Story lines: Richmond
Is it panic time for Richard Childress Racing?
A year ago, RCR placed all three of its cars in the top 11 at Richmond International Raceway, including a trip to victory lane for Clint Bowyer. But heading into Saturday night's Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400 – say that 10 times fast – the entire organization is reeling.
After a lightning quick start, Bowyer has gone cold. In the last three races, he's finished 22nd, 26th and 39th and, in the process, dropped from third in the standings to eighth.
And right now, he's the high-water mark for RCR.
Kevin Harvick, who finished a strong fourth in last year's standings and entered this season as a legit championship contender, sits 20th in the standings and has a long climb back just to make the Chase.
Casey Mears, the journeymen driver who Richard Childress picked to man a fourth car this season, has yet to crack the top 10 in nine races.
Feeling a need to make something happen sooner than later, Childress is making a move this weekend, swapping crews between Harvick and Mears.
Will it shake things up?
Maybe a little, but probably not enough to turn Harvick – and he is what this move is all about – into a contender again. RCR's issue starts under the hood, not in what valve spring to use.
Prior to the season, everyone at RCR was anxious to see if the work they'd done in the offseason would give them what they needed to contend for wins. Nine races in, it appears they still have more work to do.
Here are five other story lines to look for in Saturday night's race at Richmond:
1. Is the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-Kyle Busch feud over?
Maybe not.
When asked if he's over the incident a year ago at Richmond, Earnhardt said he is and thinks Busch is, too. But when asked if he thinks Busch races him any differently than other drivers, Earnhardt said, "He doesn't like a Hendrick race car and everybody knows what he says on the radio every time he gets around us and all the things he says. He just doesn't have a good perception of any one of us and I guess me."
Whether or not something occurs Saturday night – and the guess here is nothing will, especially considering Earnhardt is on probation after the post-race incident at Phoenix with Mears. – blood pressures will rise every time the 88 and the 18 get together.
2. Will Ryan Newman's charge continue?
Lost in the Carl Edwards' tour-de-flight at Talladega was Newman's third-place finish. For Newman, it was a huge deal because it marked his first top five in over a year.
For good reason, expectations were low for Newman heading into 2009. After winning the Daytona 500 in '08, he collected just one more top-five finish the rest of the season, didn't crack the top 10 in the final three months, then departed Penske Racing for the upstart Stewart-Haas Racing.
But after a rough start, Newman has found a groove that has him knocking on the door of the top 12 and, yes, a spot in this year's Chase.
It's a remarkable turnaround, and a top-five finish at Richmond – Newman is extremely happy with his car – would be a huge lift for a team that could still use some positive reinforcement.
3. Could we have back-to-back first-time winners?
Brad Keselowski's win at Talladega came out of nowhere. It wouldn't be nearly as big a surprise if David Reutimann were to win this weekend.
Reutimann led a race-high 104 laps the last time the Sprint Cup Series visited Richmond, a race in which he wound up ninth.
Two weeks ago, Reutimann took eighth at Phoenix, a short, flat-track somewhat similar to Richmond.
He'll start ninth Saturday.
4. Will Jeff Gordon's back act up?
Prior to the season, the four-time champ alluded to having back problems. They haven't gotten any better.
Gordon continues to reveal bits of information about his condition, but the one thing he hasn't said is that it's getting better.
He underwent an MRI earlier this week that revealed signs of arthritis. Gordon, who will start second in Saturday's race, said that when he knows more he'll "let [the media] know."
"This will be a tough weekend because of the g-forces and the braking that you use here and the long runs that you have here," he said. "It will be tough on my back. We'll just have to fight through it."
5. Remembering David Poole: Normally, journalists come and go without much fanfare either way. Not David Poole.
Saturday night, a host of teams will sport decals on their cars honoring Poole, the longtime Charlotte Observer reporter who died Tuesday of a heart attack. He was 50.
All four Hendrick Motorsports cars will have a Carolina blue decal (in honor of his alma mater) with the initials DCP. Stewart-Hass Racing, Penske Racing, RCR and Roush-Fenway Racing will also have decals in memory of Poole.
