Childress swaps Nos. 29, 31 crews

CONCORD, N.C. -- In an effort to jump-start his struggling three-team program, NASCAR Winston Cup team owner Richard Childress has opted to switch the Nos. 29 and 31 crews for drivers Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon.

	Richard Childress

The switch is effective next weekend at Pocono Raceway, and sends Kevin Hamlin and many current members of the Goodwrench Chevrolet to Gordon's Cingular team, and brings Gil Martin and crew from the No. 31 to the No. 29, driven by Harvick.

"We're making this move to help the GM Goodwrench Service and Cingular Wireless teams and all of RCR," Childress said. "The results of our performances this season have not been up to expectations."

Childress made no changes to the No. 30 America Online team, as they have posted the best results for RCR thus far in 2002.

"They are showing a lot of promise for the second half of the year so we're not going to change what they have been building on," Childress said. "But the 29 and 31 teams are down enough in the points right now that it makes the most sense to make some changes between the two."

Childress set the precedent for such a move in 1998, when he flip-flopped crew chiefs Hamlin and Larry McReynolds. That sent McReynolds to direct Mike Skinner's crew and Hamlin from Skinner's bunch to Dale Earnhardt's team. It worked masterfully. He hopes for similar results this time around.

"Kevin (Hamlin), Gil and all of the guys in the shop haven't forgotten how to build and prepare race cars and Kevin (Harvick) and Robby still know how to win races, so it's just a matter of getting the right people in the right places," Childress said. "We've made changes like this before and it's worked out and we're confident that it will again."

Through last weekend's Coca-Cola Racing Family 600, Jeff Green was 23rd in points, Gordon 29th and Harvick 33rd.

Hamlin has earned seven Winston Cup victories in 273 races, five with Earnhardt and two with Harvick. Martin, meanwhile, has earned one victory in 87 races, with Gordon in last season's finale at New Hampshire.