NASCAR: Richard Childress Racing have a major decision to make for 2020
By Asher Fair
Richard Childress Racing have a big decision to make as it pertains to their 2020 NASCAR Cup Series lineup size and their drivers.
Austin Dillon is set to return to Richard Childress Racing for his seventh consecutive year behind the wheel of the #3 Chevrolet in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series.
But as it pertains to Richard Childress Racing’s lineup as a whole, the confirmation of the 29-year-old Welcome, North Carolina native is the only thing confirmed for next year.
Daniel Hemric currently drives the #8 Chevrolet for the two-car team after he was promoted from the Xfinity Series following two seasons driving the #21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
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Hemric signed a two-year contract with Richard Childress Racing. But reigning Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick made the decision to depart JR Motorsports and join Richard Childress Racing for the 2019 season, and his decision has paid off.
After recording an average finish of 12.9 last season with two victories, seven top five finishes and 20 top 10 finishes in 33 races en route to winning the 2018 championship, Reddick sits atop the championship standings through the first 24 races of the 33-race 2019 season with an average finish of 4.9, four victories, 19 top five finishes, 21 top 10 finishes.
Richard Childress Racing team owner Richard Childress recently shared his thoughts on Reddick’s future, and he believes that the 23-year-old Corning, California will compete in the Cup Series next year one way or another.
In fact, it does not even appear that Reddick is a part of the team’s Xfinity Series plans for 2020. Here is what Childress had to say about the matter, according to NBC Sports.
"“He’s going to be a superstar. We hope to be able to keep him, but you know how this sport is. It boils down to dollars. We want to keep him here if there’s any way. If not, I want to see him in a good situation.“That’s our goal right now is to try to put him in a Cup car. That’s what he wants to do. That’s the reason he came to RCR because he knew we had Cup cars and Cup experience. He’ll win some Cup races if you put him in a Cup car. That’s where he wants to be, and I think he deserves it. He’s ready for Cup right now.”"
According to Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern, Reddick has been in talks with other teams, including Roush Fenway Racing, an interesting possibility in itself.
.@TylerReddick's plans for next year remain undecided, and it's not yet clear where he'll land.
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) September 4, 2019
➖ Unclear if @RCRracing can afford third Cup car, and people close to @DanielHemric and @TyDillon think they'll both return.
➖ Reddick has talked to other teams like @RoushFenway. pic.twitter.com/c3Y8uxfhqM
However, the possibility remains that Reddick could end up driving for Richard Childress Racing, and per Frontstretch’s Dustin Albino, that could come at the expense of Hemric’s ride.
.@DanielHemric says he’s “iffy” on 2020, though does have a two-year contract with @RCRracing through next year. #NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) August 16, 2019
Hemric has not performed all that well in his rookie season in the Cup Series with just two top 10 finishes, including one top five finish, and an average finish of 22.4 through the 36-race season’s first 25 races. He currently sits in 25th place in the championship standings.
The 28-year-old Kannapolis, North Carolina certainly has upside and has shown flashes of potential, namely with his six top 10 qualifying performances so far this year, but his Truck Series and Xfinity Series seasons certainly make it look like Reddick would be the better option.
While he finished in the top seven in both of his full-time Truck Series seasons, he failed to win a race, and while he advanced to the Championship 4 in both of his full-time Xfinity Series seasons, he also failed to win. Across NASCAR’s top three national series, he has competed in 143 races, including 137 over the course of five full-time seasons, and collected zero wins.
Meanwhile, Reddick finished in ninth place at Kansas Speedway in his first career non-Daytona 500 Cup Series start in May.
Should Richard Childress Racing promote Reddick and release Hemric from his Cup Series contract one year early?
Assuming they continue to operate as a two-car team, this would make sense, although it would certainly be unfortunate for Hemric given his two-year contract with the team.
But there is a chance that they will expand to become a three-car team if, like Childress said, the sponsorship money is there, which adds another layer to their decision. They have been as large as a four-car team in the past, and they were most recently a three-car team not too long ago in the 2017 season before they shuttered the #27 team.
Should they expand to three cars?
There are a lot of things to consider for Richard Childress Racing, especially considering they do not want to lose Reddick to a rival team.
Their 2020 driver lineup decision is certainly not one to take lightly.
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Will Daniel Hemric be back with Richard Childress Racing in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season? Will Tyler Reddick join the team? If Reddick joins the team, will he do so as their third driver, or will he do so as Hemric’s replacement? If he doesn’t join the team, where will he end up, and if he replaces Hemric, where will Hemric end up?