Richard Childress knew before the end of last season that the 2008 Sprint Cup season would be competitive.

He didn't expect Hendrick Motorsports to stand pat despite a 1-2 finish by two-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time champion Jeff Gordon. He knew Joe Gibbs Racing committed to Toyota because it was confident it could win with Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.

Then, Roush Fenway Racing thrust itself into the championship picture as Carl Edwards won three races. And while Matt Kenseth struggles, Greg Biffle and David Ragan are putting themselves in Chase contention.

So, Childress knows he made a good move in the offseason by taking the necessary steps to heighten the competitive edge of the RCR trio -- South Boston's Jeff Burton, third-year driver Clint Bowyer and 2007 Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick.

"We worked extremely hard during the winter to put ourselves in position to win," Childress said. "We all feel good about where we are right now."

The result of Childress reaching deep into his bank account and a more strenuous testing program is likely to put all three drivers back in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, despite what looks like greater competition.

"It is no more, 'Richard, give us 30 horsepower and we will go out and win these races,'" Bowyer said. "We just need 5 percent in every category right now, and I think we will be where we need to be."

The tide has turned this season for RCR. All three were in the top five in the Sprint Cup points standing before a 39th-place finish dropped Harvick to ninth.

"There is no question that we're better than we were three years ago," Burton said. "We couldn't put ourselves in position to do the things we needed to do."

Burton, who won in Bristol, is second in Cup points behind Busch. Bowyer, who picked up his second career victory at Richmond International Raceway, is fifth.

"Clint appreciates a great deal the fact that he's been able to win twice on this level, and I think he appreciates how hard it is to do it," Burton said. "I don't think Clint left Richmond thinking everything is perfect, now we'll go win 50."

However, a confident Bowyer and Harvick are feeling much better about the team's chances of consistency running with the lead pack.

"We're all wanting to take it to that next level," said Harvick. "We can luck into wins like [Bowyer] did [at RIR], but we're not where Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are. We're able to put ourselves in position where we have a chance to win if something goes wrong with those guys."

The Childress trio is competitive. And they are excited about the possibility of fighting it out for the championship.

"Winning gives so much confidence and so much momentum to the team," Bowyer said. "It's all about being in the Chase at the end of the year."

All three will have a chance to relax this weekend. They'll compete in the all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.