Latest RCR changes good, bad(?) for affected drivers (cont'd)

Mears, whose future status with RCR is unknown after sponsor Jack Daniel's announced it wouldn't return, had his best qualifying result of the season, sixth, on Friday. But just before he left the track he appeared to have no consolation in that, even as he complimented his incoming crew chief, Doug Randolph.

"I guess it's a little hard to look ahead yet because we're still kind of in the present," Mears said. "I'm having so much fun and things are going so good I'm hoping that if I ignore it, it'll actually go away. But I can't -- it's gonna happen and it's nothing against Doug because Doug's a great guy and all the guys that are coming over to the 07 for the last four races are all more than capable of running a very good program.

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I'm just not happy about it because it's not benefiting me.

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CASEY MEARS

"The issue is, things are going really well for us and this is the first time in a long time that I've had this kind of chemistry with a crew chief and a team. It's taken a while to develop, which is unfortunate, because that's kind of what's got us to this point -- is it all happening too late? I don't have a good answer -- I don't have a whole lot good to say about it because I'm just happy and not wanting to make a change, no reason to make a change so I don't know how to look at it other than I'm not looking forward to it. Nothing against the guys that are coming, I'm just not looking forward to losing what I have."

Mears said only "three or four" of his current crew would remain, while he said Berrier would take the rest to the 31, and that some of the 31 team would come to his No. 07 car.

"You get to work with the people for the rest of the year and get used to their little idiosyncrasies and all that stuff and what all we've got to do with that," Berrier said, smiling because he's certainly been there. "It'll be better than not getting your act together before Bristol next year, so that's the main thing."

"I know there's a lot of restructuring going on in the whole shop," Mears said. "But I guess the good answer is, 'I don't know' because nobody's told me, really. I just know that Doug's starting at Talladega and I've randomly had guys coming up to me [Friday] saying, 'Hey, I guess I'm working with you next week.'

"It's a strange thing, but I hate to sit here and complain, because how lucky am I to have a job right now, because I have a job for the last four races and a lot of guys don't. But when you look at it from the standpoint of where we're at and where we're going, it's just hard to swallow.

"We could come out of the box [at Talladega] and be the best thing out there, or go into next year and be the best thing that ever happened. But right now there are more unknowns than knowns and where I'm at right now I know we can contend to run top-five or top-10 or win races the rest of the year. Now that's all getting changed and I'm being put into something I don't know. I'm just not happy about it because it's not benefiting me.

"I hope what we've accomplished lately made a statement, because in the position I'm in you're doing all you can to show people what you can do. I've been in this position before and not been able to do it, because it wasn't right. And now it is right and I'm able to show people I need to be around."

RCR, after a consistent three years in which at least two of its three teams annually made the Chase -- including all three making it the past two years -- began the season by adding a fourth team and moving Clint Bowyer to its newest team.

But lacking the kind of results owner Childress and his men have expected, this week's alterations are the third major restructuring announced this season.

When Burton's crew chief, Scott Miller, was promoted to a technical position serving RCR's whole organization, Childress decided to pair Burton with Berrier, who'd had great success with Kevin Harvick in both the Nationwide Series, where they won the 2001 championship and Cup, before they were split earlier this season.

Burton said his new top wrench was given a green light to hand-pick his team and while that devastated Mears, it's got Burton and Berrier eagerly anticipating the future.

Both Mears and Randolph spoke to the team's sponsorship situation.

"Obviously there's uncertainty, and the best thing we can do as a race team is to go out there and continue to run well," Randolph said, "because that helps everybody and helps the whole organization."

Related
• RCR changes crew chiefs on No. 31, No. 07 teams
• Childress still uncertain about No. 07 car's future