Austin Dillon Drives Ruud Chevrolet to Fourth-Place Finish at Texas Motor Speedway

“I stayed out of trouble on the track which was one big key today. Track position was everything, really. The No. 20 was probably the fastest car. We were a little bit loose. We had to work on the Ruud Chevrolet throughout the race to try and get it closer to where we wanted to be. Today was just a tough race. I’m proud of everyone on the No. 2 Ruud team for sticking with it to bring home a fourth-place finish.”

– Austin Dillon Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–My Bariatrics Solution 300 →

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.

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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.

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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.

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Featured Caterpillar Dealers … HOLT CAT® and Warren Cat are the featured Cat dealers for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.
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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.

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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.

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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.”

Austin Dillon Drives the No. 3 Okuma Chevrolet to a Fifth-Place Finish at Martinsville Speedway to Earn Best Finish of Season

“We had a really fast Okuma Chevrolet and that’s because of the guys on the team and everyone at RCR. No one panicked. We didn’t have the speed we needed during the first couple of practice sessions. For some reason we never do here. I just can’t go fast enough to start then consistently get better throughout practices and throughout the race. It’s nice to be able to do that but I wish I could be fast right away. Starting 20th was big for us. Our car had takeoff speed. It’s the first racecar we’ve had that can actually restart and go for the first five laps. That’s important for us and something you have to focus on with the way that the racing is now with stages. Short run speed is key and if you have long run speed, falloff doesn’t really matter because you’re going to have a caution at some point. I’m just proud of the guys because we finished fourth in this race last year and we were able to come back and back it up with a fifth place finish today. I thought we were going to have a little something for the two leaders. In the middle of the run our car just lacked a little bit more turn and forward drive. At the end we could come back to them but the 22 car backed down in front of me. Overall it was a good run.”
Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Martinsville →

In 159 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned four pole awards and posted seven victories with drivers Dale Earnhardt (five times), Ricky Rudd (1983) and Kevin Harvick (2011). RCR Chevrolet teams have earned 29 top-five and 60 top-10 finishes at Martinsville dating back to the team’s first start there on April 10, 1972. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed four of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978.

RCR in the MENCS … In 2,751 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,106 wins, 476 top-five finishes and 1,032 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. Continue reading Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Martinsville Speedway →

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS Team Earn Best Season-To-Date Finish at Auto Club Speedway

“Our American Ethanol Chevrolet was good on the long run, but tight on takeoff throughout the day today. I wish we could have done more with the position we were in with tires. On the outside lane, we could not fire off the first couple of laps. We struggle with that and we’re going to start practicing it and figuring out why we can’t turn. Overall, though, the green and black Chevy had speed and our pit crew was fast so I’m proud of my guys. We always want more, and we’re going to do what we can to get even more out of our finishes.”

– Austin Dillon

Paul Menard and the No. 27 Jack Link’s/Menards Chevy Team End West Coast Swing with a 28th-Place Finish in California

“Everyone on the No. 27 team worked hard these last three weeks. This West Coast swing is tough on everybody and it’ll be good to get home. I’m not sure what to say about today. We have some work to do on our splitters and getting that right. The car just wasn’t in the track and the front end wasn’t working right all race. Matt Borland made calls for good adjustments and we were turning better by the end, but it wasn’t enough. We’ll re-group, take a look at our notes and come back determined at Martinsville Speedway.”

– Paul Menard

Ryan Newman Rebounds After Rough Race Start at Auto Club Speedway to Finish 15th

“It was a tough and long day for us in the Caterpillar Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway. Unfortunately, we began the race on a negative note with a hole in the front nose on the first lap that cost us our track position. Then we battled an extremely tight-handling car that put us a lap down. We finally raced back onto the lead lap with 19 to go. It certainly wasn’t the finish we wanted, especially considering where we practiced and qualified this Chevrolet, but it was a decent recovery.”

– Ryan Newman

On-Track Incident Slows Momentum for Paul Menard and the No. 2 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet Team at Auto Club Speedway

“We had a fast car today. Justin Alexander made a good call during the second round of pit stops but we were tagged for too many men over the wall. The penalty is starting from the rear of the field, but we were able to make our way back to the front pretty quickly. I’m not sure what happened with Eric Jones, if he was trying to push me or just crossing over. I think he definitely had a brain fart. All weekend long I thought we were at least a third-place car. The leaders weren’t getting away from us before the wreck. We were actually gaining on them. Everyone on this No. 2 Richmond/Menards Chevy works hard and I’m looking forward to my next race with this team. We learned a lot for tomorrow and that’s all you can hope for.”

