Nascar and Racing Kevin Harvick

Richard Childress wore the expression of someone who's learned to operate "in the big picture" as he calmly, thoughtfully answered the tough questions about how his mighty racing organization has endured the struggles and frustration of a winless 2009 season.

Lost in all the Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin championship storylines, and the Dale Jr. non-championship hysteria, is the quiet dismay at RCR, which had three cars in the Chase for the Championship a year ago and not a single one of its now four-car stable qualify this fall.

Race: Pepsi 500
Where: Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif.
Time: Sunday 3 p.m./EST
TV/Radio: ABC, Motor Racing Network
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mid-70s, Clear
Distance: 250 laps (500 miles)
Pole Winner: Denny Hamlin
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson


A nice bout with the flu has Kyle Busch reeling this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Busch was leading yesterday's Nationwide Series race when he came to pit road under caution to have Denny Hamlin relieve him of his driving duties.

Where: Richmond Int'l Raceway
Time: Saturday night 7:30pm/EDT
TV/Radio: ESPN, Motor Racing Network
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mid-60s, Partly Cloudy
Distance: 400 laps (300 miles)
Pole Winner: Mark Martin
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Four guys are in the Chase for the Championship. Ten others are sweating it out.

On to Richmond!

Kasey Kahne greatly improved his chances of making the season-ending Chase with a victory Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, pulling away from Kevin Harvick after a fortunate yellow flag late in the race.

---

---

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. won a late gamble on gas, but that wasn't enough to overcome Kevin Harvick's dominance.

Harvick led most of the race and then passed Earnhardt with two laps left to regain the lead and win the Degree V12 300 Nationwide Series race on Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Harvick and Kyle Busch each went into the pits for gas and four tires with 14 laps remaining. Earnhardt and Brad Keselowski stayed on the track, gambling they had enough gas to finish the race.

---

---

Being the points leader in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has its advantages. During the 2009 season, there has been more to this than usual.

Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway is the 21st race on the 36-race slate this year. On Friday, the scheduled qualifying runs were called off by rain for the fifth time this season. It can be quite the annoying theme, unless you're the points leader.

The story that will keep us talking until next weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- well, at least not the Jeremy Mayfield one -- took a new turn Wednesday.

Richard Childress Racing denied a report from Sports Illustrated and said that both Kevin Harvick and the sponsor of his No. 29 Chevrolet will return in 2010 per their contracts, rather than head to Tony Stewart's Stewart-Haas Racing as was originally reported.

Still muddy though was the report that Kevin Harvick had asked for his release from RCR thanks to the driver foregoing comment so far and his spokesman issuing a "no comment" about the situation.

The struggles for Richard Childress Racing don't appear to be going away, and they -- as well as potential sponsorship issues -- might be causing the team's longest-tenured driver to be heading for the exits.

Sports Illustrated reported on its Web site Tuesday that Kevin Harvick has asked to be released from his current contract with RCR effective at the end of the season, despite the agreement lasting until the end of 2010.

And just to make it a little more juicy, Harvick has reportedly been in discussions with Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing to race a third car for the team in 2010.

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears gave all the right answers in deferring to the boss' orders, but clearly neither driver was exactly overjoyed by Richard Childress' decision this week to swap their two crews.

"Everybody's positive about it,'' Harvick said, walking quickly to his team trailer after NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.

"When you own the company you have to make the decisions you think are right.''

---

---