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Burton, Mears get new crew chiefs

Richard Childress Racing has announced further changes to its crew chief line-up, hoping to improve their performance ahead of next season

For the third time this year, the team has reshuffled top personnel within the organization, following one of its worst seasons ever as the squad failed to have any of its four drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The team has now moved Todd Berrier from his crew chief position with Casey Mears, to work alongside Jeff Burton from next weekend's race at Martinsville. Berrier had started the season working with Kevin Harvick, which means this is his second move during the year.

Scott Miller, who had served as Burton's crew chief, will concentrate fully on his previously announced role as director of competition.

Meanwhile, Mears will work with Doug Randolph, who has served as crew chief of the team's Nationwide Series programme, where Burton, Clint Bowyer and Stephen Leicht have all taken turns behind the wheel this season.

Dan Deeringhoff will replace Randolph in the Nationwide series team. Randolph led Bowyer to the title last year and was originally the crew chief of the team's lone car at the start of the season, before moving to the outfit's driver development programme.

"I said previously that RCR would continue to adjust our team lineups in order to have the right personnel in place and this is the next step in that process," said team owner Richard Childress.

"Todd, Doug and Dan are all proven winners so the goal of these moves is to put them in the best situations to continue that success. I'm confident that making these changes now will be a benefit to the teams for the rest of this season as well as in preparing for 2010."

The moves mean that Mears will work with a third different crew chief during this year as earlier this season he had swapped crew chiefs with Harvick. He currently ranks 18th in the Sprint Cup standing - second among RCR's four drivers - but his future with the team is uncertain.

The current sponsor of his car has already announced they will not be back for next year and Childress has stated that a decision on the fate of Mears' #07 car will be made within the next month.

Meanwhile, Harvick will remain with the team for next year, although he has been reportedly looking for a future elsewhere in 2011.

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