– Paul Menard

Despite Late-Race Lug Nut Issue, Ty Dillon Earns Top-10 Finish at Auto Club Speedway

“Our No. 3 team just can’t seem to catch a break this year. We started off with a loose Ruud Chevrolet Camaro in the first stage, but we were able to make adjustments at the end of it to really improve the overall balance for the rest of the race. We were able to keep up with the leaders, but we couldn’t seem to find the speed that they had. So when we had the opportunity to try and catch people with fresh tires towards the end of the race, we took it. We came in with the leaders and took four sticker tires with 36 laps left and restarted in 20th, but I was able to pick cars off pretty easily with new tires. I moved all the way up to 6th, and it’s unfortunate that a missing lug nut after our stop during the last caution set us back to 22nd. I did all that I could in those final laps to get us back into the top 10, but I just needed a little more time. It was definitely not the way we wanted to end the day, but I know that I’ve got a great group of guys pitting my car each weekend. They were great all day, and I know that we’ll be ready for another strong finish in Texas.”

– Ty Dillon

Daniel Hemric Secures Career-Best NASCAR XFINITY Series Starting Position at Auto Club Speedway En Route to Top-15 Finish

“This was definitely not the finish we had in mind when we started on the outside of the front row with the No. 21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet. We worked on the handling of the car throughout the entire race, but never got it to where we wanted it. Danny Stockman did a great job of making adjustments all day long. We had an issue on pit road in the middle of the race, but were able to fight our way back toward the front of the field. We’ll take everything we learned on this West Coast swing and go to work at Texas Motor Speedway in two weeks.”

– Daniel Hemric

Late-Race Incident Forces Brandon Jones to a 32nd-Place Finish at Auto Club Speedway

“Our No. 33 Chevrolet Truck Month Chevrolet Camaro just didn’t have the handling we needed it to this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. We chased it for most of the race, constantly needing more grip and more turn. Toward the middle of the race, we had it figured out pretty good running in the top 12. We were able to play some fuel strategy in the hopes that it would turn out like last year’s race and we could capitalize on others’ mistakes. Ultimately, the handling got too loose and it snapped going into Turn 1 with less than 10 laps to go from the 12th spot, causing us to have some pretty heavy front-end damage. My guys worked hard to get me back out there and we were able to finish the race, just not in the position we deserved.”

– Brandon Jones

Brendan Gaughan Ends West Coast Swing with 33rd-Place Finish at Auto Club Speedway

“This isn’t how we wanted to close out our West Coast swing. I ran everywhere, from the low line all the way to the grass on the apron, to the high line all the way to the wall. Let the record show that I ran the bottom at Auto Club Speedway. That’s the only good thing I can say about today. We had three fast cars during NASCAR Goes West and three poor finishes to show for it. For this race I will shoulder the blame. I had a bad day today. We had a top-10 race car most of the day and I didn’t drive the South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolet the way it could have been run. We had a loose car and I kept getting into the fence. We will go to Texas Motor Speedway and hopefully re-group at a track that has been historically good for me.”

– Brendan Gaughan

Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series History at Auto Club Speedway …
In 83 overall Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, RCR Chevrolet teams have earned one win (Kevin Harvick – 2011), one pole award (Mike Skinner – April 2000), 12 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. RCR has a 19.9 average starting position and a 16.4 average finishing position at the moderately-banked D-shaped race track.

RCR in the MENCS …
In 2,748 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,106 wins, 476 top-five finishes and 1,032 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.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month… Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma Executive Director Bob Gfeller is attending Brain Injury Awareness Day in Washington, DC. The Gfellers lost their 15-year-old son, Matthew, to a traumatic brain injury in 2008. To learn more about the Childress Institute’s work to prevent and treat pediatric brain injuries visit saveinjuredkids.org/.

This Week’s American Ethanol Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway… Dillon has three previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts to his credit at Auto Club Speedway, earning his best finish of 11th in 2014 and sitting on the pole in last year’s edition of the race to earn his best starting position at the 2-mile track.

