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RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress. The team currently fields the #27 Menards Chevrolet for Paul Menard, the #29 Budweiser/Rheem/Jimmy John's Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick, and the #31 Caterpillar Inc./General Mills/BB&T Chevrolet for Jeff Burton in the Sprint Cup Series. Childress is also listed as owner of the #33, which he sold in April 2012 to Virginia car dealer and former NASCAR team owner Joe Falk. In the Nationwide Series, the team fields the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Elliott Sadler, the #3 AdvoCare/Bass Pro Shops/American Ethanol Chevrolet for Austin Dillon, and the #33 Rheem/Menards/South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa Chevrolet for various drivers. In the Truck Series, the team fields the #2 Applebee's/South Point/Tide Chevrolet Silverado for Tim George, Jr.,Gaughan, and Harvick, the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado for Ty Dillon and the #22 Rip It Chevrolet Silverado for Joey Coulter in the. RCR also runs developmental drivers in the ARCA Racing Series, fielding the #31 Chevrolet for Tim George, Jr.. RCR has fielded cars for notables such as Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, and Neil Bonnett. RCR has had at least one car in every Cup race since late 1972, the longest such active streak.

Sprint Cup Series[link]

Car #27 history[link]

What eventually became the #27 car at RCR was formed in 2001 as the #30 America Online Chevrolet. Childress originally planned to have Kevin Harvick drive this car on a limited basis during that season as part of a transition from the Busch Series to Winston Cup for 2002, but after Dale Earnhardt's death Harvick was moved into RCR's primary car and 2000 Busch Series champion Jeff Green was selected to drive the car in his place. The team debuted at the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at California Speedway, with Green finishing 21st. The team qualified for six more races that season, with Green earning a pole at the Sharpie 500 at Bristol in August, and went full-time the next season as scheduled with Green behind the wheel.

Green posted six top-tens in the 2002 season, including a career best second at Loudon in July and finished seventeenth in points. Although the team started 2003 with a Daytona 500 pole, Green and the team failed to jell as Childress had hoped and later that season, in what amounted to a trade between organizations, Green was replaced by the former driver of the #1 car at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Steve Park (Green took Park's ride at DEI following his firing). In 2004, Childress promoted Johnny Sauter to the ride, hoping he would work like Harvick. Sauter was released just 13 races into the season. After that, Dave Blaney drove the car, only skipping Infineon Raceway when Jim Inglebright took the wheel. A couple of weeks after it was announced Blaney would be in the car for rest of the year, Jeff Burton became available, and Childress knew he was too good to pass up, leaving Blaney out in the cold. Burton drove the car for the rest of the year, and when Robby Gordon left to start his own team, Burton moved to the 31. With AOL leaving as sponsor, Childress had two voids left to fill. He decided to rehire Blaney, and signed Jack Daniel's to sponsor the car, marking one of the first hard liquor sponsorships in NASCAR's history. The team also changed its number to 07 to commemorate JD's slogan "Ol' No. 7". Blaney posted just 2 top ten finishes during 2005, finishing 26th in the standings. As a result, Blaney moved to Bill Davis Racing in 2006. The following year, rookie Clint Bowyer was placed in the #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet for RCR. Bowyer not only put the 07 solidly in the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, but also took the first win for this team at the Sylvania 300 at Loudon. Clint finished third in the final standings in 2007. In 2008 Clint got his second win at Richmond at the Richmond. On August 23, 2008, former Hendrick Motorsports driver Casey Mears was signed to drive the 07 in 2009, with Bowyer moving to the fourth RCR car, the #33. Mears struggled in the new ride, however, and had to take on three crew chiefs during the season. More troubling was the fact that Jack Daniel's announced in 2009 that they would be leaving RCR at the end of the year, leaving the 07 without a sponsor. Childress decided to release Mears at the end of the year and sell the 07's owners points to Furniture Row Racing.

The fourth team's car was revived for the 2011 season, as Paul Menard was signed by RCR on August 11, 2010 after he decided to leave the struggling Richard Petty Motorsports. The car was re-numbered to 27, and former TRG Motorsports partner Tom Pumpelly was listed as the owner of the #27 and the #35th place owner's points were given to Menard. Menard won the Brickyard 400 presented by BigMachineRecords.com at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 31, 2011. Menard spent most of the season flirting with the top 12 in points, but ultimately missed the Chase despite his victory. Menard and the 27 team would end up finishing 17th in points.

Car #29 history[link]

Kevin Harvick driving the 29 car on pit road because of a flat tire.

RCR debuted at the 1969 Talladega 500 as a 1968 Chevy numbered 13. Childress himself drove the car, finishing 23rd after suffering axle problems. In 1972, the team came back to run fourteen races with Childress driving again, but didn't go fulltime until 1976 when he would begin using the #3. Childress earned eleven top-10 finishes and finished eleventh in points that year. Over the next few years, he posted many top-10s and twice was among the highest top 10 points earners, but he never was in serious contention to win. In 1981, he decided to end his career before the season ended, and handed his #3 ride to the defending Winston Cup champion, Dale Earnhardt, who brought his Wrangler sponsorship with him.

After posting six-top tens, Earnhardt left to drive for Bud Moore, and Ricky Rudd took his place for the 1982 season, with Piedmont Airlines becoming the sponsor. Rudd drove the car for both 1982 and 1983 finishing 9th in points both years, and winning twice the latter. But after the season was over, Rudd was replaced by none other than Earnhardt himself, with Wrangler back as sponsor (in perhaps an odd twist of fate, Rudd moved to Earnhardt's old ride, the #15 Bud Moore Engineering Wrangler-sponsored Ford Thunderbird, which actually kept its sponsorship despite Earnhardt leaving). This time, Earnhardt was back for good, winning six championships over the next two decades, with crew chiefs Kirk Shelmerdine and Andy Petree, and Goodwrench replacing Wrangler as sponsor after 1987. During the latter part of the 90's Earnhardt's performance began to slow down, and went through 1997 without a single victory. In 1998, he won the Daytona 500 after 20 starts, all ending in losses. The next year, he was able to capture wins at Talladega, as well as cause more controversy, after he spun Terry Labonte to win on the last lap at Bristol Motor Speedway. In 2000, he looked like he was finally regaining his old form, winning twice and finishing runner-up to Bobby Labonte in points, and his many fans hoped he was gearing up for his record-breaking eighth championship. Sadly, this was not to be. On February 18, 2001, on the last lap of the Daytona 500, Earnhardt was tagged from behind and crashed head-on into the turn 4 wall. He did not survive and was pronounced dead at 5:16 pm. NASCAR was numb with grief. Deciding to carry on, Childress changed the number of the car to 29, changed the paint scheme from black to white, and chose his Busch Series driver Kevin Harvick to drive the car.

