At Richard Childress Racing, all the pieces seemed to be in place. After two years of qualifying three cars for NASCAR's year-end playoff system -- yet still left searching for that first championship since 1994 -- there was hope in the preseason that they could finally close the deal. There was a strong, stable driver lineup. There was a solid business sense that left RCR as one of the few major Sprint Cup organizations that didn't lay off anyone. And there was a fourth racing program, backed by another major sponsor, whose dollars just might put the team over the top.

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I think we've gotten a little behind in a lot of areas. ... I believe that one of the things that hurt us is not testing.

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JEFF BURTON

That was the hope, at least. The reality is something quite different.

RCR, one of the steadier organizations on NASCAR's premier level the past two seasons, is suddenly treading water. Jeff Burton is the team's only driver currently in Chase position, and he sits on the bubble in 12th place after a 26th-place result this past weekend in Michigan. Clint Bowyer, who opened the year so strong with his new No. 33 team, is in 16th. Casey Mears, added to the Childress stable this year, is in 21st. And perhaps most shocking off all, team standard-bearer Kevin Harvick is buried in 23rd after managing only two top-10s on the season to date.

What happened? This was an organization renowned for its reliability, with the three veteran RCR drivers traditionally among the series leaders in laps completed. The knock on them was that they couldn't lead laps and win races, something that set last year's trio of top title contenders apart from everyone else. These days, they've struggled in both categories. Burton still ranks second in laps completed, but his closest teammate is Harvick in 20th.

The top RCR driver in terms of laps led is Burton in 15th. While Harvick and Bowyer have clearly been hampered by some accidents, the team's overall performance has seen a clear movement in the wrong direction. (Continued)