Green Performance… American Ethanol is proud to help NASCAR race green. The best NASCAR drivers in the world have raced over 10 million flawless miles on Sunoco Green E15, helping reduce the sport’s impact on the environment with cleaner, cooler burning ethanol. But American Ethanol’s success doesn’t stop at the track; this homegrown biofuel gives American drivers a more environmentally friendly option at the pump because ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent compared to conventional gasoline. Being green just got a little easier -find out how you can make a simple choice at the pump to positively impact the environment at GetEthanol.com.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Auto Club Speedway has become one of the most exciting races of the year because of the multiple grooves. Do you consider yourself a wall-hugger or a bottom-feeder?
“I try and consider myself whatever I need to be. Last year we set the pole for that race at Auto Club Speedway. We had a fast race car and ran up front most of the day. We are definitely going to have a direction that we feel like we need to work in and will do what I can to keep our old girl up there.”

Is there any celebrity you would like to see at a race track?
“Yeah, I just talked about Chris Pratt earlier. I think that would be cool. He did a good job in Magnificent Seven and Jurassic Park. There are a couple of different people that I really enjoy to watch. Game of Thrones — any actor from Game of Thrones. Maybe John Snow would show up. That would be cool, or Tyrion.”

Paul Menard and the No. 27 Jack Link’s / Menards Chevrolet SS at Auto Club Speedway … Menard has 14 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts in competition at the 2-mile California-based race track. He has one top-five and three top-10 finishes with his best start of 11th and finish of fourth in March 2015.

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PAUL MENARD QUOTES:
Auto Club Speedway and Michigan International Speedway have similar configurations. Are those two tracks comparable?
“Not really, especially since the repave of Michigan. Five years ago, I would say they were more similar than they are now. Michigan is just so fast. Auto Club Speedway is just so slow, relatively. You feel really good for a lap or two and then you just have to start moving around finding what works for your car. Auto Club is a lot of fun to race at. It’s frustrating because there is such a lack of grip that the cars handle so bad, but it makes it fun to race and try to set-up people. It’s kind of like Phoenix, where even though you are going 160 mph through the corner, you are really working the wheel trying to find that grip.”

Do you find yourself gravitating toward a particular groove at Auto Club Speedway?
“Half the time when you go to qualify you don’t even know what groove you are going to run. You feel it out and just try to go with it. Typically, you run the bottom for a lap or two and then you basically start working yourself up. But we have seen, I think Austin Dillon was on the pole last year running the fence in qualifying. You just never know.”

This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet SS at Auto Club Speedway … Ryan Newman will make his 552nd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start in the fifth event of the 2017 season. In 22 MENCS events at Auto Club Speedway, Newman owns one pole and has earned five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. His best result of third place was in the May 2004 race. The South Bend, Indiana native has an average start of 13.6 and average finish of 16.6. When calculating points earned over the last six races at Auto Club Speedway, Newman ranks fifth in most points earned.

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.

National Wild Turkey Federation Month … Bass Pro Shops is showing its support in a new way this month for the National Wild Turkey Federation and its members which includes Newman. During NWTF month, shoppers at participating Bass Pro Shops stores are invited to donate their change to the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation by rounding up their purchase total to the nearest dollar. For more information: BPS NWTF month.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What does a win mean to you and the RCR organization?
“It was an awesome day for RCR, Grainger, Caterpillar, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola … all the partners that support our race teams, all the guys at the shop, RCR and ECR. This win means so much to me. I didn’t forget how to win, but after a while or for so long, you get thinking to yourself, ‘Man, is it really this hard or are you just losing it?’ We didn’t lose it on Sunday. It’s been an amazing two days for me. It’s been so long for me to get to victory lane that I cannot thank everyone enough for supporting me. It’s been a total collective effort to get to victory lane and it feels so good. We were at the right place at the right time and did what we needed to do.”

How has Auto Club Speedway changed over the years?
“It has just gotten better and better. It is that kind of asphalt that just gets better with age. The seams are a little bit tricky, but the combination of the tires and the track and the fall off it’s just such a fun race track to race at.”

Do you find that you migrate towards the top groove?
“You go where you need to go. Sometimes you can putt around the bottom when everybody goes to the top. They rubber it up and it’s the short way around. Sometimes the bottom cools back off and you can dig down there.”