After three races Harvick beat out Jeff Gordon by mere inches to win the Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, dedicating the win to Earnhardt. After posting another win at Chicagoland Speedway, Harvick won NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors. In 2002, Harvick's infamous temper escalated after announcing on his radio he would intentionally wreck another racer during a Craftsman Truck race. In response, NASCAR benched Harvick for the next race, and was replaced during that time by Kenny Wallace. Since then, Harvick has won eight races, including the prestigious Brickyard 400 and Daytona 500 while scoring a (at the time) career-best points effort of 4th in both 2006 and 2008. Despite a win early in the season, back-to-back seasons of missing "The Chase for the Nextel Cup" with 14th-place efforts proved to be frustrating, as Harvick threatened to leave the team if performance did not improve. A series of strong runs near the end of 2005 seemed to satisfy him, however, and he was back in the car in 2006 with Reese's as a new co-primary sponsor. After a somewhat slow start, Harvick hit his stride in April, with a string of Top 10 finishes, including a win at Phoenix. He eventually made the chase and led the standings for the first time in the first week of the chase. This helped RCR to be a dominant force in NASCAR again. After weeks of speculation as to where Kevin would drive starting in 2007, he and RCR announced a new three-year deal, with Kevin driving for Childress until 2009.

For 2007 the team had a significant change in sponsorship. GM Goodwrench would become an associate sponsor on the #29, while Shell Oil Company and Pennzoil took over primary sponsorship. Harvick's 2007 season started out on a high note with a win in the 2007 Daytona 500 in a close finish with veteran Mark Martin. Harvick would score another win at the All Star, holding off Jimmie Johnson. Harvick entered a slump during the summer, and was involved in a trackside altercation with Juan Pablo Montoya. However, Harvick and his team held off a struggling Dale Earnhardt Jr. to make the Chase for the Cup. Harvick's Chase performance would not be a repeat of 2006, and he would finish 10th in the points. Harvick won the 2009 Budweiser Shootout and finished second in the Daytona 500.

After not making the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup, it was expected that Harvick would leave RCR after his contract ends at the conclusion of the 2010 season. However, after a strong start to the 2010 season, Harvick signed a multi-year extension to his RCR contract in May, 2010. Harvick went on to finish 3rd in points for the 2010 season, the highest finish of his career. The team's sponsor, Shell Oil Company and Pennzoil, left after the 2010 season and joined Penske Racing. Budweiser replaced it as the car's primary sponsor beginning in the 2011 season. Harvick and the 29 team recorded three wins early in the year at Fontana, Martinsville, and Charlotte. The team's consistency kept them near the top of the standings, and they recorded a fourth win at the 26th race in Richmond. Despite the team's Chase performance being inconsistent, Harvick would finish third in points for the second year in a row. For 2012, Harvick will be reunited with Shane Wilson as his crew chief.

Car #31 history[link]

Jeff Burton in the #31 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

For over a decade, car #31 was Childress's R&D car. It debuted in 1988 at the fall event at North Carolina Speedway, as #22 and Rodney Combs driving, finishing dead last. Ironically, when Bill Elliott's backup car failed during practice for the pit crew championship, Elliott drove that backup car for his #9 team to do the competition pit stop. The car wasn't seen again until 1993, as #31 and Earnhardt's longtime friend Neil Bonnett driving at Talladega Superspeedway. In this race, Bonnett, already on a comeback, was involved in a horrifying accident, but made it out okay. After driving another race that year for RCR, Bonnett died testing Phoenix Racing's #51 Country Time Lemonade car for the 1994 Daytona 500.

In 1996, the car returned with defending Craftsman Truck Series champion Mike Skinner driving with Realtree sponsoring the car in four of the five races it ran. Skinner had three-top starts that year, including one on the outside pole. The team finally ran full-time in 1997, with Skinner driving and Lowe's as the sponsor. Skinner won the pole position for both of the races at Daytona, and defeated what has turned out to be a very scant field of drivers for rookie of the year. He suffered some injuries in 1998, and Morgan Shepherd and Childress' son-in-law Mike Dillon filled in for him. Teamed with crew chief Larry McReynolds, 1999 was his best season ever, winning the pole position twice, and finished tenth in points after being the championship leader at one point earlier in the year. However, Skinner was never able to win a points-paying race, although he won two exhibition races in Japan, at Suzuka and Twin Ring Motegi, respectively, as well as some other non-point events. In 2001, he suffered injuries in the opening laps at the inaugural race at Chicagoland. Robby Gordon filled in for him, and struggled heavily, failing to post any top-10 finishes. Skinner returned at Bristol, but he just wasn't the same, and Gordon took his place for him. Late in 2001, it was announced Gordon would drive the car the next year, to the puzzlement of many. Gordon was engaged in a closing-laps battle later in the year with Jeff Gordon to win the season finale at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Armed with a big surge of momentum and a new sponsor in Cingular Wireless had five top-ten finishes and finished 20th in points the following year. 2003 was even better, as he swept both road course events and improved four spots in points. After his performance dipped down in 2004, Gordon decided to leave and start his own team, the #7 with Robby Gordon Motorsports, and Jeff Burton was tabbed as his replacement. Burton had 3 top 5 and 6 top 10 finishes in 2005, finishing 18th in points.

In 2006, Burton finished seventh in the 2006 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. He also won four poles and got his first win in 175 races at Dover. Because of the merger of AT&T and BellSouth the Cingular brand was eliminated. It's sponsorship for the 31 car ended in 2008 due to this and the prohibition of cellular phone sponsors in Sprint Cup. The change of names would constitute a new sponsorship. In June 2008, Caterpillar Inc. announced that it would leave the #22 Bill Davis Racing Toyota to sponsor the #31 starting in 2009.

Car #33 history[link]

What is now the #33 car started as the #90 car in 2003. RCR entered the #90 Chevrolet at the fall Talladega race with John Andretti driving. The car was sponsored by AOL 9.0, and the car was numbered 90 for marketing purposes. In 2004, it was announced that Kerry Earnhardt would drive a #33 Richard Childress Racing Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in 5 NASCAR Nextel Cup events in 2004. Mike Skinner would run the first race in the car at the Daytona 500, finishing 22nd. Kerry Earnhardt drove the car in the other three restrictor plate races with Bass Pro Shops sponsoring, his best finish being 24th. Earnhardt attempted all of the restrictor plate races again in 2005, finishing 17th at Talladega. In addition, road course ringer Brian Simo brought home a 10th-place finish at Infineon Raceway. Clint Bowyer, Childress' Busch Series driver in the Busch Series, made his Nextel Cup debut in this car with Sylvania sponsorship at Phoenix in April 2005.

