Good to see you here Riggs10fan.
Interesting article from NASCAR.com:
WELCOME, N.C. -- Entering the 2004 Nextel Cup campaign, Richard Childress Racing is composed of three units, each carrying distinctly different team dynamics.
One team is a bona fide championship contender, another is surging towards prominence and the third is brand spankin' new.
Kevin Harvick's No. 29 bunch could win the whole shebang in 2004. Robby Gordon has proven his mettle as a NASCAR Top 10 candidate, spending a portion of 2003 among that contingent.
And then there's rookie Johnny Sauter, the third driver of the No. 30 America Online Chevrolet in as many seasons.
But rest assured, by all counts 2004 could be the year RCR re-stakes its claim as NASCAR's premier organization.
It's been a decade since Childress last won a title at NASCAR's highest level, but following Harvick's stellar 2003 campaign and considering Gordon's consistent improvement, they feel poised to make a run at the inaugural Nextel Cup championship.
"We feel really good about our chances," said Harvick of his GM Goodwrench team. "We've only had one change in our staff, so that's really good. That's a big key in our chances for this year. For the most part, when we came this week it just felt like we hadn't missed a beat and we just knew what everybody was doing.
"The cars were ready. Everything was prepared really good. We've got a good plan and hopefully we can get off to a better start than we had last year. I think that's going to be the key to our whole season."
Harvick started 2003 with a fourth-place finish in the Daytona 500, but had just one top-15 in the next four events. After five races he was 18th in the standings.
That quickly changed. By race nine, he was sixth. He won race 21, the coveted Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, and followed that up with three runner-up finishes in the next four events.
Following a fourth-place finish at Dover seven races later, Harvick jumped to second in the point standings, but three finishes of 15th or worse over the final four races dropped him to fifth overall.
"All in all, last year was a great year," Harvick said. "We just have to take that next little step. We don't have to take any more big steps."
Speaking of big steps, Harvick feels as if he has a distinct advantage over at least two championship contenders entering the year:
He's already married.
"Well, Ryan (Newman) and Jimmie (Johnson) are getting married, so that should handicap them a little bit," laughed Harvick. "No, I'm just kidding.
"But I think Ryan and Jimmie are probably two of the candidates (for the title), and obviously Jeff Gordon. I think there is just a handful of people you can name every year for the most part."
Crew chief Todd Berrier returns to direct the Goodwrench team. Berrier directed Harvick's ACDelco Busch Series team to a top-five in 2000, then to the championship in 2001 and a career-best finish at NASCAR's elite tier last season.
The lone alteration to the 29 team is the front tire carrier, marking the first time in three years that Harvick's team has essentially remained intact.
"In the years past, the seasons have ended in a little bit of turmoil, just as far as personnel or things surrounding the race team," Harvick said. "And we've always had change in the winter. Then you have to spend the first part of the year getting used to different situations.
"And then you have rules changes. At the beginning of last year, we got off a little bit with our cars and motors. We got it all turned around really quick. It's a huge credit to or organization that we could turn it around that much, but we just gave up a lot of ground in the beginning.
"With the group that we have now, I don't think we're going to give that up right off the bat. It's just like being here every day of the last 10 years. You get into a rhythm and know what to expect. I think everybody on the whole team knows what to expect for the most part."
Expect continued improvement from Robby Gordon in 2004. Gordon enjoyed a career year in 2003, finishing a career best 16th in the standings after sweeping both road course events.
Whereas Harvick's team remains virtually intact from a year ago, Gordon's Cingular Wireless bunch includes many new faces. Gordon will work with a new crew chief in 2004, former RCR team engineer Chris Andrews, but that's not to say it's a new relationship. Andrews has worked with Gordon's team for the past year and a half, and they've known one another for nearly a decade.
"I look forward to seeing what Chris has up his sleeve and to getting everything underway," Gordon said. "Change is always good and it seemed to work well for everyone in 2002, so hopefully it will do the same for us next year. Change is what makes the world go round, so hopefully it will make us go around the track a little faster."
The majority last season's No. 30 crew will join Andrews and Gordon on the No. 31 team this year to pit the car.
"Robby got used to working with an engineer instead of a crew chief from his days of driving Indy Cars so this will be nothing new to him," said team owner Richard Childress.
Speaking of newness, the America Online Chevrolet has a new driver in Sauter. Sauter, who has competed for RCR in the Busch Series since 2002, will lean on veteran crew chief Kevin Hamlin to help improve a team that hasn't yet lived up to expectations.
Sauter already produced a bright spot for the team during NASCAR Preseason Thunder, when he posted the fastest speeding during drafting practice.
"I was able to get some drafting practice in during the test and found out the Cup cars will suck up to the car in front of you much better than the Busch cars," Sauter said. "The AOL Chevrolet was strong in the draft during testing in Daytona, but we are looking for more speed for the qualifying run."
"Because of where the 30 car finished in points, we need to make sure we have a good qualifying speed that Johnny can fall back on if there is any trouble in the 125's," added Hamlin. "We need to make sure we give Johnny a strong enough car that gives him the confidence to run well in the draft.
"If we have a car strong enough to lead the draft, he needs to learn how to do that, in addition to being able to hold onto the back of the draft since that can be important in the 125's."
but Football season is over 
