Not even ten races into the 2009 season and a number of teams have begun to make changes in an effort to improve performance. With the competition level so high and the room for error so little, team owners have been forced to make changes now before it is too late and a successful season is lost.

After struggling out of the gate this season, Hall of Fame Racing officials have decided to try Ben Leslie out atop the pit box of the No. 96 driven by former champion Bobby Labonte. Leslie will be taking over for veteran Todd Parrot, who will remain with the team as a consultant for both the No. 96 and the No. 98 Yates Racing Ford.

“Ben’s experience with Ford Racing is really an asset to our organization,” Max Jones, co-owner of Yates Racing pointed out. “The No. 96 team is fortunate enough to have a Champion driver and a group of experts in the sport. I believe Ben will bring the right changes to this team to help it accomplish some solid finishes this season and climb a few positions in the points.”

“I’m looking forward to working with Ben,” driver Bobby Labonte explained. “He’s done a lot with Ford Racing specifically and I like that he has experience with many Champion drivers. I'm excited to see what we will do together on the track in the next few weeks.”

Throughout his career, Leslie has worked with drivers such as Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Ricky Rudd.

“We’ve got to get back to racing competitively and get this car a solid finish this weekend,” Labonte added. “We’ve lost some footing in the points and it’s time to start chipping away and gain a few spots. I know we have the resources to be better than we’ve been on a consistent basis so far this year and I’ve got faith in these guys that we’ll get the job done.”

In an attempt to keep up with the competition, Richard Childress Racing has also decided it was time to make changes. With the No. 29 and No. 07 teams struggling, team owner Richard Childress made the decision to swap the crews on the cars, making Todd Berrier the new crew chief of the No. 07 driven by Casey Mears and Gil Martin the crew chief of the No. 29 driven by Kevin Harvick.

“The decision to interchange the 29 and 07 teams was made to make both programs stronger and more successful,” Childress pointed out in a release. “Our main objective has always been to have all four of RCR’s teams qualify for the Chase For The Sprint Cup. 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 and the overall strength of RCR. We feel this change positions us to achieve that goal.

“Todd [Berrier] and Gil [Martin] are proven winners who have strong and successful teams behind them. Chemistry is an important part of any successful organization, and I felt it was time to change the makeup of these two teams. We’ve done this before with positive results.”

Right now, these two cars are lacking the positive results Childress expects. Harvick is battling a 79-race winless streak and has battled consistency all season. The team’s newest addition, Mears, is mired in 22nd in points and has finished outside the top-15 in all but one event (the Daytona 500 where he finished 15th).

Both Hall of Fame Racing and RCR are hoping these changes turn into positive results and work to salvage the season before it is too late. Harvick is a proven Chase contender and the No. 07 team has gotten the job done the last two years as well. Perhaps the switch is just what was needed to get these three cars back on track and moving forward.

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