RAD-ical Start to the 2000 Season

The new 2000 Chevy Monte Carlo was not quite ready for prime time when it made it's debut this season. NASCAR allowed changes to the front air dam prior to the race at Atlanta this spring which has helped increase the front down force significantly. However, some well funded teams still lag behind the competition while others have flourished. The top Chevy teams have one thing in common, they are all a part of the "RAD" partnership formed in December of 1998.

The "RAD" partnership between Richard Childress Racing, Andy Petree Racing, and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated has already paid great dividends. Louis Duncan was hired by "RAD" as their Chief Aero Engineer to get the 2000 Monte Carlo up to speed as quickly as possible. The results have been simply incredible as "RAD" teams have consistently outperformed their equally well funded Chevy counterparts this season. The Hendricks Motorsports juggernaut has yet to post a top five while Sabco Racing and Morgan McClure racing have also struggled.

Last year the five teams fielded by "RAD" members scored only one top five and five top tens at the first five down force tracks. In comparison their top Chevy counterparts of Hendricks Motorpsorts, Sabco Racing, and Morgan McClure posted four top fives and nine top tens between them with four different teams contributing. The results this year on the same five down force tracks visited by the Winston Cup circuit this year have shown a big change. The results have been more lopsided than last year but this year the "RAD" teams are on top. Four different "RAD" teams have combined to score 6 top five finishes this year versus zero for their Chevy counterparts. Top ten finishes have been more than double while "RAD" teams have led almost four times as many laps as their well funded foes.

It could be argued that the departure of Ray Evernham has hurt Hendricks Motorsports this year, however, big changes have also occurred at "RAD" teams. Dale Earnhardt Incorprated has started a brand new team this year while Andy Petree Racing has changed drivers and crew chiefs on the 33 team. Only two of the drivers making up the "RAD" partnership had visited victory lane in a Cup car prior to this season while four of the non-RAD drivers have won in the past. Despite this advantage in driver talent, "RAD" has still dominated so far this year even with more motor failures to this point in the season.

Richard Childress, Andy Petree, and Dale Earnhardt teamed up years ago to form a winning team. They have been reunited with the creation of the "RAD" partnership. This research and development advantage is the primary reason for their outperforming their

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