RCR to announce Mears as fourth driver on Saturday (cont'd)

For now, there are no plans to have Dillon drive a No. 3 car in the Nationwide Series, according to Childress. That is the number that was driven in the Cup Series by the late Dale Earnhardt, who drove for Childress. Dillon has been running a car bearing that number in the Camping World East Series and also in some dirt-track races, but Childress said Dillon will run a No. 21 Chevrolet when he makes his Nationwide debut. It earlier had been confirmed that Dillon, 18, would run his first Nationwide race at Richmond on Sept. 6.

Austin Dillon, grandson of championship-winning team owner Richard Childress, will make his Nationwide Series debut Sept. 5 at Richmond International Raceway.

• Complete story, click here
• Dillon living up to heritage
• No. 3 driving back on track

Childress did not rule out the possibility of letting Dillon run the No. 3 car in future Nationwide events, however.

"I kind of wanted to do the 3, but we'll just have to see what happens," Childress said. "He enjoys racing [the No. 3] in the Camping World East Series, plus he's run it on dirt. So he's been runnin' it some. If we get something solid [sponsor-wise], we might do it in the Nationwide -- but I don't have any intentions of doing it anywhere else, though. I don't have any intention of running it in Cup, but I might do it in Nationwide."

Also expected to be revealed at Saturday's announcement is a switch in cars and sponsors for Mears and Clint Bowyer. At the request of sponsors, Mears is expected to move into the No. 07 car currently sponsored by Jack Daniel's while Bowyer, who now drives the No. 07 Chevy for RCR, will move over to the new No. 33 sponsored by General Mills (and take his No. 07 owner points along with him, if NASCAR approves it).

"All you do is you're just out there trying to do a good job for your sponsors. Whatever it takes to do a good job, you do it," Childress said.

Childress said it shouldn't matter who is in which car for RCR next season.

"Our goal always was that we wouldn't do [a fourth car] until we were able to give everybody equal equipment. And I think that's what we're going to be able to do," Childress said.

"I just want to get all this over and get it behind us. Our goal is to get to where we can concentrate on getting these [other three RCR] cars in the Chase and be a championship contender."