Ex-RCR Insider Divulges The Reason Behind Switch to Bitter Rivals Joe Gibbs and Co

Richard Childress Racing has not only lost its identity as a powerhouse racing organization but also some of the smartest minds in NASCAR racing. Todd Berrier was at the helm of racing operations at RCR and groomed a young Kevin Harvick. The duo even went on to win the Xfinity Series championship in 2001 and then reunite in the Cup Series in 2003.

However, after seven seasons of working with Harvick and adding seven wins under his belt, Richard Childress unexpectedly showed him the exit door. Though a big opportunity came knocking on his door soon enough, the departure from RCR was too unsavory to be forgotten. Berrier reunited with his former driver, Kevin Harvick, on the Happy Hour podcast, where he shared details about the same. He also talked about his contribution and profile at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Todd Berrier sheds light on his questionable exit from RCR

Back in 2009, RCR used to field four cars. And in a desperate attempt to turn their season around, they made frequent changes to the team. Because of this Berrier just wasn’t able to focus on his role and was then paired with the No. 31 team, his third change of the season. But ultimately, push came to shove for him ahead of the Brickyard 400 event.

Sharing how he received the news about the termination of his role at RCR, Berrier on the podcast said, “Richard was flying back from somewhere and his plane broke down and I guess they decided that they were gonna make a change on the 31 car which I was there with Jeff Burton. In about 35 seconds they sent me down the highway and that was it, so I found my own way.”

However, he soon found himself in a new role at Joe Gibbs Racing in a free environment where he was allowed to contribute and improve the aero features of the JGR race cars. “Another guy we had at RCR, Kyle Mcclinon, he was one of our aero guys there, he came along as well. So him and I, we had a free range to interject our thoughts into everything, so we just work really hard on the aero side of things. Just, developing new cars and things like that, so I came there, just to really help them look at the developmental side of things from a different perspective just because I’d been somewhere else,” he added.

While Joe Gibbs Racing is indeed a force to be reckoned with this season, the RCR camp still follows similar trends in mixing things up with its teams. And the strategy still hasn’t worked out for them.

New year, same old Richard Childress Racing

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Acquiring the 2-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch from the Joe Gibbs Racing camp, RCR thought they found the missing piece of the puzzle to return to their glory days. However, after an okayish 2023 outing, the 2024 season has been a frustrating sight for Rowdy. Moreover, they seem to still have a penchant for their good old tactics of switching things up, which honestly has never really worked for them. And it doesn’t seem to be working this time as well for the No. 3 or the No. 8 team.

Austin Dillon saw his crew chief, Keith Rodden, replaced by Justin Alexander for the rest of the season. While Kyle Busch has had multiple changes to his pit crew members. He even expressed his discontent by sending a cryptic message to his team owner: “I’d love to have a lot more normal days” after his P4 finish at Dover a few weeks ago. It’s no secret that RCR hasn’t been able to provide Busch with a good enough race car this season. While there is still a long way to go in the season, it is hard to see them competing for wins week-in-week-out.

At 39 in his prime days of racing, the question remains: how long will he keep up with the mediocrity at RCR? We have seen drivers already making moves for the next season, and Busch might just be thinking about his future in NASCAR.