Richard Childress Racing will run a fourth car in the 2010 Daytona 500, the #07 Chevy that finished 21st in the 2009 Cup owners' standings with driver Casey Mears, a team spokesman said on Wednesday. But beyond that, the car's schedule will be determined by sponsorship, the lack of which put Mears on the job market at the end of 2009. Mears will drive the car at Daytona, where it's a guaranteed starter in the lucrative season opener, "unless he gets another full-time ride," the RCR source said. If Mears isn't available, another driver would be selected. The car's crew chief is also to be determined after Doug Randolph, who was Mears' crew chief at the end of the season, this week began working as Bobby Labonte's chief mechanic at TRG Motorsports. The source said that RCR is in "serious talks with a number of potential sponsors and we're still aiming towards fielding that car full-time in 2010." With sponsor Jack Daniel's having left Richard Childress Racing at the end of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, a small number of layoffs have begun at the team's Welcome, N.C., shops. A team representative said that "fewer than a dozen" employees had been let go this week in advance of the #07 possibly being shut down for 2010. That decision has not been made yet, with team owner Richard Childress previously saying that he could wait as long as mid-January before making a definitive commitment on the team's plans for next season. As it stands now, the team has decided nothing for certain beyond entering the Daytona 500 next February. Also up in the air is the question of who will drive the car, if it does find sponsorship. Casey Mears was the pilot of the #07 this season, but was released at the end of the year. If he doesn't find another ride before Daytona, he could be back with the team, according to an RCR source. Mears also has been linked to a possible drive with the #09 Miccosukee Resorts-sponsored entry of Florida team owner James Finch. (SPEEDtv)
RCR plans to run #07 at Daytona
Richard Childress Racing will run a fourth car in the 2010 Daytona 500, the #07 Chevy that finished 21st in the 2009 Cup owners' standings with driver Casey Mears, a team spokesman said on Wednesday. But beyond that, the car's schedule will be determined by sponsorship, the lack of which put Mears on the job market at the end of 2009. Mears will drive the car at Daytona, where it's a guaranteed starter in the lucrative season opener, "unless he gets another full-time ride," the RCR source said. If Mears isn't available, another driver would be selected. The car's crew chief is also to be determined after Doug Randolph, who was Mears' crew chief at the end of the season, this week began working as Bobby Labonte's chief mechanic at TRG Motorsports. The source said that RCR is in "serious talks with a number of potential sponsors and we're still aiming towards fielding that car full-time in 2010." With sponsor Jack Daniel's having left Richard Childress Racing at the end of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, a small number of layoffs have begun at the team's Welcome, N.C., shops. A team representative said that "fewer than a dozen" employees had been let go this week in advance of the #07 possibly being shut down for 2010. That decision has not been made yet, with team owner Richard Childress previously saying that he could wait as long as mid-January before making a definitive commitment on the team's plans for next season. As it stands now, the team has decided nothing for certain beyond entering the Daytona 500 next February. Also up in the air is the question of who will drive the car, if it does find sponsorship. Casey Mears was the pilot of the #07 this season, but was released at the end of the year. If he doesn't find another ride before Daytona, he could be back with the team, according to an RCR source. Mears also has been linked to a possible drive with the #09 Miccosukee Resorts-sponsored entry of Florida team owner James Finch. (SPEEDtv)
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