On May 2, 2008, The team attempted and failed to qualify for the 2008 Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond, with Nationwide Series Driver Scott Wimmer on board, and the Holiday Inn Sponsorship. RCR expanded to 4 full time Sprint Cup teams in 2009 with sponsorship from General Mills' Cheerios and Hamburger Helper brands on the #33 Chevrolet. ESPN has reported that Bobby Labonte who was rumored to be moving to RCR after the 2008 season has agreed to a contract extension with Petty Enterprises. On August 23, 2008, RCR driver Clint Bowyer was announced as the driver of the #33 General Mills Chevrolet Impala SS for the 2009 season. Casey Mears took over Bowyer's previous car, the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Impala SS. In his first race in the car, Bowyer finished fourth in the 2009 Daytona 500.The Hartford was a sponsor of the #33 during 2010. In 2011, the team struggled with consistency and failed to make the Chase. With the departure of Clint Bowyer to Michael Waltrip Racing, General Mills moved its sponsorship over to the 31 team and the 33 was essentially shut down. The 33 returned for a brief season, running the Daytona 500 with Elliott Sadler; Brendan Gaughan drove the next four races and Elliott's brother Hermie drove at Martinsville.

Prior to the April Martinsville race, Childress announced that he sold the #33 to Joe Falk, a Virginia car dealer who ran Cup Series teams LJ Racing from 1997 to 2000 and a part-time team in 2011. Falk took over the #33 team and housed it at the Hilman Racing shop. The team will become a driver development team. Falk ran Tony Raines at Texas and planned to use a number of other drivers, including Childress' grandson Austin Dillon and the Sadler brothers. The team was later renamed CircleSport Racing with Stephen Leicht declaring eligibility before the Coca-Cola 600 to compete for Rookie of the Year honors.

Nationwide Series[link]

Car #2 history[link]

RCR has fielded this entry in the Nationwide Series since the fall North Carolina Speedway race in 1999, moving the entire team from the Craftsman Truck Series. Kevin Harvick was the first driver of the #2 AC Delco Chevy, winning three races and winning Rookie of the Year, despite missing the spring race at North Carolina Speedway. He went on to win the championship in the Busch Series in 2001 while running full time in Winston Cup as well. In 2002, rookie driver Johnny Sauter won at Chicagoland, and finished 14th in points. The next year, Ron Hornaday drove the car full-time, winning once and posting a third place finish in points. Hornaday followed up that performance with another win and a drop to 4th in points the following year. In 2005, Clint Bowyer took the reins, in a program headed up by veteran crew chief Gil Martin, winning at Nashville Speedway and Memphis Motorsports Park, finishing second in points. Bowyer was back in the #2 car in 2006 with crew chief Dan Deeringhoff, while Martin moved up to run the 07 Jack Daniels program. Bowyer ran the full Nextel Cup schedule for RCR in the #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet, also running the full BGN season with the #2 car where he finished 3rd in points. 2006 was the final year for AC Delco, as the 2007 sponsor for the #2 will be BB&T. Bowyer will run about 17 races in the #2 for the 2007 season and he will run full-time in 2008 season. Kenny Wallace drove for the team in a one-race deal at Gateway International Raceway, sponsored by sandwich chain Jimmy John's. In 2008, Bowyer won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Drivers Championship. In 2009 this car ran a partial schedule Sean Caisse and Austin Dillon sharing the ride. The team shut down in 2009. In 2012, the #2 will return to RCR after Kevin Harvick sold his team to Childress in late 2011. Elliott Sadler will be the driver with OneMain Financial sponsoring.

Car #3 history[link]

The #3 is a new team for 2012. It will be driven by Austin Dillon and sponsored by AdvoCare, Bass Pro Shops and American Ethanol.

Car #21 history[link]

The #21 debuted in 2000, with Rockwell Automation as the sponsor and Childress' son-in-law Mike Dillon driving. Dillon posted two top 10 finishes and finished 23rd in points that year. Six races into 2001, Dillon was injured at Bristol Motor Speedway, and it was announced at the time he would be out for the rest of the year. Since then, he has taken on other roles with the team. His replacement was Mike Skinner, but after his injury, Jeff Purvis took over briefly, winning at Pikes Peak, before Skinner returned. After Skinner's release, Robby Gordon had the driving duties for the balance of the season. The next year, Jeff Green and Jay Sauter drove the car. In 2003, Childress decided to try to win the Busch Series' owner's championship with the #21, which would have been a first in the history of the series. Hershey Foods became the team's sponsor through its PayDay candy bar brand. Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter were tabbed to split the ride, with Harvick making as many starts as he could and Sauter picking up the remaining races. Childress' gamble paid off, as the #21 won the series owner's championship behind three wins from Harvick. Harvick has been the anchor driver ever since, with Clint Bowyer doing the co-driving honors in 2004 and Brandon Miller in 2005 and sponsorship from Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Jeff Burton drove the car at Bristol in 2005. In 2006, Harvick and Jeff Burton split the driving duties in the car with United States Coast Guard sponsorship as Harvick attempted to run the entire Busch Series schedule in three different cars. Burton won at Atlanta, and Harvick won three more races, pulling out to an over 700-point lead in the points standings with 5 races to go in the 2006 season. AutoZone replaced the Coast Guard sponsorship in 2007, and Harvick drove along with development driver Timothy Peters, until Peters was replaced by Sprint car driver Tim McCreadie. Beginning in 2008 Bobby Labonte was to drive the 21 car for 15 races of the season.^[1] In May 2008, the team shut down due to financial problems but returned at the Emerson Radio 250 to debut Austin Dillon, son of former driver Mike Dillon and grandson to Richard Childress.

