CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- I dialed into the NASCAR conference call with team owner Richard Childress on Monday in case there were updates on returning the No. 3 to the Sprint Cup Series in 2014 or adding a fourth team.
Jason Smith/Getty ImagesPaul Menard stunned NASCAR Nation with his improbable victory in the 2011 Brickyard 400.What he said was arguably bigger news.
At least more surprising.
The owner of Richard Childress Racing said Paul Menard's victory in the 2011 Brickyard 400 was bigger than Dale Earnhardt winning it in 1995 or Kevin Harvick in 2003.
Seriously, he picked a Menard moment over one for the seven-time champion and the driver who replaced him. And it wasn't to get more money out of Menard's father, whose company sponsors the No. 27 RCR car. They already have an extension.
He was sincere.
"What made that so special was knowing that Paul's family was there," Childress said. "Knowing what John Menard had put into that, I think he had entered like 30-some cars over 20 years at Indy, in the Indy 500. To be part of watching his son win that race was such a special day."
It was a fluke day as well.
Menard won because he got better fuel mileage than Jeff Gordon, who had the dominant car. He'd never won on the Sprint Cup level before and he hasn't won since.
"Not taking anything away from Dale's or Kevin's first win there, but that one was so special because of being able to win a race with Paul, being able to win at Indy where that whole family had put so much into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Childress said.
As for bringing back the 3 next year with grandson Austin Dillon, which is expected to happen, there was no update. As for RCR's 2014 lineup beyond Menard and Jeff Burton, Childress says he is getting closer.
Translated: Dillon will be in a third car and a driver to be named will replace Harvick in the No. 29 if full sponsorship is found.
"Right now, we're finalizing some final things," Childress said. "We have sponsorship on a third and we actually have some sponsorship on a fourth.
"But having it all finalized and put together, it could be a couple of months down the road before we have everything ready to do some announcing on any of that."
Stay tuned.
David Newton | email
ESPN Staff WriterABOUT THIS BLOG
David Newton
David Newton, an award-winning NASCAR writer, began as a national motorsports columnist at ESPN.com in December 2006. Prior to joining ESPN.com, Newton served as the lead writer for NASCAR.com.
Newton previously covered NASCAR, the Carolina Panthers, Clemson University and University of South Carolina athletics for The State in Columbia, S.C., from 1984 to 2006. He also served as a correspondent for Sports Illustrated, and covered seven Super Bowls, dozens of college bowl games, five Masters, two U.S. Opens, two men's Final Fours, one women's Final Four and every major race on the NASCAR circuit.
The 1981 Wofford College graduate has won numerous state and national press association awards, including the 2009 Aflac Motorsports Journalism Award and second place in the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) columnist category. He also grabbed second-place national honors for his coverage of University of South Carolina football from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) in 1992 and the award for excellence in news reporting from the South Carolina State Press Association in 2002. He has broken major national stories, including the Carolina Panthers' steroid scandal in 2004.
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