WELCOME, N.C. (May 29, 2002) — The faces remain the same but the uniforms they wear and the drivers they work with will change.

Richard Childress Racing (RCR) crew chief Kevin Hamlin and many current members of the No. 29 Goodwrench Service NASCAR Winston Cup team will swap places with fellow RCR crew chief Gil Martin and many current members of the No. 31 Cingular Wireless team starting at next weekend’s Pocono 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. In essence, Hamlin and his group will become the Cingular Wireless crew for driver Robby Gordon while Martin and his group will become the GM Goodwrench Service crew for driver Kevin Harvick.

"We’re making this move to help the GM Goodwrench Service and Cingular Wireless teams and all of RCR," said Richard Childress, President and CEO of Richard Childress Racing Enterprises, Inc. "The results of our performances this season have not been up to expectations. Jeff Green and the America Online team have had the best results so far and are showing a lot of promise for the second half of the year so we’re not going to change what they have been building on. But the 29 and 31 teams are down enough in the points right now that it makes the most sense to make some changes between the two. Kevin (Hamlin), Gil and all of the guys in the shop haven’t forgotten how to build and prepare race cars and Kevin (Harvick) and Robby still know how to win races so it’s just a matter of getting the right people in the right places. We’ve made changes like this before and it’s worked out and we’re confident that it will again."

Through the May 26 Coca-Cola Racing Family 600, the No 30 America Online team is 23rd in points, the No. 31 Cingular Wireless team is 29th and the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Service team is 33rd.

Hamlin is actually moving back to where he began at RCR. He was the No. 31 team’s crew chief during its inaugural NASCAR Winston Cup season in 1997 until midway through the 1998 season when he swapped places with former RCR crew chief Larry McReynolds.

Hamlin has earned seven NASCAR Winston Cup victories in 273 races (1994-Present), five with the late Dale Earnhardt (three in 1999, two in 2000) and two with Harvick (2001). Martin has earned one NASCAR Winston Cup victory (Nov. 23, 2001, with Gordon) in 87 races (54 from 1993-97, 33 from 2000-Present).