RCR ANNOUNCES 2007 DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Source: David Hart
Date: 01/31/2007

WELCOME, N.C. -- Richard Childress Racing (RCR) will run its 2007 Driver Development Program through the Golden Gate Racing Team (GGRT) with drivers Tim McCreadie and Ryan Foster competing in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series.

GGRT, headed by Jim Offenbach, competed in the NASCAR Grand National Division West Series from 1997 to 1999 with a lineup of drivers that included Mike Skinner, Mike Dillon, Steve Portenga and Jay Sauter. Portenga, who finished fifth in the final standings in 1999 while driving the GGRT entry in the series, will serve as the team’s crew chief this year.

“Tim and Ryan have both achieved a lot in their racing careers so the goal is to take the RCR Driver Development Program to the next level,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “We’ve had a great relationship with Jim Offenbach and the Golden Gate Racing Team over the years and we look forward to continuing to build on that success this year with Tim and Ryan.”

Foster will run the No. 21 Golden Gate Meat Company Chevrolet in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series. The Anderson, Calif., native is a seven-time go-kart track champion who won two of the four North State Challenge Series Super Late Model events he competed in last year for GGRT.

McCreadie, of Watertown, N.Y., will drive the No. 29 Golden Gate Meat Company Chevrolet in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series and selected NASCAR Busch Series events for RCR. The 2006 World of Outlaws Late Model champion, 2006 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals champion and 2006 Eastern Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year will also continue to run his own dirt late model program.

“We are looking forward to working with the RCR Driver Development Program once again,” said Jim Offenbach, owner of Golden Gate Racing Team. “I believe Ryan has the talent, the passion and the mechanical knowledge to run up front. With Richard’s help, and the experience of crew chief Steve Portenga, we believe we have a winning package! I am also looking forward to working with Tim McCreadie who, as Richard tells me, is one heck of a driver.”

RCR’s Driver Development Program is in its third year of competition. In 2005, Allison Duncan became the first Drive for Diversity competitor to win a feature race, claiming victory in a NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series event at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway. Other RCR Driver Development alumni include Clint Bowyer, Kerry Earnhardt, Peyton Sellers, Sarah Fisher and Peter Hernandez.

For more information on the Golden Gate Racing Team, visit their website at www.goldengateracing.com.

Richard Childress Racing (www.rcrracing.com) has earned more than 150 victories and 10 NASCAR championships, including six in the NEXTEL Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. It was the first organization to win championships in the NEXTEL Cup Series, Busch Series and Truck Series. Its 2007 NEXTEL Cup Series lineup includes Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s), Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell) and Jeff Burton (No. 31 Cingular Wireless). Its Busch Series lineup includes Clint Bowyer (No. 2 BB&T), Harvick and Timothy Peters (No. 21 AutoZone) and Burton and Scott Wimmer (No. 29 Holiday Inn).

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