Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Texas Motor Speedway … In 97 starts at Texas Motor Speedway dating back to 1997, RCR has recorded one win (Jeff Burton, April 2007), eight top-five and 31 top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Green, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman. Prior to Texas Motor Speedway’s inaugural season in 1997, Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, earned a pair of top-10 finishes at the now defunct Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams boast an average starting position of 19.2, an average finishing position of 17th and have completed 31,363 of the 32,347 contested laps (97 percent) with 140 laps led at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth-based race track.

RCR in the MENCS … In 2,754 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,106 wins, 477 top-five finishes and 1,034 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 16.1. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR XFINITY Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.

This Week’s Dow Energy & Water Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway… Dillon has eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts to his credit at Texas Motor Speedway. He earned his best finish of 11th at the track in in November 2015 and his best starting position of first in November 2016. In nine XFINITY Series starts, Dillon has not finished worse than eighth at the 1.5-mile track, acquiring his best finish of third in April 2013 and November 2015 (polesitter). In five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Texas, Dillon has earned two top-five finishes, one pole award and has led 76 laps.

Dow Energy & Water … Taking Care of Our Most Precious Resources … As the world’s population continues to increase and new economies emerge, society requires novel solutions to meet its most basic needs, like water and energy. Dow is a leader in developing technologies to address these challenges in meaningful ways.

On a Roll … Dillon has secured season-best finishes back-to-back, placing 11th at Auto Club Speedway and fifth at Martinsville Speedway.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
How do you approach the first practice at Texas Motor Speedway with the new track surface?
“I’m going to try and approach it as an opportunity. You want to try different things when you can and be aggressive and see if you can find speed because you might hit on something really quick that will give you an advantage throughout the weekend because it’s the first race there. It’s one of those places you try to be aggressive and learn as much as you can.”

This Week’s Dutch Boy / Menards Chevrolet SS at Texas Motor Speedway … Menard has 21 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile track. He has one top-five and three top-10 finishes to his credit and has completed 95.6 percent of laps in competition.

About Dutch Boy … Founded in 1907, Dutch Boy® paints continues to be an industry leader in delivering innovative and high-quality products and packaging solutions, and is one of the most recognizable brands in the market over 100 years later. In recent years, a new vitality, a youthfulness, and the promise of Simple Solutions have also shaped the brand. Heritage and trust has been brought to life with energy and empowerment, inspiring DIYers and paint enthusiasts for generations to come.

Meet Menard … Visit the Team Chevy display, located in the Texas Motor Speedway midway, on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT for a Q&A with Menard.

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
Texas Motor Speedway is going to look completely different when we get there this weekend. They changed the entrance to Turn 1, repaved the surface and helped with the drainage. In the end, it is still a 1.5-mile track. How do you like racing there?
“I’m going into the race this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway with the mindset that we’ve never raced there before. It’s a completely new track. We will basically throw out the old notebook and start fresh. It’ll be different and I’m looking forward to getting on the track Friday for our first practice session.”

This Week’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS at Texas Motor Speedway … Ryan Newman will make his 554th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start in the seventh event of the 2017 season. He is also looking to capture his second victory of the year and second-career victory at TMS when he makes his 28th Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile track. His win came in the spring of 2003. The Rocket Man also won the pole for both Cup Series events in 2005 to complete the sweep. In total, he owns three top-five and six top-10 finishes. The South Bend, Indiana native has an average start of 16.1 and average finish of 18.4. In the last eight races at TMS, Newman is ranked ninth in most championship points earned.

WINNER, WINNER … Newman punched his ticket to the MENCS playoffs with a victory at Phoenix Raceway on March 19th. The driver earned his 18th-career Cup Series win and RCR’s 106th.

Age of Smart Iron … Caterpillar has spent over 90 years committed to innovation and technology that helps customers succeed. What was important then is even more important now, in an age when advancements come faster and more frequently than ever before. An age where connectivity drives productivity and industry evolves. This is the Age of Smart Iron. Watch this video. For more information about Caterpillar, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.

Featured Caterpillar Dealers … HOLT CAT® and Warren Cat are the featured Cat dealers for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.
HOLT CAT® sells, rents and services Caterpillar® machines, engines, generator sets and trucks in a 118-county Texas territory spanning from the Red River to the Rio Grande. HOLT offers total machine and engine rebuild capabilities, sells used equipment around the world and fabricates its own line of land clearing equipment and HOLT Spray King® water tankers. HOLT is the dealer for Link-Belt Cranes in the Eastern half of Texas as well as the El Paso area. They are the dealer for AGCO/Challenger and Claas farm equipment for the Eastern half of Texas and portions of Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana. SITECH Tejas, another division of HOLT, is the authorized dealer for Trimble Heavy and Highway construction products and services, as well as AccuGrade grade-control products in the same 118 county territory of Texas.

