Thomas Chemris

Proving once again that he is not afraid to take risks, team owner Richard Childress shocked the NASCAR world by without warning he pulled crew chief Gill Martin from the No. Twenty-nine GM Goodwrench team and driver Kevin Harvick.

Todd Berrier is replacing Martin, who has been named team manager.

Berrier headed up Harvick’s Busch team chalking up the 2001 Championship, and the 2000 Rookie of the Year title. A sixty five-race tenure that scored eight wins and twenty-eight top five finishes.

Initially, Harvick and Berrier were to rise to the Cup ranks together, but the untimely death of Dale Earnhardt put Harvick in the twenty-nine, and Berrier coming up to the series in 2002 with Jeff Green. At the end of the 2002 campaign, Mike Beam replaced Berrier, and Berrier went to work for RCR’S research and development division.

Harvick and Martin have been off to a disappointing season start scoring only one top five, with an average finish of nineteenth. Prior to Bristol, Harvick remained eighteenth in the Championship standings. “Todd and Kevin worked great together in the Busch Series so we made the change to jumpstart the season for the GM Goodwrench team,” said Richard Childress. “Gil has won races for us with Harvick and Robby Gordon so we’re glad that he is staying and will be playing a key role with the team.”

Crew swapping is not new to RCR; Gil Martin stared the 2002 season heading up the No, thirty-one entry driven by Robby Gordon. Both Gordon’s and Harvick’s teams were under performing which prompted the mid season swap of full team teams and crew chief’s Kevin Hamlin and Gil Martin.

As Harvick continues his third season in Cup, this will mark the third crew chief he has worked with in seventy-five races.

The new combination appears to be off to a good start, as Berrier /Harvick scored there first top ten, finishing seventh at Bristol. The finish moved Harvick up seven spots in the points to hold in eleventh.