Richard Childress Racing not taking 07 car to Daytona 500!!

Richard Childress Racing has abandoned a plan to bring its No. 07 to the Daytona 500 next month, electing to bring only the Chevrolets that are fully funded for the 2010 season.


The No. 07, which was driven last year by Casey Mears, lost its sponsor when Jack Daniel's departed after five seasons with RCR. Because of its 21st-place finish in the 2009 points standings, the car was guaranteed a spot in the first five races of the 2010 season.

NASCAR.com had reported last month that RCR would bring the No. 07 to the Daytona 500 and possibly to other races depending on sponsorship.

But an RCR spokesman said Wednesday that plan had been scrapped, and the Impalas of Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer would be the only RCR entries at Daytona. Mears, who joined RCR in '09 after two seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, hasn't announced a ride yet this year.

Last year was the first season in which RCR ran four cars, and none qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

RCR seemingly would have the option of dealing the No. 07 points to another team. According to NASCAR.com, Roush Fenway Racing, which needed to reduce its fleet from five cars to four, recently cut a deal to transfer the points from its defunct No. 26 (which finished 22nd in the 2009 points) to Latitude 43 Motorsports. The move is expected to guarantee the start-up team a spot in the Daytona 500.