The Holt name has been associated with heavy equipment and Caterpillar for over 100 years. Peter M. Holt, Chief Executive Officer of HOLT CAT, is the great-grandson of Benjamin Holt, who in 1904 developed the first successful track-type tractor which he named the “Caterpillar.” HOLT CAT has come to be synonymous with quality, integrity and commitment to customer service. The HOLT CAT team is committed to providing rock solid stability with superior products and services to heavy equipment and engine users from Brownsville to Texarkana, Texas. For more information, visit www.holtcat.com.
Warren CAT proudly serves customers throughout 15 locations in West Texas and the State of Oklahoma. Dedicated to providing customers complete solutions for their equipment needs, from heavy machinery to industrial engines, Warren CAT is segmented by five divisions to better serve the needs of our customers: Heavy Construction/Governmental, Rental/General Construction, Engines/Generators and Parts & Service. Warren’s capabilities extend beyond their ability to offer the leading name in heavy equipment by dedicating their focus to providing customers with the finest service in the industry. As part of the Caterpillar dealer network, Warren’s product support capabilities are vast, offering customers universal support at a local level.

Meet Ryan … Ryan Newman is scheduled to participate in a fan question and answer session on Sunday at approximately 9:10 a.m. CDT at the Team Chevy stage. The stage is located in the Texas Motor Speedway midway.

Rescue Ranch Playground Project … Ryan and Krissie Newman are in the midst of a $400,000 fundraising project for Rescue Ranch. It is a community wide effort that will benefit countless children annually. The fully-inclusive playground will be 10,000 sq./ft. and encompasses a barrier-free option for children of all abilities to play together. The official ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for June 3. For more information, please watch: https://youtu.be/Iwg63IVTOHs.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading into Texas Motor Speedway?
“Texas has always been a fast track. With the repave, I am not really sure how fast it’s going to be with the tire combination that we have. If you have good corner speed, it seems like you can look at it from the air with the exception of the back straightway and see that it’s a big circle.”

What are your thoughts on the repave and the reconfiguration of Turns 1 and 2?
“I have only seen some pictures of it so when I get there I will be able to access it. I look forward to going there because a lot of effort has gone into it to make it better and I hope to see that it is better.”

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Texas Motor Speedway… In 71 Series starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, RCR has captured five victories with driver Kevin Harvick (2001, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2012). The Welcome, North Carolina, organization has completed 13,261 laps of the 13,965 (95 percent) that they have competed. RCR has accumulated three pole awards, 20 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes, led 896 laps and averages a starting position of 10.8 and finishing position of 11.6.

Auto Club Review … Ty Dillon was RCR’s top finisher in 10th-place. Rookie of the Year contender Daniel Hemric finished 11th, Brandon Jones 32nd, Brendan Gaughan 33rd and Paul Menard 36th, respectively, in the Service King 300 XFINITY Series race at Auto Club Speedway.

The Points …All three RCR XFINITY Series full-time drivers remain in the top 15 of the driver point standings as the Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the sixth event of the season. Daniel Hemric is currently seventh, Brandon Jones is 13th and Brendan Gaughan is 14th, respectively. The No. 2 and No. 3 RCR teams are 10th and 11th in the owner point standings, respectively. Daniel Hemric is currently secondin the XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.

Catch the Action … Coverage of this week’s My Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas Motor Speedway will be televised live Friday, April 8, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on FS1. It will also be broadcast live on Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.

This Week’s Ruud Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway … In nine NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Dillon has not finished worse than eighth at the 1.5-mile track, acquiring his best finish of third in April 2013 and November 2015 (polesitter).

Ruud Returns … Like RCR, Ruud is a pioneer in reliable performance. In 1889, Edwin Ruud invented the first automatic gas water heater and since then, the Ruud brand has grown into one of North America’s largest and most respected makers of quality heating, cooling and water heating products for residential and light commercial use. The Ruud reputation for engineering excellence, reliability, strength and top performance has been consistently recognized by leading consumer publications as a brand that can be trusted to deliver efficient, reliable performance day in and day out. Today, the proud performance histories of Ruud and RCR come together to serve as the cornerstones of future championship performance of two great brands, Austin Dillon and the No. 2 RCR-Ruud NASCAR XFINITY Series team. http://www.rheem.com/hybridsavings/?&utm_source=/hybrid/&utm_medium=vanityURL&utm_campaign=vanityURL#

By the Numbers … According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon ranks third in the closers category in the XFINITY Series at Texas Motor Speedway. His RCR teammate Paul Menard leads the category in NXS competition at TMS.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Texas Motor Speedway has a similar layout to Kentucky Motor Speedway. Different banking at different ends of the racetrack. Did that play with you guys much last year and throw you off?
“It really did at Kentucky. Kentucky at the start of the race it was a whole different ballgame than what we practiced in. So, I think the hardest thing will be hitting the balance for the race. Practice and qualifying should be okay, but race pace will be different.”