In 2010 RCR hired John Wes Townley as driver of car #21, with Zaxby's as sponsor. On April 9 John Wes Townley was pulled from the #21 car after a practice crash at Phoenix. RCR said it was for precationary reasons, but Townley later returned to RAB Racing. Clint Bowyer took over driving duties at Phoenix. Scott Riggs drove at Nashville and Kentucky in June. After the July Daytona race, Morgan Shepherd stepped behind the wheel for several weeks, taking a break for Bristol to handle his own car for Faith Motorsports, which didn't make the field. RCR and Shepherd formed Shepherd Racing Ventures on August 31 to keep the #21 running the rest of the year. Bowyer drove with Zaxby's sponsorship at Atlanta, Richmond, Charlotte, and Texas while Shepherd ran an unsponsored #21 car, the other 7 races. Shepherd returned to his Faith Motorsports operation full time and RCR shut this team down. RCR later transferred the #21 owners points to Shepherd. In 2011, RCR briefly restarted its Nationwide program, running a few races with development driver Tim George, Jr. and sponsorship from Applebees.

Car #29 history[link]

The #29 car in 2007.

The 29 car was first run by Johnny Sauter in 2003 at Homestead-Miami Speedway as a thank you from Richard Childress for Sauter's help in winning the 2003 owners' championship.

The 29 car appeared in 2005 at Bristol Motor Speedway as part of a promotion for Reese's Chocolate and Peanut Butter Lovers Cups. The promotion involved the 29 painted as the Chocolate Lovers car and the 21 painted as the Peanut Butter Lovers car. The plan was for Jeff Burton to drive the 29 while Kevin Harvick would drive the 21. Qualifying was rained out, so the entries were switched to assure that both cars would make the field (Harvick was a past champion and the #29 was not locked in). Burton drove the 21 while Harvick drove the 29. Harvick won the race in this car with Burton finishing second in the 21. Later in the season, Mayflower Transit sponsored this car in at least one race run by Jeff Burton.

On March 17, 2006, Holiday Inn announced its sponsorship of the 29 for ten races with Burton returning as its driver. The new car made its 2006 debut at Richmond. Burton finished in the top ten all four times the car raced in 2006, including a win at Dover in June.

In 2007, the #29 went full-time and, like the #21 several years before, Childress set out to win the owners' championship for a second time without a full-time driver. Burton and Scott Wimmer, who had just lost a Sprint Cup Series ride due to lack of sponsorship, shared the #29 with Holiday Inn sponsoring. Burton won five times and Wimmer put together several strong finishes in his time in the car, and Childress had his second Busch Series owners' championship in which no full-time driver raced for the team.

Wimmer left the team following the 2008 season. After one additional season with Burton, Clint Bowyer, and Stephen Leicht driving, RCR shut down the team after Holiday Inn pulled its sponsorship.^[2]

Car #33 History[link]

For 2012, the #33 car was transferred to RCR to run for the owners championship. 2011 champion Tony Stewart drove the #33 with sponsorship from Nabisco's Oreo and Ritz brands at the season opener in Daytona, Harvick will run 15 races with South Point, Pinnacle Foods, Hunt Brothers Pizza and AdvancePierre Foods sponsoring, Brendan Gaughan will join the team for 10 races with South Point sponsoring, Menard will drive for 7 races, and Max Papis will drive at Road America.

Camping World Truck Series[link]

Truck #2 History[link]

For 2012, RCR takes over the #2 truck of KHI that won the Owners Championship in 2011. The truck will be split by primarily Tim George, Jr. running 12 races with Applebee's sponsoring, Brendan Gaughan for 8 races with South Point, and Harvick will run both Martinsville races and Dover with Tide.

Truck #3 History[link]

In the infant years of the CWTS (then known as the SuperTruck Series), RCR fielded its own truck team, always the #3 Goodwrench Chevy. Mike Skinner drove the truck the initial two years, winning the series first championship in 1995 along with 16 races. After he left, Jay Sauter hopped on board, winning four times and finishing in the top 10 in points all three years. He was the last driver to win for RCR in the Camping World Truck Series, until July 11, 2010 when Childress's grandson, Austin Dillon, won the Lucas Oil 200 at Iowa Speedway. After 1999, Childress moved the program up to the NASCAR Busch Series.

The truck team returned during the 2009 season as the #3 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Childress's grandson, Austin Dillon for the inaugural race at Iowa Speedway. Dillon would start 9th and finish 12th despite an early spin.

In 2010, Dillon drove the #3 truck full-time sponsored by Bass Pro Shops. Austin won an impressive 5 poles, 2 wins (Iowa and Vegas), and had 15 top tens en route to a 5th place finish in the championship and the 2010 ROTY award. Dillon will return for 2011.

In 2011, Dillon drove the #3 truck to two wins at Nashville and Chicago, winning the championship over Johnny Sauter. After winning the Truck Series championship, Austin moved up to the Nationwide Series, passing down the #3 truck to his brother Ty Dillon for 2012.

Truck #22 History[link]

Childress' second truck entry debuted in 2011 with Joey Coulter behind the wheel. Coulter stayed consistent throughout the year, having the least DNF's among all other rookies. Coulter would eventually prevail over Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Parker Kligerman to win Rookie of the Year

Development[link]

For 2011, Richard Childress Racing fielded the #31 Chevrolet for Tim George Jr. and the #41 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon. Ty is the younger brother of Austin Dillon and one of Richard's grandchildren.^{[citation needed]} Ty won the ARCA championship in 2011 while George finished top 10 in points with a win at Pocono.

Controversy[link]

Following the 2007 Daytona 500 win, Harvick's winning car infuriated NASCAR fuel supplier Sunoco. The car's large Shell logos on the car and team uniforms violated NASCAR's ban on fuel sponsorships, in the opinion of Sunoco, which has exclusive fuel rights. The Shell logo has since shrunk on the car, while the Shell name remains on the side of the car and its Pennzoil brand appears more.

The 31 car without AT&T logos.

AT&T has repeatedly requested that NASCAR allow them to advertise the AT&T Mobility brand on the #31 car, but NASCAR refuses to allow it, citing the Sprint Nextel contract. After trying and failing to get NASCAR to approve the addition of the globe logo to the rear of the car, AT&T filed a lawsuit against NASCAR on March 16, 2007.^[3][4] On May 18, a federal judge ruled that AT&T should be allowed to replace the Cingular logos with AT&T logos, and said that AT&T was likely to win the lawsuit.^[5] The AT&T logo ran on the #31 at the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup All-Star Challenge on May 19 and so far ever since then until NASCAR ordered the sponsorship off before the 2007 Sharpie 500. A settlement before the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 was made where AT&T Mobility could sponsor the car until the end of 2008.

