RCR-KHI Merger Raises Many Questions

Yesterday's announcement that Richard Childress Racing and Kevin Harvick Incorporated will merge KHI's NASCAR Nationwide Series program with RCR next season raised as many questions as it answered.

Harvick is expected to meet with the media Friday at Richmond International Raceway to offer more details on the merger, but for now, speculation abounds as to the reasons behind the move and its impact on both organizations. Sources close to the team say Harvick may simply have tired of his dual role as Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series team owner and Sprint Cup Series driver. Both positions require a full-time commitment, and while Harvick's wife, DeLana, plays a major role in the day-to-day operation of KHI, the demands on Kevin Harvick's time have never been greater. In particular, the constant, unyielding search for additional sponsorship is said to have played a major role in Harvick's decision to scale-back operations at KHI.

Yesterday's announcement confirmed that KHI's #2 and #33 Nationwide Series teams will continue in 2012, with cars fielded by the merged RCR/KHI organization. Elliott Sadler will drive the #2 Chevrolet in a full-time championship bid, while a combination of RCR's Sprint Cup Series drivers shares time in the #33 Chevrolet. However, a number of important questions went unaddressed. No mention was made of young Austin Dillon -- grandson of Richard Childress -- who was expected to graduate to the Nationwide Series next year after completing his second full season in the Camping World Truck Series. Will RCR field an additional Nationwide Series entry for Dillon next season, independent of the KHI partnership? And if so, why was no mention made of it yesterday?

Dillon's younger brother, Ty, was expected to run a full season of Camping World Trucks in 2012, filling his brother's former seat in RCR's #3 Chevy Silverado. Those plans may be unaffected by yesterday's announcement, but there was no mention of Ty Dillon of the #3 Truck team in yesterday's announcement.

The status of KHI's highly successful Camping World Truck program was also left in limbo. The team currently fields three full-time Truck Series entries; the #33 Chevrolet driven by former series champion Ron Hornaday, Jr., the #8 Chevy wheeled by second generation driver Nelson Piquet, Jr. and the #2 Silverado that has had multiple drivers -- including Harvick, Sadler and Clint Bowyer -- at the wheel. Reports have circulated for weeks that Hornaday will not return in 2012, but the veteran driver said this week that he is still unsure of the team's status for 2012.

Multiple sources say KHI will scale back its Truck Series operation dramatically in 2012, fielding only a single truck for Harvick to drive in an extremely limited schedule of events. But again, no mention was made of the KHI Truck program in yesterday's media release.

There are also questions about where the newly merged RCR/KHI effort will be located. KHI currently operates out of a showplace, 80,000 square foot facility in Kernersville, N.C., while RCR is long established in Welcome, NC. It is expected that the merged Nationwide effort will be fielded out of the Childress shops, potentially leaving the Harvick compound empty, except for Harvick's own, part-time #33 Truck Series entry.

Stay tuned for more details as they become available.