Auto Club Speedway and Michigan International Speedway are the only two-mile tracks on the schedule. What are the differences between the two facilities?
“Michigan has new pavement, a little bit more banking and it seems like we just have a different tire combination there that is more like what Auto Club Speedway was like a few years ago. The old Michigan (before the repave) is more similar to what Auto Club Speedway is like now. The new Michigan is more similar to Kentucky Speedway where it is just a harder tire and it’s a different kind of race.”

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Auto Club Speedway… In 51 Series starts at the 2-mile speedway, RCR has captured two victories with drivers Jeff Burton (2007) and Austin Dillon (2016). The Welcome, North Carolina, organization has completed 7,430 laps of the 7,654 (97.1 percent) that they have competed. RCR has accumulated four pole awards, 17 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes, led 262 laps and averages a starting position of 10.6 and finishing position of 11.2.

Phoenix Review … Daniel Hemric was the highest RCR finisher in seventh, Ty Dillon was 10th, Brandon Jones 15th, Brendan Gaughan 27th and Austin Dillon 33rd, respectively, in the XFINITY Series DC Solar 200 at Phoenix Raceway.

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 Auto Club Speedway this weekend for the fifth event of the season. Daniel Hemric is currently sixth, Brandon Jones is 13th and Brendan Gaughan is 14th in the championship point standings. The No. 2 and No. 3 RCR teams are fifth and 13th, respectively, in the owner point standings. Daniel Hemric is currently second in the XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings, 10 points behind the leader.

Paul Menard and the No. 2 Richmond / Menards Chevrolet Camaro at Auto Club Speedway … Menard has competed in 10 NASCAR XFINITY Series events at the 2-mile track. He has one top-five and two top-10 finishes with his best start of seventh in October 2010 and finish of fourth in September 2006. The Wisconsin native has completed 97.9 percent of laps in competition with seven of them as the race leader.

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PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
You return to the NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. It’s also your first time back in an NXS car at this track since 2010. How are you feeling about the weekend?
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to this weekend. It’s always fun to work with Justin Alexander (crew chief) and the No. 2 team. We had a solid 2016 and this car has been strong so far this year, so I’m hoping to build on that for these guys. These races for me are about coming out here to win and learning all that we can for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. Auto Club is unique with the seams on its surface. They add another element of character to the track. It’s something you have to be aware of. If you get into the seams early in the corner then it pretty much messes up your entire corner. But if you can get your car pointed and drive across them then you’re doing what works best. How you attack the seams really depends on what your car is doing. This is definitely a driver-friendly track and will be a lot of fun this weekend.”

This Week’s RUUD Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway …Ty Dillon has three NASCAR XFINITY Series races under his belt at Auto Club Speedway. He scored his only top-10 finish at the 2-mile track in 2014 when he took the checkers in eighth place. Dillon will also be making his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at the track this weekend.

RUUD’s commitment to producing the most reliable, long-lasting, efficient equipment … After products were first introduced in the 1950s, RUUD has grown into one of North America’s largest manufacturers of quality heating, cooling and water heating products for residential and light commercial use. Today, RUUD operates manufacturing facilities employing highly trained workers and state-of-the-art equipment. Over the years, the product lines have expanded, changed, and improved significantly as new design techniques and better manufacturing technologies have become available.

TY DILLON QUOTES:
Auto Club Speedway and Michigan are the only 2-mile tracks on the schedule, but they seem to race so differently. Why is that?
“I think Auto Club Speedway is worn out and really rough, but it’s five lanes wide. Michigan has been repaved, so it is still kind of a narrow-groove racetrack, but it’s starting to widen out a little bit more. The fact that you have to slow down so much in the corners at Auto Club because of the lack of grip is what makes them so different. They’re similar in that they’re both tracks you have to figure out and can have a lot of fun racing at.”

Are you a “wall hugger” or are you a “bottom feeder” when it comes to the multiple racing grooves?
“I am whatever is fastest. I grew up dirt racing, so we are used to chasing that grip, which definitely carries over into NASCAR. I’ve raced at Auto Club Speedway three times before in the XFINITY Series, and I’ve had decent runs but not great ones. Being able to find the fastest lane there is key. I’m looking forward to getting our No. 3 RUUD Chevrolet out there and finding speed. It should be a great weekend for our team.”

