Ryan Newman seeking to end Richard Childress Racing championship drought

There was a time when Richard Childress Racing regularly won NASCAR Cup championships. That was when Dale Earnhardt driving the famous No. 3 car took six titles in a nine-year span.

But since Earnhardt’s last championship in 1994, RCR has been shut out. It’s a drought that could end Sunday, when Ryan Newman, who joined RCR this season, enters the deciding race at Homestead-Miami Speedway as one of four drivers eligible for the championship.

If he can finish better Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick or Denny Hamlin it will be Newman’s first and RCR’s seventh series title.

“It’s great to have an opportunity to run for the championship,” Childress said. “We’ve been in there several years with the opportunity to win it, but never pulled it off. To have Ryan in the car this year and knowing his ability and everyone at RCR is really hungry for that championship, and we’re just going to go out and give it our all.”

Since 1994, Earnhardt twice finished runner-up in the championship, and Harvick, who left RCR at the end of last season to join Stewart-Haas Racing, placed third three times in four years. But in each instance, neither Earnhardt nor Harvick entered the finale with a better chance than Newman has on Sunday.

“We’ve been right there, but we haven’t been able to close it off,” Childress said. “It’s great to be here and be in the final four and have a good shot at it.”

That Newman’s advanced to the final four is considered a bit of a surprise. Whereas Harvick, Logano and Hamlin have won a combined 10 races, Newman is winless. Perhaps more indicative of why he’s been labeled an underdog, Newman has just four top-five finishes, a stark contrast to Logano (16), Harvick (13) and Hamlin (seven).

Nonetheless, Newman dismisses the idea of being long shot just because he hasn’t won a race. He’s made it this far in the multi-bracketed Chase due to consistency and an ability to avoid disastrous results.

Through nine playoff races, Newman’s finished no worse than 18th, a stretch good enough to get him to the championship round by the slimmest of margins -- one point over Jeff Gordon, who won four races in 2014.

“I didn’t know Cinderella was a race car driver,” Newman said. “For me really it’s just another opportunity. ... It’s really a storybook, I guess in some form or fashion. But hopefully we can get through Sunday and write our own book.”

And if Newman can pull the surprise and win a championship few expected, it would be special for myriad reasons.

“Obviously, it would be awesome for myself personally, for my family and all my friends,” Newman said. “At the same time, to know that I’m driving for somebody that has a lot of history in our sport, that history being with a very dominant driver 20 years ago, previously winning the championship with Dale Earnhardt, so that is special.

“But, selfishly, I’m all about me when it comes to this. It really is a dream opportunity for all of us. For myself, for [crew chief] Luke Lambert, who’s never even been to victory lane in the Cup Series, for Richard, for all our sponsors. It’s my steering wheel. That’s what my goal is.”