RCR Event Preview – Michigan

Richard Childress Racing at Michigan International Speedway … In 179 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the two-mile speedway, Richard Childress Racing has recorded three wins with drivers Dale Earnhardt (1987 & 1990) and Kevin Harvick (2010), plus 25 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes. Earnhardt scored a dominating victory in 1987, leading 152 of 200 laps and scored thrilling victory in 1990, edging Ernie Irvan by just .22 seconds (about two car lengths). The victory by Harvick was one of three wins he claimed in 2010, all on superspeedways, and his first at Michigan.    RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Michigan International Speedway … RCR has four victories in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Michigan: Kevin Harvick (2003), Paul Menard (2014), Austin Dillon (2018) and most recently Tyler Reddick (2019). The Welcome, N.C., team has claimed 13 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes in 50 starts at the 2.0-mile speedway.  Introducing the Carolina Cowboys … Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the PBR Team Series, an elite new league featuring the world’s top bull riders in games that began in July 2022. The team is operated by Richard Childress Racing with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Austin Dillon serving as General Manager. The second game of the inaugural PBR Team Series season is scheduled for this weekend, August 5-7, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.  Don’t Miss the Carolina Cowboys “Cowboy Days” … The inaugural “Cowboy Days” Home Stand for the Carolina Cowboys will take place on September 9-11 at Wake Forest’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Tickets are on sale at PBR.com and Ticketmaster. Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Michigan 250 at Michigan International Speedway will be televised live Saturday, August 6, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network and the NBC Sports App. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  Follow Sunday’s Action at Michigan … The Michigan 400 at the Michigan International Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, August 7 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network and the NBC Sports App. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 
       
This Week’s Dow MobilityScience Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway … In the last 17 NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan Speedway, Austin Dillon has five top-10 finishes and posted a career-best fourth-place finish in August 2018. Dillon won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2018 at the 2-mile speedway. Dow Brings a Science and Engineering Crew Who is Driven by Limitless Curiosity to the RCR Team … Austin Dillon and the RCR team are again supported by Dow’s materials science expertise and technologies this season. Backed by the power of data analysis and virtual modeling, Dow develops and manufactures high-performance components and materials custom-made for the No. 3 car. Dow and RCR’s partnership has expedited innovation and shortened testing time in the automotive industry by recreating in the lab one of the most extreme environments – the racetrack. After nine years of collaboration, Dow scientists and RCR engineers are continuing to work together to make the No. 3 car faster, safer and more precise. Stay up to date with Dow’s exciting developments at www.dow.com/sports and follow us on Twitter @DowSports & @DowNewsroom. Welcome, Dow MobilityScienceTM … Dow’s MobilityScience™ platform is designed to enhance the customer experience by tailoring technologies, products, and services from across Dow businesses to the transportation industry. The platform is pursuing accelerated growth by addressing Mobility mega-trends – where lighter weight, longer range, greater comfort, enhanced safety, and lower carbon footprint are the ultimate objectives. That is where Dow science, innovation, and people step in – working closely with customers to create the materials that bring the possibilities to life. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:What are your thoughts on Michigan International Speedway?“We had a strong Chevy at Michigan International Speedway last year, and I expect the same this year. I’m really looking forward to the race. Michigan is a place we’ve run well at in the past, and it’s a place we’ve circled to try and win and lock ourselves into the NASCAR Playoffs. 
This Week’s Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Michigan International Speedway … Tyler Reddick will be making his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Michigan International Speedway this weekend. Reddick has completed 99.61 percent of the total possible laps in three previous Cup starts at Michigan. He has one win in four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Michigan. The victory came in 2019, the same season Reddick won the NASCAR Xfinity Series title with RCR. 
In Good Company … With his win one week ago at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Reddick is one of six drivers to win more than one race this season. The driver of the Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet is currently the fifth seed in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and ranks 11th in the Cup Series regular season standings.  About Guaranteed Rate … Guaranteed Rate is a leader in mortgage lending and digital financial services. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has more than 8,000 employees in 500 offices across the U.S., and is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its launch in 2000, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, funding more than $95 billion in total loan volume in 2021 alone. Powered by its belief in positivity, the company has become one of the largest retail lenders in the nation. Guaranteed Rate delivers innovative technology, including the world’s first Digital Mortgage, low rates and unparalleled customer service. Visit https://www.rate.com/mortgage-rates for more information. TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:Auto Club Speedway looks similar to Michigan. How are they different? “They may be the same size and shape but the surface age is much, much different. We’ll see if we use resin and if so, how much we use. That will certainly play a role in how the race plays out. Looking back at Pocono, the preferred groove was the middle lane in the resin. It all depends on how well the track is prepared and how much resin is put on it.”  You now have two wins this season. How important is that entering the Playoffs? “It’s really nice that we’ve won two races this year because we now have more playoff points in our back pocket. We would like to win at other tracks in addition to the road courses but we’ll win where we can for now. We’ve certainly had potential to win at a number of different places. We’ll just keep working really hard and hopefully in the coming weeks win some more races, get some more playoff points, and put our entire Guaranteed Rate team in a good place, mentally and confidence wise, going into the Playoffs.”