Daniel Hemric and the No. 21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway … Hemric will be making the first Auto Club Speedway start of his NASCAR career this weekend. The 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year contender has no previous experience at the 2-mile track.

Meet the Driver … Hemric will be part of the XFINITY Series autograph session in the fan midway on Friday, March 24, starting at 4 p.m. PT. He will also answer fan questions at the Team Chevy Stage on Saturday, March 25, starting at 8 a.m. PT.

Rearview Mirror: Phoenix … Starting at the back of the pack last Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, Hemric wasted no time working his way to the front of the field in the No. 21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet Camaro and was inside the top 10 within the first 50 laps. An issue with the side skirt of the car led to problems jacking the car up on the left side and resulted in slower than normal stops throughout the day. Despite the issue, Hemric continued to fight his way back to toward the front of the field. Crew chief Danny Stockman opted not to take fuel on the final pit stop of the day, which helped the handling of the No. 21 Chevrolet. On the final restart of the race, Hemric’s car took off and he drove his way back inside the top 10 and earned a seventh-place finish after starting 35th.

DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
The racing surface at Auto Club Speedway has become pretty abrasive over the years and the racing is really sporty these days. How do you approach this weekend with that in mind?
“Auto Club Speedway has become one of those places that I am cautiously excited about. I just don’t know much about it because I have never seen it and have never been there, other than what I’ve seen on TV. I’ve been talking with my teammates about it leading up to this week. Austin Dillon won the XFINITY Series race there last year, so he has been a big resource. He has provided me with some insight into what to look for and what you can and can’t do. At a place like that, you can study for months, but then you get there and still have things that catch you off guard. I’ve been putting a lot of focus on Auto Club Speedway and trying to figure out what makes the racetrack what it is, and the surface is probably the first thing that pops up. As fast and big as the track is, the amount of grip isn’t that good, so it puts a lot back in the driver’s hands. The field is spread out from the fence to the apron, and as a racer that is cool. To have never run at a place that big and that fast and have that kind tendency to it, I’m really pumped up.”

Brandon Jones and the No. 33 Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet Camaro at Auto Club Speedway… Brandon Jones looks to close out the ‘NASCAR Goes West’ tour with a strong showing at Auto Club Speedway, the site of one of his first top-10 finishes as a regular in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Last season, the 20-year-old driver finished ninth at the two-mile track after starting the day in the 14th position.

Visiting Our Veterans… Jones will join Hope For The Warriors for a stop at United States Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on Thursday, March 23. The group will tour the Hope and Care Center and the Wounded Warrior Battalion-West, while also meeting with service members stationed there. Jones had a passion for both racing and the military growing up, and considered them among the career paths he’d most want to follow. Today, Jones is able to engage both of those passions while racing full-time in the XFINITY Series and through his relationship with Hope For The Warriors, which dates back to 2015.

Celebrating Chevy Truck Month… For the second weekend in a row, Jones will be sporting the white, gold and gray paint scheme in honor of Chevy Truck Month, which is going on throughout the entire month of March. Fans are encouraged to get to their local Chevy dealer and choose the Silverado that’s right for them.

BRANDON JONES QUOTES:
You finished ninth at Fontana last year, which was one of your first top-10 finishes as a full-time driver in the XFINITY series. What do you like about that racetrack?
“You know it’s funny with Fontana. We struggled the entire day last year, in both practice and qualifying, but we were able to figure out some stuff during the race that helped us. I’m hoping that this year will go like that again. That track is tough because there isn’t a designated line to run. You have to see where the fast guys are running and that’s where you start running too. It’s a huge track with scooping corners, so there’s room to move. You’ll see some guys go all the way down to the apron at some points. It all depends on where your car works. There’s four or five different lanes to choose from, so it all depends on your car is handling.”

Do you remember anything about the seams and how they can either hurt you or be used to your advantage at the track?
“You saw that at Atlanta a little bit, where guys could hook up to those seams and get their cars to turn better. At other tracks, I know you don’t want to get on the seams since they can hurt your car really bad. But at Fontana, I definitely think we can use them to our advantage. If the car is a little tight, we can use the seam to our advantage and get it to hook us around the corner a little better. Still, most often you’re trying to straddle those seams or run straight over them all the time.”

