Richard Childress Racing 2014 Review
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By Richard Tix
2014 Season Stats
Wins: 0
Top 5: 11
Top 10: 33
Pole: 1
2014 was a big transition season for Richard Childress Racing. Jeff Burton was retiring from full time driving, which left the door open in the #31 car. Kevin Harvick took off to Stewart-Haas racing after a long career with RCR. The moves that RCR made to counter those was to bring in Ryan Newman to replace Burton and young gun Austin Dillon in the #3 to take Harvicks spot.
Obviously, when you lose a veteran like Burton and Harvick it will almost always look like a downgrade, but RCR ended up handling it better than I expected.
Newman came in and brought a ton of consistency to a team that seemed to lack it in 2014. That consistency lead him into the Chase and then into the Finale at Homestead-Miami. On paper his stats don't jump out, but most drivers would have taken the shot to win a Championship in the last race over winning 5 races and being left out.
Past Newman's season, (heck including Newman) RCR had a lot of mediocrity in 2014. They weren't terrible but they weren't great either. Let take a fast look at each driver in 2014.
- The crazy thing about Newman's first season with RCR is that most categories he was a bit down. He had zero wins (2009 was the last time that happened), he had 5 top 5's (a low since 2012 when he had 4), and 16 top 10's (low since 2012). Yet, his average finish of 12.7 was the best of his 13 year career (full time season's only). That is how he made the Chase and that is how he made the Finale at Miami.
- Statistically Menard had one of his better seasons in his 11 year career. He finished with 0 wins, 5 top 5's, and 13 top 10's. However, for the first time since 2010 he finished outside the top 20 in points (21st). Things could have been worse, but missing the Chase once again has to be eating at him.
- Dillons 2014 rookie season will be the stepping stone for his career. It was a quality first season but now its all what he does from here. He ended the year with zero wins, one top 5, four top 10's, and one pole while finishing 20th in points.
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