Blickensderfer replaces Mike Ford, who served as crew chief of the No. 9 team without a contract. Ford is said to have been offered a crew chief job at BK Racing.

Luke Lambert, crew chief of RCR’s No. 2 Nationwide Series team and driver Elliott Sadler, will take over as crew chief of the No. 31 Sprint Cup team in 2013.

In the interim, Shane Wilson will serve as crew chief for Burton and the No. 31.

Team owner Richard Childress said:

I want to thank Drew for all of his effort with the No. 31 Caterpillar team this season. He’s a great crew chief and I can’t say enough about his dedication to RCR. Making the move now, before the season is over, gives Drew some additional time to pursue other opportunities.

Gil Martin will replace Wilson as Harvick’s crew chief. Martin served as Harvick’s crew chief from 2009 until 2011, when he was replaced by Wilson.

Wilson will remain with the organization, but team owner Richard Childress indicated that he wasn’t sure in what capacity. Childress also called Martin’s position a “temporary situation,” indicating that Harvick could have a different crew chief in the future.

Harvick and Wilson struggled this season, though they sit eighth in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Harvick has three top 5s, and nine top 10s. After 23 races in 2011, Harvick was third in points, with three wins, six top 5s, and 11 top 10s. It has been 33 races since Harvick’s last win.

The appeals committee upheld the 150-point penalty NASCAR issued to Richard Childress Racing after it determined during an inspection at NASCAR’s research and development center that Clint Bowyer’s race-winning Loudon Chevy exceeded NASCAR-mandated height requirements.

Richard Childress brought in an accident reconstruction expert who said that the appeals committed paid no attention to his testimony.

The team was warned of problems with the height of the rear of its cars after Bowyer’s Richmond Chevy, which he used to race his way into the Chase, was dangerously close to the height tolerance thresholds. As a result, the team was told that its New Hampshire Chevy would be tested, regardless of how it finished on the track.

The following week, Bowyer drove his Chevy to victory lane, and second in the Sprint Cup Series points. The car passed post-race inspection. And, as promised, NASCAR took the car to its R&D center for further evaluation.

The car was found to be “the width of a quarter” to high on the left rear. The team was penalized for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3 (car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications) of the NASCAR rule book.

Crew Chief Shane Wilson was fined $150,000 and suspended for the next six races and placed on probation for the remainder of the calendar year. Car chief Chad Haney was also suspended for the next six races and placed on probation until Dec. 31.

Clint Bowyer was penalized 150 driver points, dropping him from second in the standings to 12th, and Richard Childress was penalized 150 owner points.

During his media availability at Dover International Speedway, Bowyer ehemently defended his team’s integrity. He asked:

Who in their right mind, knowing that they’re going to take that car, wouldn’t have made triple sure that that thing was right before it went to the race track?

He added:

I think NASCAR has a lot of problems with a lot of cars on the racetrack being out of the box, and I think they needed to set an example.

He also said that he did not think the issue enhanced his performance.

His team argued that the height problem could have been the result of the wrecker pushing him to victory lane. That contention and several others were later questioned by Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin called Bowyer’s contention that the height issue didn’t give him an advantage “a crock.” He also indicated that RCR had been warned before and that the garage area knew that the team was having issues with pushing the limits on height.

Hamlin’s comments were made after Bowyer pointed out that Jimmie Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevy and Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had to go through post-race inspection because they failed the height sticks the first time.

Richard Childress later weighed in on the matter, telling the media that he could look everyone in the garage area in the eyes because he knows the team hasn’t cheated to get where it is. He also said he could assure everyone that the cars were legal.

In upholding the penalty, however, NASCAR disagreed. In a statement, the appeals panel wrote:

Claims that the wrecker caused the infraction were negated by the telemetry from the car which did not show a sharp impact spike; by the fact that the rear template still fit snugly across the entire rear of the car; by a visual inspection of the rear of the car which showed nothing of note in the way of damage; and a visual review of the videotape of post race assistance tendered by the wrecker which appeared as relatively gentle pushing.

RCR can appeal the penalty to John Middlebrook, NASCAR’s Chief  Appellate Officer, and Childress has indicated that he plans to do so if necessary, according to SceneDaily.com.

During practice at Dover, Kevin Harvick, Bowyer’s teammate, got into it with Hamlin apparently upset with the comments made about his teammate and owner, and ultimately damaged his car. The two have since made up, they say.

Update: NASCAR’s Chief  Appellate Officer, John Middlebrook, upheld the points penalty issued by NASCAR for Clint Bowyer’s race-winning, Loudon Chevy. But, he reduced the fine from $150,000 to $100,000, and the suspensions of crew chief Shane Wilson, and car chief Chad Haney from six weeks to four.

Middlebrook said in a statement:

After reviewing all the data, presentation and factors involved, I am ruling NASCAR was correct in its decision to levy penalties. I believe that the revisions that have been made to the penalties are consistent and fair to both parties involved.

The car initially passed post-race inspection. But, upon further review at the research and development center, issues with the car were discovered.

On Wednesday, RCR was penalized by NASCAR for infractions found on the NH car. The No. 33 team  was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3 (car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications) of the NASCAR rule book.

Crew Chief Shane Wilson was fined $150,000 and suspended for the next six races and placed on probation for the remainder of the calendar year. Car chief Chad Haney was also suspended for the next six races and placed on probation until Dec. 31.

Clint Bowyer was penalized 150 driver points, dropping him from second in the standings to 12th, and Richard Childress was penalized 150 owner points.

The Richmond car, which Bowyer drove to a Chase-clinching, sixth-place finish and was chosen for a random inspection after the race. Once the car was analyzed at the research and development center, the rear end of the car was found to be very close to mandated tolerance levels. The team was warned, but not penalized for the Richmond car.

Update: Richard Childress Racing is appealing the penalty, according to ESPN. As a result, Shane Wilson can remain on the pit box until the appeal is heard. NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton expects that to occur next week. 

RCR is claiming that Bowyer’s car was found to be higher than legal thresholds in the back because the car was pushed by the wrecker after it ran out of gas following the wreck, and possibly because of contact during the race.