NASCAR Team Spotlight: Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing 2014 Preview

By Richard Tix

Richard Childress Racing is pushing towards the future in 2014. The #3 is coming back to NASCAR, some like it, some hate it, it is what it is. What I still don't understand is why people hate Austin Dillon for it? Sure, hate Dillon because he is young and has been given a lot because of money, but Richard Childress decided to bring it back. He made the call, maybe Austin wanted the 3, but Childress made the final call. Now lets move on from my rant of the day. Dillon may become the ROY but will he prove he can win in Cup this year or will he have to be groomed in? Jeff Burton also half retired and left RCR. Ryan Newman will be taking his spot in 2014. The mainstay here is now Paul Menard

2013 Team Stats *Includes just current drivers (Newman and Dillon) Excludes Harvick and Burton

• Wins: 1
• Top 5: 9
• Top 10: 17

Paul Menard

• The only driver that was with RCR in 2013 on this list, Menard has another typical Menard season. He finished 20th in points, no wins, 3 top 5's, and 9 top 10's. I would guess 2014 will show the same results for Menard, not much to see here.

Ryan Newman

• Im sure RCR is hoping Newman will be a step up from Jeff Burton on the track. Burton was a great guy off the track but the last few years he had been falling off. Newman made the Chase again in 2013 with SHR and maybe a change in scenery will help him get back to his younger years.

Austin Dillon

• Not much Cup experience to take from Dillon, he also didn't have a win in 2013 in Nationwide. Dillon will have a lot to prove with a lot of pressure on him, which is mounting with every #3 fan out there who wants the number forever retired. During Preseason Thunder he did prove he can be fast in a car when no one is testing him, then again Danica did win the Pole last year...

Previous Team Spotlight: Michael Waltrip Racing

NASCAR Team Spotlight: Stewart Haas Racing

Stewart-Haas Racing 2014 Preview

By Richard Tix

The 2014 season will bring a new feel to the SHR Garage with new Fresh Faces joining the team. This upcoming season Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick will be joining up with Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick to try and create a dream team (or a nightmare team). These guys can drive, but will the personalities jump to the forefront and distract them?

2013 Team Stats *Only current members included. (Harvick and Kurt) Excludes Newman

• Wins: 5
• Top 5: 25
• Top 10: 46

Tony Stewart

• Smoke's season was cut short after he broke his leg in a Sprint Car crash. Before the bad break (pun intended) Smoke looked to be poised to go on another Summer run. Instead he finished with 1 win, 5 top 5's, and 8 top 10's in 21 races. He will start 2014 2 wins short of career win #50 and will look to get back on track early.

Kurt Busch

• Some fans may not like him because of his past, but they cant say with a straight face the man cant drive. In 2013 we saw just that, a speptical of driving. Kurt made a small team somewhat relevant but never got over the winning hump. However, you have to applaud what he did; 11 top 5's and 16 top 10's. Now he gets another shot with SHR in 2014 and maybe a trip or two back to Victory Lane.

Kevin Harvick

• Harvick, a lifer at Richard Childress Racing, has moved out and move into SHR with his buddy Tony Stewart. Will this move be a good thing? Or will he miss his security blanket of being with the same team for his whole career? Anyways, his last year at RCR was pretty good. He finished 3rd in the standings with 4 wins, 9 top 5's, and 21 top 10's.

Danica Patrick

• 2013 marked Danica's Rookie season and it started with a bang! She won the Daytona 500 Pole and finished 8th, but that was her peak on the season. That 8th place finished ended up being Danicas only top 10 finish of the year as she struggled to learn each new track. She will use 2013 as a measuring stick on how well 2014 is going for her.

Previous Team Spotlight: Joe Gibbs Racing

Know When to Walk Away

Greg Biffle's Season in the Crossroad's

By Richard Tix

Kenny Rodgers said it best, "You have to know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run." Well Greg Biffle might need to have The Gambler stuck in his head for the 2014 season.

