RCR: no plans to swap sponsors

Team owner Richard Childress says his organization doesn't plan on moving sponsorships around among his three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams as it attempts to find a replacement for Shell/Pennzoil. "We've done that in the past," Childress said Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "We don't have any plans to do that." Shell's departure at season's end to join Penske Racing leaves Childress searching for funding for the group's #29 Chevrolet, driven by Kevin Harvick. General Mills currently sponsors teammate Clint Bowyer, through its Cheerios brand, while Caterpillar provides backing for the #31 of driver Jeff Burton. At least one potential scenario mentioned following the Shell announcement dealt with moving Cheerios to Harvick and attempting to obtain a sponsor, such as Budweiser, for Bowyer. In addition to Cheerios, Bowyer has additional sponsorship from BB&T and The Hartford. Budweiser currently sponsors Richard Petty Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne, but with Kahne departing for Hendrick Motorsports, it's not known whether Budweiser will remain at RPM or go elsewhere. "I think General Mills is happy with Clint," Childress said. "Clint is happy driving the Cheerios car. There are a lot of different rumors swirling around. We're working with a lot of different companies right now, some new companies that aren't in the sport. We've been getting a lot of positive response about the future with Kevin and RCR." SceneDaily