See also[link]

• Childress Vineyards

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website for Richard Childress Racing
• Racing Reference

Richard Childress
Born	(1945-09-21) September 21, 1945 (age 66) Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Awards	1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship car owner 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship car owner 1995 (series' inagural season),2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship truck owner 2011 ARCA Racing Series championship car owner
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
285 race(s) run over 12 year(s)
Best finish	5th - 1975 Winston Cup Series season
First race	1969 Talladega 500 (Talladega)
Last race	1981 Winston Western 500 (Riverside)
Wins Top tens Poles 76

Richard Childress (born September 21, 1945) is a former NASCAR driver and the current team owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR). As a business entrepreneur, Childress became one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina. A 2003/2004 business venture was the opening of a vineyard in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area located in North Carolina.^[1] Childress was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Driving career[link]

Childress' career in NASCAR's top levels started auspiciously as a drivers' strike at Talladega Superspeedway left NASCAR President William France Sr. looking for replacement drivers. Childress was such a driver, and started his first race as a replacement.

By 1971, Childress began racing on the top level as an independent driver, using the number 96. He changed to number 3 in 1976 as a tribute to Junior Johnson's past as a driver. Although he never won as a driver, he proved to be average behind the wheel registering six top-5, seventy-six top-10 finishes, with a career-best of third in 1978.

Ownership of Richard Childress Racing[link]

Childress working the pits in 1986

He retired from driving in 1981 after Rod Osterlund sold his NASCAR team to J.D. Stacy, and Osterlund's driver, Dale Earnhardt, did not want to drive for Stacy. Childress, with recommendations from R. J. Reynolds Tobacco, chose to retire and put Earnhardt behind the wheel of his #3 car, complete with Wrangler Jeans sponsorship.

That first alliance lasted for the season. Ricky Rudd was hired in 1982 and drove for two years, giving Childress his first career victory in June 1983 at Riverside. Earnhardt returned for the 1984 season, and together with Childress formed one of the most potent combinations in NASCAR history. They won championships in 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994.

In the mid-1990s, Childress began expanding his racing empire, fielding entries in the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series. The team won the 1995 Craftsman Truck Series championship with driver Mike Skinner in the series' first season. He also expanded to a two-car operation in what is now known as the Sprint Cup, with driver Skinner driving the #31. In the first part of the 2000s, he expanded to three cars, with the #30 car driven by Jeff Green.

Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Childress promoted Busch driver Kevin Harvick to drive the renumbered #29. Harvick would win in only his third start, at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

With Harvick having won the Busch Series championship in 2001 and 2006, RCR became the first team in NASCAR history to win all three of NASCAR's national championship series. RCR also won the Busch Series owners championships in 2003 with Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter and in 2007 with Scott Wimmer and Jeff Burton.

Most recently, RCR won the 2008 Nationwide Series Championship with Clint Bowyer piloting the #2.

Personal life[link]

Richard Childress currently resides in one of the largest mansions in northwestern Davidson County, North Carolina. The Richard Childress Racing Museum is located in nearby Welcome, along with numerous racing maintenance shops. The Childress Vineyards winery is located a few miles south of the museum in Lexington at the US 52/US 64 interchange. Childress remains active in his current county of residence, attending fundrasiers and supporting local candidates for office.^{[citation needed]}

Controversy[link]

Childress was involved in a physical altercation with fellow Camping World Truck Series owner and current driver Kyle Busch following the Truck race on June 4, 2011.

Joey Coulter, driver of Childress's #22 Chevrolet Silverado, battled tightly for position with the #18 Toyota Tundra of Kyle Busch. Coulter would eventually hold off Busch, taking the 5th spot in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. Once the race had concluded, Busch purposely bumped into one of Childress's trucks on the cool-down lap.^[2] Childress reportedly approached Busch in the garage area, took off his jewellery (a gold watch) and proceeded to punch Busch in the face. The fight was broken up and insults were exchanged before Childress put Busch in a headlock and hit him again.^[3]

Two days later, NASCAR fined Childress $150,000 and placed him on probation through the end of the year.^[4] Kyle Busch was not fined or disciplined. NASCAR President Mike Helton stated that "[Busch] did nothing that would have warranted the actions of Richard Childress." ^[5]

See also[link]

• Childress Vineyards
• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References[link]

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/7189656/richard-childress-takes-no-3-back-full-time-nationwide

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richard Childress

• Richard Childress owner statistics at Racing Reference (owner)
• Richard Childress at Racing Reference (driver)

Elliott Sadler
Born	(1975-04-30) April 30, 1975 (age 37) Emporia, Virginia, United States
Achievements	1983–1984 Virginia State Karting Championship North Carolina Gold Cup 1991–1992 1995 South Boston Speedway Track Champion
Awards	2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
430 race(s) run over 14 year(s)
Best finish	9th - 2004
First race	1998 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
Last race	2012 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
First win	2001 Food City 500 (Bristol)
Last win	2004 Pop Secret 500 (California)
Wins Top tens Poles 3 69 8
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
175 race(s) run over 15 year(s)
Car no., team	No. 2 (Richard Childress Racing)
2011 position	2nd
Best finish	2nd – 2011
First race	1995 Ford Credit 300 (South Boston)
Last race	2012 History 300 (Charlotte)
First win	1997 Core States Advantage 200 (Nazareth)
Last win	2012 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles 7 71 13
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
20 race(s) run over 5 year(s)
2011 position	87th
Best finish	24th – 2010
First race	2000 Kroger 200 (Richmond)
Last race	2011 Ford 200 (Homestead)
First win	2010 Pocono Mountains 125 (Pocono)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 10 2
Statistics current as of May 26, 2012.

Elliott William Barnes Sadler (born April 30, 1975) is an American stock car racing driver. He currently drives the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series. Sadler was born in Emporia, Virginia, along with his older brother, Hermie Sadler, who is an announcer for Speed Channel.^[1]

1983–1995[link]

Sadler began racing in go-karts at the age of seven, and moved up to the Late Model stock car division at the local race track. His accomplishments include over 200 total wins, the 1983–84 Virginia State Karting Championship, and the North Carolina Gold Cup in 1991–92. He was runner-up in 1989 for the World Karting Association national title.^{[citation needed]}

When he turned 18, he moved to the Winston Racing Series and ran full-time beginning in 1993. That same year, he achieved his first victory. In 1995, he was crowned track champion at South Boston Speedway, winning 13 races including a 6-race winning streak.

Sadler attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia where he had a scholarship to play on the basketball team until he injured his knee, effectively ending his basketball career.

