Harvick, Mears crews to swap places

WELCOME, N.C., April 22 (UPI) -- The crew chiefs of Sprint Cup drivers Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears will swap places after Sunday's Aaron's 499 race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Gil Martin and his crew will move to the No. 29 team of Harvick while Todd Berrier takes his crew over to No. 07 of Mears.

In a statement Wednesday from RCR president and CEO Richard Childress, the transition will include car chiefs, engineers, shock specialists, engine tuners, tire specialists, mechanics, transporter drivers and over-the-wall pit crews, with Harvick and Mears maintaining their 16th and 22nd places, respectively, in the Sprint Cup Series point standings after eight races.

"Our main objective has always been to have all four of RCR's teams qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup," Childress said. "Neither team has had the success this season that we know they're capable of, so we decided it was time to make a change to improve the two teams."