Childress' plans for fourth Cup car on hold until 2009

Richard Childress recently spent 10 days in the mountains of Mongolia, stalking the biggest wild sheep in the world. The he returned home to chase another quarry -- a fourth car for his Nextel Cup organization.

Both will have to wait. Childress, a renowned hunter who has several of his kills on display in the museum of his Welcome, N.C., shop, never got a shot at the trophy sheep he wanted, and plans to return to Mongolia to try again. He hasn't quite found the right combination for a fourth car, either, so any expansion will likely be on hold until 2009.

"We're working on it, but right now we're about at the point of no return [for next season]," said Childress, who has all three of his current drivers -- Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick -- competing in NASCAR's championship Chase.

"It isn't looking really good right now. There are opportunities out there, but none that we want to pursue. I'd rather hold off a year and make sure that we get the right combination. It has to fit into our whole program. We'll run some races next year with [Scott] Wimmer or something, but right now, we don't know really what we're going to do."

Childress returned late last week from Mongolia, where he hunted for argali sheep in the country's High Altai range. The largest of the breed have majestic, spiraling horns measuring 56 to 57 inches across, he said. He could have taken down a smaller one, but preferred to stalk a bigger catch.

"I chased him for 10 days. I was being persistent," Childress said. "I almost had it on the last day, but one of the local guys kind of blew it. But it was a fun trip. It was a whole new education in a different part of the world."

Childress missed Bowyer's first career victory, Sept. 16 at New Hampshire International Speedway, while on the trip. He spent each night in a ger, or traditional round Mongolian tent.

"It was really good," he said. "It was a different country. I've been to so many places around the world, but that's the first time I'd been there. I didn't get the sheep I wanted, though. I could have shot some, but I'm after a really big trophy. So I'm going back in March or April."