This Week’s Bulwark/Oncor Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway …Ty Dillon has experienced his share of success at Texas Motor Speedway over the years. In his fifth start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the 1.5-mile track, Dillon captured the win in November 2013 after leading 130 of 147 laps. He has finished inside of the top 10 in all five of his Truck Series starts. With seven starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Dillon has never finished outside of the top 20. His best finish in the series at Texas came in the fall of 2015 when he took the checkered flag in fifth place. He made his only Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at the track in the spring of 2016 and finished in the 20th position. He will make his second series start there this weekend.

Bulwark’s priority is your safety … Bulwark brings 44 years of frontline experience to the realities that businesses face every day, helping them to navigate an ever-changing sea of standards and surrounding them with ideas, illustrations and alerts that help make safety a shared priority. Bulwark offers the finest flame-resistant apparel and FR education programs the world has ever seen.

Meet Dillon … Dillon will make a stop at the Team Chevy stage in the Texas Motor Speedway fan midway on Sunday morning, where he will be answering fan questions and signing autographs, starting at 9:45 a.m. local time.

TY DILLON QUOTES:
Do you look forward to racing at Texas because of the success you’ve experienced there in the past?
“I’m ready to get my No. 3 Bulwark/Oncor Chevrolet Camaro down to Texas. It’s definitely a trip that I have circled on my calendar each year. It has always fit my driving style. I have a Truck Series win there, and I’ve always run pretty well in the XFINITY Series when we go out there. It’s going to be interesting to see what notes from previous races will still apply and what won’t with the track’s reconfiguration.”

What are you expecting to be different with the track’s repave?
“I was very surprised by the announcement of the repave. I think it’s going to be a little bit tough to get a handle on it at first. It seems like every time you repave a track, it’s tough for the first couple of years. There have been some tracks that we have had great racing right off the bat after a repave, so hopefully that is the case at Texas. It’s going to be extremely fast, so that just makes it a little bit tougher for the racing.”

This Week’s Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet Camaro at Texas Motor Speedway … Hemric will be making his first NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Texas Motor Speedway in the My Bariatric Solutions 300 this weekend. The 2017 XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year contender has four starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the 1.5-mile speedway, with one top five, three top 10s, an average start of 4.2, an average finish of 9.0 and 57 laps led.

Meet the Driver … Hemric will answer fan questions and sign autographs at the Team Chevy stage on Friday, April 7, starting at noon local time.

Meet the Press … Hemric will be part of an XFINITY Series media availability with the NASCAR press corps on Friday, April 7, starting at 10:30 a.m. local time. The media availability session will be streamed on NASCAR.com/presspass.

Going Social … Go behind the scenes on race day as Hemric will be taking over the Texas Motor Speedway Snapchat account on Saturday, April 8. Follow his adventures leading up to the race with txmotorspeedway on Snapchat.

Rearview Mirror: Auto Club Speedway … Starting from the outside of the front row, Hemric was able to secure playoff points by finishing 10th during the opening stage of the race. The team lost a tire on pit road midway through the event, but Hemric was able to fight back in the No. 21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet to earn an 11th-place finish, his fourth top-15 finish of the season.

About Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff … Smokey Mountain is America’s original and best-selling tobacco-free smokeless brand. Appealing to adult smokeless tobacco consumers who are seeking tobacco-free and nicotine-free alternatives, Smokey Mountain is available in long cut and easy-to-use pouches. For more information visit SmokeySnuff.com.

DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
You have had good runs at Texas Motor Speedway in the Camping World Truck Series, will that transfer over to the XFINITY Series?
“I always had a ton of success in the Camping World Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway. For whatever reason, it just fit me. I always had a really solid handle on things. We would always practice during the day and race at night, and I had a good balance with that. Texas was always a track that I had a great feel for where I needed to be in practice in order to be good during the race. Finding that balance is one of the biggest transitions you make from short-track racing to NASCAR. I had a solid handling on that and now the track is repaved.”