1999–2003[link]

Sadler moved up to the Cup Series full-time in 1999, driving the #21 Citgo Ford Taurus for Wood Brothers Racing. His best finish that year was tenth at Texas Motor Speedway, and he finished 24th in points, runner-up to Tony Stewart for Rookie of the Year honors. He also returned to the Nationwide Series on a part-time basis, filling in for the injured Andy Santerre for Innovative Motorsports, his best finish fifth at California Speedway. He also drove a handful of races for Lyndon Amick. Sadler's only top-ten finish in 2000 was tenth at Bristol, after failing to qualify at Talladega Superspeedway, and he dropped to twenty-ninth in points. He also had a wild flip at Michigan Speedway after cutting a tire in practice.

In 2001, Motorcraft became Sadler's new sponsor and he won his first career Cup race at Bristol. He had another top-ten run and finished 20th in points. After seven top-tens and a drop to 23rd in points in 2002, Sadler left for Robert Yates Racing to drive the #38 M&M's Ford. In his first season of competition with Yates, Sadler won the pole at Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway, and finished 22nd in points. In 2003, Sadler had a vicious crash at Talladega after near-contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and touched the right-front fender of Kurt Busch. Sadler's car flew into the air, flipped twice, landed on his roof, spun towards the banking, and flipped six times. Sadler emerged uninjured.

2004–2007[link]

Sadler started 2004 with a top-10 finish in the Daytona 500,and six races later won at Texas Motor Speedway for his 2nd career win. He stayed in the top-10 in points all season, and won at California Speedway, beating Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin. He made the Chase, and finished a career high ninth in the championship standings. He had another flip at Talladega after he spun out and blew over onto his roof. Sadler was uninjured, and he was even able to drive his car back to the garage.

Sadler failed to win again in 2005, but clinched four poles. He finished 13th in points. He also drove sixteen races for RYR's Busch car, the #90 Citifinancial Taurus, and had three top-five finishes. In 2006, Sadler won the pole at Talladega and finished 22nd in points. He made seven Busch starts, his best finish was second at Richmond. After a lack of results, Sadler left RYR midway through 2006 for Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Before the start of the 2007 Daytona 500, Sadler was among many other drivers caught in a cheating scandal. Despite being docked 25 points, he still went on to score a season best 6th place finish. Sadler had many ups and downs throughout the season. In 2007, Sadler led 62 laps, posted two top-10 finishes and finished 25th in points. Sadler had the longest streak without a DNF than any other driver before failing to finish a race in 2007.

2008–2010[link]

2008 car

For the 2008 season, Sadler received new sponsorship; Best Buy for 15 races, Stanley Works for 13 races, McDonald's for 6 races, and Siemens for 2 races. He struggled in 2008, garnering only 2 top fives, 8 top tens, and 16 top twenties. He had 4 DNFs and 12 finishes of 30th or worse. Sadler led 21 laps in 2008, his fewest since the 2000 season. He ended the year 24th in the Sprint Cup Series standings.

On December 27, 2008, it was reported that A.J. Allmendinger would replace Sadler in the #19 Best Buy Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2009. Elliott threatened a lawsuit for breach of contract; however, the lawsuit was dropped after the GEM – Petty Enterprises merger and he returned to the ride for 2009.

After all of the offseason issues Sadler found himself in the #19 Stanley Tools Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports in the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. In the 2009 Daytona 500 Sadler took the lead on Lap 123 and stayed in the lead for the final stages in the race. On the last green flag lap Sadler got passed by Matt Kenseth and seconds later the caution came out. Kenseth wound up finishing first while Sadler came up in fifth. He ended the year 26th in the Sprint Cup Series standings.

In 2010 Sadler returned to RPM and run the #19 Ford with Stanley Tools sponsorship. During the year however, Sadler announced that he will be leaving the #19 Ford after the 2010 season. He ran a part-time schedule in the Camping World Truck Series in the #2 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Incorporated.^[2] In this ride, Sadler won his first NASCAR race in 6 years at Pocono in the Pocono Mountains 125 in July.

The next day Sadler was involved in a wreck where he hit the inside fence (a blind spot on the track, not well-recorded by video cameras) after being hit from behind by A.J. Allmendinger. Kurt Busch was hit from behind by Jimmie Johnson causing him to spin into Clint Bowyer who received little damage but still finished 12th. The wreck was so horrific it threw the engine away from the car and caused the race to be red flagged for 25 minutes to clean up the wreck. There were several reports by fans that his car flew through the air. With a grimace on his face, he climbed out of the car and laid down on the track. He was taken to the medical facility where he later emerged and gave an interview to on hand media personnel. He said he was fine & was a little sore, but had the breath knocked out of him and had taken "the hardest hit of his career" at Pocono. He was proud of his team back home that had built a safe car and of the pit crew and of all of the hard work they had put into the race thus far. On August 3, Elliott Sadler announced on NASCAR Now that NASCAR told him it was the hardest head-on crash ever recorded in NASCAR history. On November 5, 2010 Elliott Sadler won the pole for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway qualifying at 195.397, the fastest qualifying speed since 1999.

2011–2012[link]

Sadler racing at Road America in 2011

On November 5, 2010. Sadler announced a 2-year deal to drive the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series and also will drive a selected amount of races in the Camping World Truck Series. Sadler took the championship points lead in the Nationwide Series after the eleventh race in the 2011 season. He ended up finishing second in points with 24 top-ten finishes in 34 events.^[3]

Kevin Harvick Inc. closed at the end of the 2011 season; its Nationwide Series teams were absorbed by Richard Childress Racing, and Sadler will drive the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet for RCR during the 2012 Nationwide Series season. In addition, Sadler raced in the 2012 Daytona 500 for RCR in the No. 33 Chevrolet,^[4].

On March 3, 2012, Sadler won the Nationwide Series Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix, his first win since October 31st, 1998 at North Carolina Motor Speedway, a span of 91 races.^[5][6]

Sadler had been announced on March 3 as the third driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 55 Toyota^[7], but the conflict in manufacturers - RCR running Chevrolet while MWR fields Toyotas - stopped the deal.^[8]

On March 17, Sadler won at Bristol, making this the first year since the mid-1990's that the first four NNS races have been won by non-Sprint Cup drivers. It also had Sadler winning two of the first four races of the season.

Personal life[link]

Sadler is heavily involved in the Autism Speaks charity because his niece Halie has the disorder. In 2008, Best Buy (his sponsor) sponsored the Best Buy 400 Benefiting Student Clubs of Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. His car had a custom paint scheme specifically for that race. His hood and helmet were signed and auctioned off following the race, with the proceeds going to Autism Speaks.

