In 2009, rumors ran rampant around the garage area that a frustrated Kevin Harvick would leave Richard Childress Racing, and it wasn't hard to see why. Harvick didn't win in 2009; he led during just four races, had an average finish of 19th and finished just inside the top 20 in points. He finished off the lead lap 13 times, and Gil Martin replaced Todd Berrier as his crew chief ten races into the year.
Everyone had him leaving RCR- most had him leaving to go to newly started Stewart Haas Racing team. Even his own teammate Jeff Burton thought the No. 29 seat was open.
But Harvick stayed with the team he'd driven for in the now Sprint Cup Series since 2001. In 2010, it was a whole new year for Happy; he finished fourth in points after three wins, 16 top fives and 26 top tens.
Now, it appears the same thing is happening with his teammate, Clint Bowyer.
Bowyer hasn't won a race since October of last year, and has seven finishes in 2011 of 20th or worse, including five DNFs. In his last five starts he has just one top ten, and it's been heavily speculated the last few weeks that he's leaving his struggling No. 33 Cheerios Chevrolet team- possibly for Richard Petty Motorsports.
Thursday in Richmond, just as Harvick two years ago, it seemed all but confirmed that Bowyer would do just that.
"It's not 100 percent off the table," team owner Richard Childress aid on Sirius XM NASCAR radio on Thursday. "But it's getting tougher and tougher as the days go by."
"We're just working on everything," Bowyer said in response to his owner's comments. "That's the biggest thing, trying to get everything done as far as the future.
"There are opportunities and stuff we're just trying to weigh out," Bowyer said. "Again, you have to have all the stars line up. You can't just have one piece of the puzzle or a couple pieces of the puzzle. You've got to have all the pieces of the puzzle put together in today's world. And until you do that, you're wasting your time talking to any media about it -- because you don't have anything to deliver to them."
Just as the Harvick situation previously, securing sponsorship for the no. 33 team is also proving to be a struggle for Childress, a heavy factor in Bowyer's rumored departure.
Only time will tell if Bowyer, like Harvick before him, ends up sticking with Richard Childress Racing despite the hardships he and his team are going through now.
But as of now, it looks as if RCR will have a very different look in 2012.
Thanks to NASCAR.com, Racing Reference, Scene Daily, Landmark Newspapers, ESPN and Sports Illustrated for the quotes, statistics and information used in this piece.
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