With Scott Miller gone, Todd Berrier in, performance has improved for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton.  Only their third week together, the Berrier-Burton duo have posted two top-five finishes and a top-ten, with a second place effort in this past Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.  Miller was only able to manage just six top-ten finishes and three-top five finishes with Burton in 32 races.

However, Miller is still highly credited by driver Jeff Burton for improved performance, as he is still much involved as RCR’s new director of competition.

"We're working hard, and we're by no means going to take what we've got moving into next year," Burton said. "That's what we did this year and look where it got us. We're going to keep working to make our stuff better.”

“It’s just a team effort,” he continued. “Todd Berrier obviously is doing a great job.  Scott Miller is doing a great job at what he needs to do.  We’re just rallying around everyone’s effort.  We’ve got a ways to go, but we’re digging.”

Miller was satisfied to have two RCR top-ten performances at Phoenix this past weekend, with Clint Bowyer finishing seventh.

"I feel like we're gaining some ground," Miller said. "We've made some things better, and obviously Todd (Berrier) and (Jeff) Burton have hit it off very well. ... We've still got a long way to go to have the consistency and the speed of that Hendrick (Motorsports) lot but if we keep chipping away at it, I think we'll get there."

"I think (the improvement) has just been a matter of working hard in all areas,” he continued. “And it's really a matter of all the hard work that wasn't showing as improvement early in the year, finally showing up; because it takes a long time to put all those pieces together. Hopefully we can end this year on a high note with everybody and go into next year with some momentum."

MORE NASCAR NEWS