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Furniture Row Racing Feeling Upbeat About RCR Alliance, Early Results
Joe Garone, general manager of Furniture Row Racing, said the team's new technical and engineering alliance with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has already had a positive impact.
"It's been approximately six weeks since we formed an alliance with RCR, and we can already feel a special synergy between the two organizations," said Garone. "We're being treated as a teammate of RCR's multicar operation, and it's exciting to be aligned with one of the elite NASCAR Sprint Cup organizations. With the data sharing process going both ways, it will no doubt be a valuable asset for Furniture Row Racing and RCR."
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Garone added that as the alliance with RCR moves forward, the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy, driven by Regan Smith, will be under the same chassis program as the three RCR teams of Kevin Harvick's No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, Jeff Burton's No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet and Clint Bowyer's No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet.
Garone also wanted to clear up any confusion about Furniture Row's engine program.
"We are again running Hendrick engines," Garone said. "This is our third full season of having Hendrick horsepower under the hood of the Furniture Row Chevy."
Garone said he is upbeat about the No. 78 team's performance. After suffering an early accident and a 39th-place finish at the season opening Daytona 500, Smith and the Furniture Row team have rebounded with finishes of 19th in California, 21st in Las Vegas and 14th in Atlanta. Smith is 26th in driver points.
"We made a number of personnel moves during the off-season, and you can sense that we have a special team chemistry," said Garone. "We still have a ways to go, but the key right now is that we're heading in the right direction."
The three RCR Cup teams are off to an incredible start. Harvick is first in driver points, Bowyer is fifth and Burton is sixth.
"Looking at the current standings, it's obvious that we find ourselves in a great position," stated Garone. "It's an exciting time at Furniture Row Racing."
PaddockTalk Perspective
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