This Week’s Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Michigan International Speedway … Austin Hill will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing on Sunday. Hill, 28, runs full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for RCR in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro SS. He has two wins so far this season with eight top fives and 13 top 10s. He is currently sixth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings.   About Bennett Family of Companies … McDonough, Ga.-based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 12 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. The company will use race experiences to recruit and retain hundreds of truck drivers for their organization in 2022. For more information, visit www.Drive4Bennett.comAUSTIN HILL QUOTE:This is a very exciting weekend for you, what is your main goal as you make your Cup Series debut?“I’m super excited to get to Michigan this weekend and make my Cup Series debut. As a kid growing up in racing, the dream is always to make it to the Cup Series one day. I’m so grateful that it’s all happening for me and that I get that make my debut for Richard Childress Racing in the iconic No. 33 Chevrolet. My main goal this weekend is to finish all the laps, stay out of trouble and learn everything I possibly can. Opportunities like this are so special and I don’t take them for granted, I want to take full advantage of everything this weekend has to offer. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and to all of my sponsors who made this happen. Everyone has worked so hard to make this happen for me and I cannot wait to get the No. 33 Chevrolet on the track.”
This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Michigan International Speedway … Sheldon Creed will make his first-ever Xfinity Series start at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday in the No. 2 Chevrolet. During his time in the NASCAR Truck Series, Creed made two starts at the Brooklyn, Michigan track and scored a best finish of second in 2019. Most recently, he competed at the track in 2020 in the Truck Series. 
Indy Recap … Last weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Creed and the No. 2 team were looking to expand on their top-five streak but got turned around at the end of the race, which resulted in a 23rd-place effort. Luckily, Creed was able to hold onto 13th-place in the Playoff standings, the first driver below the cutline. He is 50 points below the cutline currently.
Whelen Celebrates 70 Years … From a small garage workshop in Connecticut in 1952 to a worldwide leader in emergency warning equipment today, Whelen Engineering continues to push the boundaries of innovation. As we mark our 70th anniversary, we’re proud to continue our founder’s mission of making it safer for those who serve and protect. Whelen has been manufacturing in America for 70 years—we never left, and we’re here to stay.
About Whelen … Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce. SHELDON CREED QUOTE:You’re making your Xfinity Series debut at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday,. What’s your mindset like?“This will be my first time on a track like this in the Xfinity car so it’ll be a learning curve but I’m really excited to get there. I have experience at the track in the Truck Series so I know the track a little bit but this is definitely going to be a new challenge. It’s great that we have practice and qualifying to get any extra seat time possible. Our team has put in a lot of hard work and we’ve had a lot of simulator time to prepare for Michigan. We’ve been running very strong in our No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet and this weekend will be no different.”
This Week’s United Rentals Chevrolet Camaro SS at Michigan International Speedway … Austin Hill will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Michigan International Speedway this weekend in the No. 21 Chevrolet. Although he’s never made an Xfinity Series start, Hill has made three starts at Michigan in the NASCAR Truck Series. His first start was in 2018. In 2019, his second start at the Brooklyn, Michigan track, Hill won the race from the sixth position, earning his second Truck Series victory. Most recently, he finished 12th in 2020 at the track. This weekend is a special one for Hill as he will also be making his NASCAR Cup Series debut with Richard Childress Racing in the No. 33 Chevrolet. Hill will be making two debuts at Michigan throughout the weekend. 
Indy Recap … Last weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Hill added onto his current streak of top-10 finishes by grabbing a ninth-place finish at the road course. Currently, Hill is sixth in the Playoff standings and is leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. About United Rentals … United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. The company has an integrated network of 1,278 rental locations in North America, 11 in Europe, 28 in Australia and 18 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province. The company’s approximately 20,100 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and others. The company offers approximately 4,300 classes of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $15.72 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 3000 Index® and is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at www.unitedrentals.comAUSTIN HILL QUOTE:This will be your first Xfinity Series start at Michigan on Saturday. How are you feeling heading into the race?“I’m really excited to get to Michigan this weekend. I feel really good about this weekend especially since I’ve seen success at the track in the Truck Series. I got a win at Michigan in the Truck Series and that definitely adds some confidence. It was always a track I felt confident going to and after the way my team and I have been running for the past couple weeks, I’m looking forward to keeping that momentum going. We’ve put in a lot of simulator time and have had meetings and worked really hard on our strategy for the track. It’ll be a longer race, too, so I’m making sure to hydrate a little more than usual. We’re focused on getting another win and adding on all the points we possibly can as we get closer to the start of the Playoffs. I’m also making my Cup debut this weekend, so I’ve got a lot to look forward to!”