This Week’s South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway… In nine NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, Brendan Gaughan has accumulated one top-five and five top-10 finishes, earning his best finish of second in 2015 after starting eighth.

Auto Club Speedway Success … Gaughan holds the NASCAR West Series record on race time at Auto Club Speedway with 1:28:47 set in 2001 when he won the Widetrack Grand Prix 200. In 2003, Gaughan started from the pole in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Racing Wheels 200 where he led 66 of 100 laps to ultimately finish second behind race-winner Ted Musgrave. During his 20-year NASCAR career, Gaughan has accumulated five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes with 98 laps led to his credit.

Did You Know at the South Point … The South Point Hotel and Casino is home to a world-class $30 million bowling tournament facility. The South Point Hotel & Casino is currently hosting the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships Feb. 18 – July 15. The USBC Open Championship is recognized as the largest participatory sporting event in the world. The event features three divisions based on skill level consisting of bowlers from across the country. For more information, visit southpointcasino.com.

BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading to Auto Club Speedway, a surface that has really built some character?
“I’m afraid you’re going to start hearing rumors about repaving. Every time I say, ‘Please don’t repave a track,’ they announce they are going to repave it. Auto Club Speedway is spectacular. I don’t get why the fans don’t like it. Sometimes a guy pulls away at the 2-mile oval, but it is six-wide racing, slipping, sliding and losing two and three seconds from stickers to old tires. The seams are treacherous there, you touch the seams and it will move the race car. That is what old-school, mean, hard-nosed racing is all about. I mean, we head into Turn 1 at 214 miles per hour. It’s ridiculous, and I love it. Guys can run an inch from the wall all the way down to the apron in Turns 3 and 4. How can you ask for a better racetrack? It’s a West Coast track and I love that about it as well. We run four-wide at Auto Club Speedway for three-quarters of the race. What more could you want?”

Austin Dillon Hungry for More Following 18th-Place Finish in the Dow World Water Day Chevrolet

“Today was a long, hot, day in the desert. Slugger Labbe and the team worked hard to tighten up the chassis of our Dow World Water Day Chevrolet throughout the race. We had a really good rhythm going and lap times to prove it, we just didn’t get there at the end. The pit crew produced fast stops the entire race. I’m really proud of them. I’m really happy for Richard Childress Racing. Congrats to Ryan Newman and the entire No. 31 team on their win today. It makes me and our entire organization hungry for more.”
– Austin Dillon Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix– Post Race →

Late-Race Incident Spoils Strong Run for Austin Dillon and the Rheem Team at Phoenix Raceway

“The No. 00 car just overdrove the corner, missed the corner and took me out with him. It sucks. It was a hard hit. The Rheem Chevy was pretty solid all day. We decided to take two tires on the last pit stop and we probably weren’t as fast as we had been all day, but when you’re taken out of a race at the end under those circumstances it just makes your day worse. Our pit crew had a great day. They did an awesome job and I am proud of their effort. It will be a good year. I was asked to the NASCAR trailer after the race because they believe I retaliated against the 00 car. I don’t think it will be that bad, though. We’ll probably just enjoy an ice cold Coca-Cola together and discuss things.”
– Austin Dillon

Ty Dillon and the Bass Pro Shops Team Rally to Top-10 Finish After Battling with a Tight-Handling Chevrolet Camaro

“Today was a trying day for our No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team. We were way too loose in qualifying and ended up over-adjusting the car to start the race. I took off really tight from the drop of the green flag, and we didn’t have an opportunity to make changes until the end of the first stage. Crew chief Matt Swiderski made good chassis and air pressure adjustments to loosen me up, but we still struggled with takeoff on every restart. With so many cautions there at the end, it was hard to make any advances through the field. We really needed some longer green-flag runs. But, my team rallied and we were able to finish in the top 10. We’ll take what we learned here and turn our focus to next week.”