He was the cover athlete on EA Sports NASCAR 07 and was also on the special edition NASCAR 09.

Elliott Sadler's wife, Amanda, gave birth to their first child, Wyatt Herman Frittz Sadler on February 15, 2010. They welcomed their second child, daughter Austyn Rose Sadler on November 7, 2011.

References[link]

• Elliott Sadler Bio
• Elliot Sadler going to Evernham Motorsports
• Evernham Motorsports confirms Elliot Sadler as driver at Michigan
• Doug Yates confirms Elliott Sadler is leaving
• Silly Saga: Elliot Sadler going to Evernham
• Allmendinger to replace Sadler in GEM's NO. 19

External links[link]

• Official website
• Elliott Sadler at Racing Reference
• Elliott Sadler at The Coca-Cola Racing Family
• Hermie & Elliott Sadler Foundation for Autism

Jeffrey Brian Burton
Born	(1967-06-29) June 29, 1967 (age 44) South Boston, Virginia, United States
Awards	1994 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
631 race(s) run over 20 year(s)
Car no., team	No. 31 (Richard Childress Racing)
2011 position	20th
Best finish	3rd – 2000
First race	1993 Slick 50 300 (New Hampshire)
Last race	2012 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
First win	1997 Interstate Batteries 500 (Texas)
Last win	2008 Bank of America 500 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles 21 245 6
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
306 race(s) run over 20 year(s)
Best finish	9th – 1992
First race	1988 Miller Classic (Martinsville)
Last race	2009 Ford 300 (Homestead)
First win	1990 Zerex 150 (Martinsville)
Last win	2007 Ford 300 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles 27 153 11
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
4 race(s) run over 1 year(s)
Best finish	42nd – 1996
First race	1996 Lund Look 225 (Topeka)
Last race	1996 Hanes 250 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 3 0
Statistics current as of May 24, 2012.

Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton (born June 29, 1967), also referred to as JB or The Mayor,^[1] is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar/Wheaties Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver. Married to wife Kim, they have two children: Paige and Harrison.

NASCAR career[link]

Early career[link]

Burton began driving a handful of races in the Busch Series in 1988 in car number 69 owned by his father John Burton. He competed in the full season for Busch Series Rookie of the Year in 1989 in the #12 Burton Autosports Pontiac In 1990, he drove the #12 Armour Lower Salt Bacon Buick for Sam Ard, where he won his first career race. He moved to J&J Racing's #99 Armour / Food Lion Chevrolet in 1991 for one year before moving on to FILMAR Racing owned by Filbert Martocci where he would drive an Oldsmobile sponsored by TIC Financial Systems in 1992, and a Ford sponsored by Baby Ruth in 1993. Burton would later make his first Winston Cup start in 1993 in car #0 owned by Martocci.

Sprint Cup Series[link]

1993–1995[link]

Burton ran his first Winston Cup race in 1993 in the #0 TIC Financial Ford Thunderbird for Fil Martocci. 1994 was Burton's rookie year in the Winston Cup Series, driving the #8 Raybestos Ford for Stavola Brothers Racing. After five races, he reached a season-high 14th place in the overall standings, but by the end of the year he dropped to 24th after being disqualified at the Miller Genuine Draft 400 for illegal holes drilled on the roll cage, a safety violation. He had a season-high fourth place finish on the way to earning 1994 NASCAR Rookie of the Year. He was one of a record-high ten rookies eligible for the award that year, besting a class that included future Cup stars Joe Nemechek, Jeremy Mayfield, John Andretti, and older brother Ward. The next year, in 1995, Burton had one top-five, along with a ninth place finish. He also missed three races and finished 32nd in points.

1996–2000: Exide era[link]

1997 racecar

Jeff Burton walks to his car for qualifying at Pocono Raceway 1998

In 1996, Burton left the Stavola Brothers for Roush Racing. Driving the #99 Exide Batteries Ford for his new team, he finished 13th overall in the season standings despite failing to qualify for the Purolator 500 in March as a new team (provisionals in the first four races were based on 1995 points, and Burton's team did not have points from 1995). His career hit a peak from 1997 to 2000, as he never finished lower than 5th in the points standings. He achieved his first career win in 1997, finishing first in the Interstate Batteries 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (the inaugural NASCAR race at TMS), and would go on to win 14 more races during the four-year run. In 1999, Burton won a career-high and series-leading six races, including the Jiffy Lube 300 for a third straight year, and clinched two of the series' four majors (Coca-Cola 600 and the 50th Annual Southern 500), which would lead to a fifth-place finish in points. His best points finish was in 2000, when he finished 3rd, 294 points behind champion Bobby Labonte. On September 17, 2000, Burton led every lap of the Dura Lube 300 sponsored by Kmart at New Hampshire International Speedway, in unique circumstances (this race was the only Loudon race to use a restrictor plate, imposed for safety reasons after the deaths of two drivers earlier in the year at the track). From 1997 to 2000, Burton won an event at NHIS every year.

2001–2003: CITGO era[link]

In 2001, Burton and the 99 welcomed a new sponsor CITGO PdVSA. Burton won another two races, upping his career total to 17, as he finished tenth in points climbing from a season low of being 38th after 4 races.In 2002 and 2003, he finished 12th and combined for 8 top-5s and 25 top-10s, but failed to win a race in either year. After sponsor CITGO PdVSA announced it was leaving Roush Racing at the end of 2003,

2004: Departure from Roush and move to Childress[link]

Burton ran the 2004 season without a primary sponsor, with races frequently being sponsored by his personal sponsor SKF. Rumors began to arise that Burton would be leaving Roush Racing. After originally denying the rumors, it finally happened in mid-2004 when, just before the Sirius at The Glen, Burton signed a three-year contract with Richard Childress Racing (RCR), leaving Roush after eight and a half years with the team. He would drive the #30 America Online Chevrolet for the rest of the season. Before the change, Burton had an average finish of 20.8 and was 23rd in points. In the 13 races after he changed teams, though, the same stats were improved to 16.6 and 18th. During the offseason, Burton and his team remained with RCR but were switched to the #31 Cingular Wireless Chevy, replacing Robby Gordon.

