Richard Childress wore the expression of someone who's learned to operate "in the big picture" as he calmly, thoughtfully answered the tough questions about how his mighty racing organization has endured the struggles and frustration of a winless 2009 season.
Lost in all the Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin championship storylines, and the Dale Jr. non-championship hysteria, is the quiet dismay at RCR, which had three cars in the Chase for the Championship a year ago and not a single one of its now four-car stable qualify this fall.
Where: Richmond Int'l Raceway Time: Saturday night 7:30pm/EDT TV/Radio: ESPN, Motor Racing Network Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing Forecast: Mid-60s, Partly Cloudy Distance: 400 laps (300 miles) Pole Winner:Mark Martin 2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
The Storylines
25 races and 9,706 miles of racing in 2009 boils down to a 400-lap shootout Saturday night that will make the season for the 12 guys who secure a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. And for the guys that don't, well, just consider it to be the wrong end of a make-or-break scenario.
Four drivers have clinched an entry prior to the green flag, while 8 spots and 11 eligible drivers will steal the show Saturday night in Richmond. A scramble it will be.
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Four guys are in the Chase for the Championship. Ten others are sweating it out.
On to Richmond!
Kasey Kahne greatly improved his chances of making the season-ending Chase with a victory Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, pulling away from Kevin Harvick after a fortunate yellow flag late in the race.
Harvick led most of the race and then passed Earnhardt with two laps left to regain the lead and win the Degree V12 300 Nationwide Series race on Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Harvick and Kyle Busch each went into the pits for gas and four tires with 14 laps remaining. Earnhardt and Brad Keselowski stayed on the track, gambling they had enough gas to finish the race.
Still muddy though was the report that Kevin Harvick had asked for his release from RCR thanks to the driver foregoing comment so far and his spokesman issuing a "no comment" about the situation.
The struggles for Richard Childress Racing don't appear to be going away, and they -- as well as potential sponsorship issues -- might be causing the team's longest-tenured driver to be heading for the exits.
And just to make it a little more juicy, Harvick has reportedly been in discussions with Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing to race a third car for the team in 2010.
We're still a few months away from learning who the first five inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be, giving us a little time to banter back and forth about who should be in that critical first class.
I'm curious to see how everything plays out with the criteria for induction. With three premier but separate series – the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – how do you arrive at the finalists given the dominant success several drivers have enjoyed across the three different divisions?
It's that time of year again. Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway officially kicks off the "Race to the Chase," the 10-race stretch for a shot at the championship.
While there have been several surprises in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year, one of the biggest shocks as we close in on the Chase for the Sprint Cup is the absence of a clear-cut favorite for the championship. Last year's dominant teams at this time of the season were the 99 and 18, and the 24 and 48 in 2007, but we really don't have one in 2009, which bodes well for the sport.
Somewhat coherent Notes & Quotes to wrap up NASCAR's first trip to Michigan in 2009:
What will NASCAR learn from Pardo's brutal crash and tragic death?
The death of NASCAR Mexico driver and champion Carlos Pardo in a horrific crash during the final laps of a race on Sunday is certainly tragic. However, the fact that his car was able to make such violent contact with the end of a temporary wall is just as shocking.
Let's hope NASCAR makes sure such an angle of impact can never happen again.
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears gave all the right answers in deferring to the boss' orders, but clearly neither driver was exactly overjoyed by Richard Childress' decision this week to swap their two crews.
"Everybody's positive about it,'' Harvick said, walking quickly to his team trailer after NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.
"When you own the company you have to make the decisions you think are right.''
Richard Childress wore the expression of someone who's learned to operate "in the big picture" as he calmly, thoughtfully answered the tough questions about how his mighty racing organization has endured the struggles and frustration of a winless 2009 season.
Race: Chevy Rock & Roll 400
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Four guys are in the Chase for the Championship. Ten others are sweating it out.
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- 
The story that will keep us talking until next weekend's NASCAR 
The struggles for 
Somewhat coherent Notes & Quotes to wrap up NASCAR's first trip to Michigan in 2009:
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- 
