Burton says fourth team at RCR 'likely' for next year

LONG POND, Pa. -- If Jeff Burton is correct, he'll have a new teammate at Richard Childress Racing in 2008. But don't jump to any conclusions just yet as to who that new face might be.

When asked how likely it was that RCR will go to four teams, Burton said "I think it's likely. That could be a 50 percent chance, a 51 percent chance or a 90 percent chance, but I think it's likely."

Burton said there have been recent discussions about possible expansion. If that means adding Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the mix, Burton isn't saying. But if you read between the lines ...

Junior leaving DEI

Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of this season.

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"Obviously we can't divulge what's on our minds, but we have some exciting things that could happen and we have some exciting things that might not happen," Burton said. "There's a lot in the air right now that we don't 100 percent know what's going to happen there."

Burton said there are advantages to having a fourth car without affecting the chemistry currently in place at RCR.

"We believe that with the structure we have in place, with the people we have in place, with some modifications to those that we can absorb a fourth team and do a good job of it helping the other three teams and the other three teams helping it," Burton said. "The only reason that we want to do a fourth team is that we can add to the resource pool and hopefully we can gain an advantage and in some cases catch up with some people. That's the only reason we'd want to do it."

At the same time, Burton said there can be some negatives to expansion.

"Having a fourth team doesn't guarantee success," he said. "A matter of fact is it guarantees more challenges. Having a fourth team guarantees you have more to deal with and more problems that you're going to have to deal with than without a fourth team."

Still, Burton believes he's flexible enough to handle whatever decisions are made.

"I've been part of a one-car team, a two-car team that was really a three-car team but we really acted like it was a two-car team," Burton said. "I've been part of a five-car team, I've been part of a well-working three-car team. I've seen a lot of it and I can promise you that having more teams doesn't assure you more success.

"Having more resources that are well thought-out and a good game plan around those resources with a means of checks and balances helps you have success, but you have to be able to do all those things. If you can't do all those things then having more teams is actually a bad thing."

Since Junior's announcement last month that he will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season, speculation has focused on where he might land for next season. In addition to Childress -- who announced a joint venture with DEI to handle engine development -- Joe Gibbs and Bobby Ginn have been mentioned as possible suitors.