2005–2008: Cingular/AT&T era[link]

2005 was Burton's first full year at RCR, and he had six top-tens and three top-fives for the year, including a third in the Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix in April and a second place finish in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In 2006, Burton won the pole for four races, bringing his total number of career pole wins to six. The four pole wins were for the Daytona 500, the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Prior to qualifying for the Daytona 500, Burton was extremely enthusiastic about the improvements to RCR as a whole. He proved this by winning his first pole since September 2000 at Richmond. The Allstate 400 pole gave Richard Childress Racing the front row as teammate Clint Bowyer recorded the second fastest time. Burton's best finish came in the Chicagoland race where he recorded a second place finish. He led the most laps at Indianapolis and Bristol's Sharpie 500, setting the pace for more than half the race. In the Busch Series, he won at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway, breaking his four year long winless streak in any series. After the race at Richmond International Raceway Jeff qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup. During the Chase, Burton won the Dover 400 at Dover International Speedway, breaking a 185-race winless streak dating back to October 28, 2001, allowing him to take the points lead.^[2] However, a series of relatively poor finishes in subsequent races, including a flat tire at Talladega while running in the top five and an engine failure at Martinsville, eliminated Burton from contention for the championship.

Burrton won the Samsung 500 (Texas) on April 15, 2007, driving the Prilosec OTC Chevrolet, passing Matt Kenseth on the final lap, making him the first driver with multiple wins at Texas Motor Speedway. He later went on to qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, he finished tied for 7th in the 2007 standings.

• 

  Stephen Rochon and Jeff Burton hold the victory trophy from the 2006 Nicorette 300

• 

  Burton celebrates after winning at Texas in 2007

• 

  Burton in the pits during his 2007 win at Texas

2008 Cup car at Daytona

Burton came very close to winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500. He qualified 36th and by the end of the race had worked his way up in the field. He led prior to the race's final caution, but when the green flag dropped with four laps to go, lost several positions and wound up finishing 13th.

Burton won the 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Following contact between Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, Burton passed both Harvick and Stewart for the 2nd position. On the ensuing restart Burton passed Denny Hamlin coming off of Turn 2 to win the Food City 500 and finishing off a sweep of the podium for Richard Childress Racing. Burton also won the 2008 Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Burton took the lead from Greg Biffle with just over 70 laps to go. During the final round of pit stops Burton took fuel only and held off a hard charging Jimmie Johnson for his first multiple win season since 2001.

2009-2011: Caterpillar era[link]

Jeff had a new sponsor on 31 Chevy. Caterpillar signed through 2011. Burton was expected to make a run for the championship but a poor season lead Burton to miss the chase. The first time since 2005. Burton's best finish that year was a 3rd at Las Vegas Motor Speedway because he stayed out at the last caution. In 2010 he rebounded but he had still not won a race. He made the chase in 2010. He nearly won the fall Martinsville but a flat tire with 15 laps to go gave Denny Hamlin the win. A couple weeks later he and Jeff Gordon got into a wreck long after the caution was out. Jeff walked up the track to confront Gordon and the two got into a brawl. This has been one of the biggest fights in NASCAR in recent memory. Jeff finished 12th in the final standings. In 2011 Jeff was looking for a better year than in 2010. But a very bad season has given Jeff a bunch of poor finishes this year. He won the second Gatorade Duel, edging out his Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer. After that, Jeff's season had gone downhill from there. He was leading the Daytona 500 halfway when his engine gave out. He nearly won the Coca-Cola 600 but got spun out on the final restart. Though wanting another caution, the yellow flag never came out because NASCAR wanted to see the race finish under green, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was leading when the accident occurred. His teammate Kevin Harvick passed Earnhardt Jr. within the last 500 yards of the race, because Dale Jr. ran out of gas. This led to controversy because fans were speculating that NASCAR wanted Earnhardt to win and go back to victory lane in the first time in three years. Jeff's first top 10 came in the twenty first race at Watkins Glen International. Jeff missed the 2011 chase but had a strong run the fall race at Talladega, leading on the last lap and out of turn four being pushed by Clint Bowyer when Bowyer pulled out from behind Burton and passed him earning Richard Childress his 100th win as a team owner. Jeff Burton's last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory was at Charlotte Motor Speedway back in 2008.

AT&T sponsorship controversy[link]

Cingular Wireless began its sponsorship of the #31 Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series prior to 2004, when NEXTEL purchased the naming rights to NASCAR's top division. Cingular and Alltel, sponsor of Ryan Newman's #12 Dodge, were allowed to stay as sponsors under a grandfather clause. In early 2007, following its purchase by AT&T, Cingular began a rebranding effort to the AT&T Mobility brand. NASCAR quickly claimed that a clause in their contract with Sprint Nextel would not allow Cingular to change either the name or brand advertised on the #31 car.

After trying and failing to persuade NASCAR to approve the addition of the AT&T globe logo to the rear of the car, AT&T filed a lawsuit against NASCAR on March 16, 2007. On May 18, AT&T won a preliminary injunction and, following a failed emergency motion for a stay by NASCAR on May 19, rebranded the #31 car in time for the Nextel All-Star Challenge that evening.^[3][4] NASCAR was later granted an appeal to be heard on August 2.

On June 17, NASCAR announced it had filed a $100 million lawsuit against AT&T and would like AT&T and all other telecommunications companies out of the sport in 2008. It should be noted that the other rival company involved, Alltel, was in the process of being sold.^[5]

2007 paint scheme with an F1-style paint scheme (all AT&T branding removed).

On August 13, a ruling by a federal appeals court cleared the way for NASCAR to prevent AT&T Inc. from featuring its logo on Jeff Burton's No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The court, therefore, threw out a lower court's ruling that prevented NASCAR from stopping AT&T's plans. The appeals court remanded the case to the U.S. District Court in Atlanta.^[6]

At first practice for the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24, the #31 car had no AT&T branding, but the familiar orange and black paint scheme. Burton's pit crew wore grey Richard Childress Racing shirts and Burton wore a plain orange fire suit displaying only small associate sponsor logos. The car arrived in a black hauler with only the number 31 on the side. NASCAR officials said the car would not have made it through inspection with the AT&T logos.^[7]

On September 7, 2007 NASCAR announced that an agreement had been reached between Sprint Nextel and Richard Childress Racing which would allow AT&T to sponsor the No. 31 car through the end of the 2008 season. Under the terms of the agreement Burton will have to find a new sponsor by 2009.^[8] On June 18, 2008, it was announced that RCR had secured sponsorship for the 31 of Jeff Burton. Caterpillar, which previously spent 10 years on the #22 of Bill Davis Racing and with Jeff's brother Ward driving from 1999–2003, has signed a multi-year agreement with Richard Childress Racing to become the new primary sponsor of the 31 starting in 2009.^[9]

Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics[link]