Greg Biffles Career is in the crossroads entering 2014. We enter the season and the Biff is in the last year of his contract with Roush Fenway Racing, who he has been with his entire 12 year career. Not a lot of rumors have been out there that the team and driver have been close to a deal either, meaning Biffle could be looking for a ride soon.

The big question is, should Greg Biffle "walk away?" Not walk away from NASCAR, he still has some good years left, but walk away from the only team he has known on the Cup level, RFR. No NASCAR team running Ford cars have won a Championship since 2004. Last year might be the icing on the cake as it seemed like no Ford would even have a chance after NASCAR introduced the Gen-6 car.

Greg Biffle isn't getting any younger, this year he will turn 44 years old.  In NASCAR years he has started the downfall of his "peak." Not to say a driver cant compete at the highest level at his age, it just seem many start to slip down the ranks slowly.

In 2012 Greg Biffle witnessed his long time teammate leave the team for greener grass. Matt Kenseth and RFR parted ways which left Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth turned 41 in his first year with JGR so he was in almost the same situation and it works out wonderfully. Kenseth finished his first year with JGR 2nd in points after winning a Cup leading 7 races.

Maybe Biffle needs to talk with Kenseth about his experience with leaving a long time team? If the opportunity is there Biff should definitely look at moving on for one last chance to contend again. Maybe JGR would open up a fourth car for the veteran driver? If not there, maybe MWR will be ready to have another full time car in 2015? Both teams would be a great step for Biffle.

If anything, a move will show once again if its the driver or the car (parts). I will say this, if he gets no interest in a team like JGR or MWR it might be best to stay put. A lot of young guys are starting to come through the ranks and the last thing Biffle would want to to be pushed aside and end up trying to compete with a team that is underfunded. So, is this the time that Biffle should "walk away?" Or should he be listening to a different song this season?

The Biff has a loyal following. I am sure all of those loyal fans would love to see him push for a Championship. So what do you guys think, should Biffle look to move on? Is it RFR and Ford holding him and Carl back or are they just not Championship contenders? Let me know on Twitter!

• NASCAR Team Spotlight: Hendrick Motorsports
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• Driver Spotlight: Kasey Kahne

Driver Spotlight: Ryan Newman (Preseason Addition)

Ryan Newman's 2014 Preview

By Richard Tix

Let's set the time back a few years...

Year 2008, and Ryan Newman is on his way out the door at Penske. In the past 3 seasons (08, 07, and 06) Newman has had 1 win, 11 top 5's, and 30 top 10's. Newman seemed to have hit a rut and would be joining Stewart-Haas Racing at the perfect time. Could he turn it back around and get back to his early years?

Let's now turn it back to the present...

Newman seems to be back in a rut, but this time Newman has been consistent. Every season with SHR except his first he has had one win. He has averaged 6 top 5's, 15.6 top 10's, and made the Chase 3 times in his 5 years at SHR.

As hard as it was to imagine at first (Smoke and Newman are pretty good buddies) the team planned to set ways with Newman after the 2013 season as Newman made the Chase and proved to be the most consistent driver on the season for SHR (to be fair Smoke go hurt at the time he normally gets hot).

In 2014 Newman will be set to start fresh at Richard Childress Racing in the #31 Chevy. Newman is hoping a change in scenery will help him bounce back to the once promising career he had (He had 8 total wins in 2003). We have seen team changes work out for the best in the past, most recently with Matt Kenseth this past season. They can also be the last stop in a drivers career if it doesn't work out. So the next few years will be important for Ryan Newman and RCR. With so many young guns waiting in the wings in NASCAR's lower ranks, it will be interesting to see which Cup veterans keep pace so they can keep there jobs with top level teams.

So what do you think? Let me know on Twitter! Will RCR help Newman contend again? Will this be Newman's last quality ride? Will Newman find a way to get multiple wins for the first time since 2004? Should SHR kicked him to the curb?

Let the count down to Daytona Continue!

A look at previous Driver Spotlights:

• Clint Bowyer
• Tony Stewart
• Matt Kenseth
• Jeff Gordon
• More Driver Spotlights