a year ago with Clint Bowyer in sixth place in points, Kevin Harvick in 16th and Jeff Burton in 31st. It was a sign of things to come. All three missed the Sprint Cup Chase, RCR’s first Chase shutout.

That led to a lot of soul searching and a lot of work. It’s obviously paying off as the trio heads to Las Vegas on Sunday sitting first (Harvick), second (Bowyer) and fifth (Burton) in points.

For a team accustomed to winning, the fast start is gratifying.

“The tire test that we did this winter combined with the way we ended last year gives all the RCR teams a lot of confidence going into these races,” Burton said. “We are much more prepared and have a better shot at doing well this year than we did last year.”

The changes at RCR started during the Chase last year, even though none of the team’s drivers had a stake in the outcome. The off-season was also spent making organizational changes.

Burton got a head start in September by naming Todd Berrier crew chief. He hasn’t finished worse than 11th since Talladega in November. Harvick led more laps than any other driver at the Daytona 500 this year before getting shuffled back on the final restart and finishing seventh.

Like Burton, Bowyer’s resurgence started at the end of last season. He finished in the top 12 in six of the final seven races and has added a pair of top 10s to start the year.

The team’s success is helping build momentum.

“We’re happy we have a shot,” said Harvick, who finished second last weekend in California. “We’re just building on those things. It leaves a sour taste in your mouth when you don’t win, and you want to go back and win again. Right now it’s just everybody’s very motivated, letting our cars talk for us.”

Despite Harvick’s close calls in each of the first two weeks, a win has proved to be elusive for the team. The last time an RCR car was in Victory Lane was in October 2008, when Burton won at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The winless drought is 43 races. But the drivers know it’s just a matter of time.

“We’ve won a couple shootouts and an all-star race,” Harvick said. “You just go out and you race. You race as fast as you can, and those things come as they happen. So I learned a long time ago, you don’t force those things.”

• It probably has nothing to do with the problems at the Daytona 500, but the overnight ratings for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race in California were down from last year. The race drew a 5.0 rating and a 10 share. Last year’s race had a 5.3 rating. Moreover, the estimated attendance was only 56,000, sparse for a track with two dates.

• Danica Patrick was piloting an IRL car again – at least for a few days. The popular driver, who switched from the IRL to the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year, began a two-day testing session for IndyCar drivers at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. She will return April 11 for the inaugural Grand Prix of Alabama.

Greg Biffle: Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford, is becoming the face of Roush Fenway Racing. No offense to Carl Edwards, but Biffle has been the team’s most consistent performer this year.

The NHRA: There’s nothing the NHRA could have done to prevent the accident that killed a spectator Sunday in Arizona. But officials did not respond well to the tragedy. The racing was stopped, but not because of the fatality. Weather was the reason given for the one-day postponement. The fan didn’t die at the track, but that incident should have been enough to halt the racing.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.