Texas Motor Speedway is going to look completely different when we get there this weekend. They have changed the entrance to Turn 1, repaved the surface and helped with the drainage. In the end, it is still a 1.5-mile track. How do you like racing there?
“It’s going to be a learning experience for everybody. Everyone always fought the entry into Turn 3 with it being so flat and Turn 1 usually felt good and stable as a driver. Now it’s going to be the same on both ends. Taking the banking out of Turn 1 and widening the racetrack is going to promote good racing. Wherever you slide to in the corner is going to be your next throttle point. I think the racetrack is going to widen out even more than it has in the past. We’ll go there and learn on the fly and hopefully put on a good show for the fans and everyone from Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff.”

This Week’s Freightliner Chevrolet Camaro at Texas Motor Speedway… Brandon Jones has two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, one of which resulted in a ninth-place finish in April 2016. Additionally, the 20-year-old driver has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts and one seventh place finish at the 1.5-mile track. Across all series, he has an average starting position at the track of 9.5 and average finish of 14.25.

Meet Brandon Jones… Jones will be available for a fan Q&A and autographs when he appears at the Team Chevy stage at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, April 7. Fans can also catch Jones at the track midway when he sits down with local radio stations KRVF and KKAJ starting at noon local on Friday, April 7.

Keep on Truckin’ … Richard Childress Racing has been associated with Freightliner Trucks since 2009. This weekend Freightliner Trucks will be on board the No. 33 Chevrolet as a primary partner for the My Bariatric Solutions 300. Freightliner Trucks is a division of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets Class 5-8 trucks and is a Daimler company, the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer. For more information, go to Freightliner.com.

BRANDON JONES QUOTES:
It was a tale of two finishes at Texas last year for the No. 33 team. Ninth in the spring race and 19th in the fall. What was the difference between the two races and what’s the plan for this upcoming race?
“I can’t remember exactly what happened, but Texas is usually a good track for us. It’s pretty similar to Charlotte and we’re normally pretty good there, so I expect us to run well at Texas. I know the track has changed the configuration and banking around a little bit and repaved it, so we’ll probably have a lot of grip and the racing will be a lot of fun. I always enjoy going to Texas and have fun with my time there, so I’m excited for it.”

Is Texas a track that you think needed to be repaved? No one wanted Atlanta repaved, but with Texas no one seemed to put up a fight.
“I don’t think the repave will make too much of a difference at Texas. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind repaving Atlanta either. So many guys are used to running the old surface and like the slipping and sliding, but you get a ton of grip if you repave, which helps with overall drive. Some people like it to be harder to drive, but I think it’ll be fun with the grip. It’ll be a good race for us in the No. 33 Freightliner Chevrolet.”

This Week’s South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolet Camaro … In 10 NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Gaughan has completed 1,945 laps of the 2,005 (97 percent) that he has competed. The Las Vegas native averages a starting position of 14.9 and a finishing position of 19.0 at the 1.5-mile speedway.

Historically Speaking … Gaughan has been successful at the Fort Worth, Texas, track holding a two-year streak of four consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories in 2002 and 2003, the first driver in series history to win four consecutive times at the same track. He was inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2003 as the TMS Racer of the Year. Over the course of a 20-year career in NASCAR’s top three touring series Gaughan has accumulated 30 starts at ‘The Great American Speedway,’ turning 4,992 laps and leading 210 of those laps. He has four victories and nine top-five finishes.

Meet the Press … Gaughan will be part of an XFINITY Series media availability with the NASCAR press corps on Friday, April 7, starting at 10:30 a.m. local time. The media availability session will be streamed on NASCAR.com/presspass.

South Point Cowboys … Did you know that the South Point Hotel and Casino features a world-class arena and equestrian center? The South Point Arena features seating for 4,600 people and an equestrian center comprised of two additional Priefert Pavilions and a practice arena totaling over 85,000 square feet. The arena includes two state of the art barns with almost 1200 stalls, available video feeds and indoor loading and unloading. The arena and equestrian center host over 24 events each year and is recognized as the finest indoor equestrian facility in the country. For more information visit southpointarena.com.

Meet Gaughan … Gaughan is scheduled to appear at the Team Chevy display located in the fan midway Friday, April 7, beginning at 12:30 p.m. local time.

BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
Texas Motor Speedway, a place special to your heart, but now it has changed. What are your thoughts on the track’s recent repave?
“It is one of my favorite places in life to race. We are all going to be in a ‘let’s see what happens’ mode. They reconfigured the track, which is the hitch in everyone’s giddy up. We will find out what the car is like when we get there. I have raced there when it was new asphalt, old asphalt and when it was original. I have been there through all the stages, and I can tell you this, I love Texas Motor Speedway no matter what era it is.”