– Ty Dillon

Daniel Hemric Battles Through Adversity to Earn Top-10 Finish at Phoenix Raceway

“I’m really proud of all of these guys on this No. 21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet Camaro team. We just battled. We faced some circumstances we didn’t foresee in qualifying and never got to make a lap. We started in the back, but the car was really good on that first long green-flag run and we got ourselves some track position. We just struggled on pit road today and lost a good bit of spots. We’ll have days like that. We’ll go back, learn from it and regroup. Crew chief Danny Stockman made a great call to take no fuel on our final stop of the day. That allowed us to be aggressive on the restarts, and that’s what the race came down to in the end. I’m proud of the fight. I’m proud of how hard we’ve come all weekend, and now it’s on to Fontana.”

– Daniel Hemric

Brandon Jones Finishes 15th After Driving From the Back at Phoenix Raceway

“The team worked really hard all weekend long on our No. 33 Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet Camaro and we got a decent finish out of it. The handling improved a lot during the race from where it was during practice, but unfortunately our short run was not as strong as we needed it to be. We did well at the drop of the green flag and I was able to climb up from the back since we didn’t get a chance to qualify. Those cautions at the end of the race just sent us a little too far backward. It wasn’t the finish we deserved, but it was an improvement. I’m proud of the support from Chevrolet and all my guys on the No. 33 team.”

– Brandon Jones

Early Racing Incident Results in 27th-Place Finish at Phoenix Raceway for Brendan Gaughan

“Not the day we wanted for our South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolet. I’m one of those eternal optimists. The way I look at things is that we battled back from three laps down, and we were in sight of the lucky dog at the end. That’s hard racing and great work by the boys on pit road. I learned the hard way today that you have to know who you can race around. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have messed with the No. 19 car like that. He has seen some things on TV and doesn’t know how to do it yet. He has a lot to learn. I’m proud of what our team accomplished and we will lick our wounds and move on to Auto Club Speedway.”

– Brendan Gaughan

Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series History at Phoenix Raceway … Team owner Richard Childress has five victories at Phoenix Raceway, ranking him third on the all-time car owner victories list at the Avondale, Ariz. facility. This includes wins with Kevin Harvick in Nov. 2013, Nov. 2012 and March and Nov. 2006. Prior to that, Dale Earnhardt won the Checker 500 on Nov. 4, 1990. In 109 starts at Phoenix, the Welcome, North Carolina based organization boasts 18 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes.

RCR in the MENCS … In 2,745 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,105 wins, 475 top-five finishes and 1,031 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. Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Phoenix Advance →

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Team Finish 25th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

“Today just wasn’t our day. We didn’t qualify all that well on Friday and battled from behind from the beginning. That flat right-front tire on lap 132 didn’t make things better. We got behind and had to take the wave-around a few times to get our laps back, but never seemed to get a caution when we needed it most. Then on the last lap we had another tire go down. We’ll try to put this race behind us and move on. I’m sure we learned a few things that we can correct and hopefully finish out this NASCAR goes West tour strong. I appreciate all the support from Lucas Oil this weekend – it was cool to have their logo on the No. 3 car this weekend.”

– Austin Dillon Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Las Vegas →

Austin Dillon Muscles the No. 2 Rheem Chevy to a Top-Five Finish

“We didn’t start the race out very well and were really tight for a majority of the race. We managed to keep it inside the top-15 and even scored points in the second stage. Justin (Alexander, crew chief) stuck with me and made some great adjustments in the latter part of the race. The balance of the race car was great there for those last couple of restarts and I even thought we would have a shot at the win. All in all, it was a pretty good day for our Rheem Chevy and we’re happy to be third in the owner’s points standings at this point in the season.”

– Austin Dillon Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Las Vegas Post Race →

Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series History at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … In 57 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets have earned 10 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes with eight different drivers – Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Austin Dillon, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Mike Skinner. Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Las Vegas Preview →

Late-Race Mechanical Issue Foils Top-Five Finish for Austin Dillon and the Dow QUIKRETE Chevrolet Team at Atlanta Motor Speedway

“We had a really strong car today and were poised to finish in the top-five but everything just shut off. We lost all power with less than 25 laps remaining in the race when I was running in the top-five. The same thing happened to my teammate Ryan Newman earlier in the day, so I assume it’s the same issue. We’re working on it and we will make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’m proud of my guys for the speed they put in this race car. We worked hard, really hard. This one just hurts. There is nothing better to say about it. It just hurts.” Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Atlanta Wrapup →

Austin Dillon and the Rheem Team Finish Eighth at Atlanta Motor Speedway to Earn Second Consecutive NASCAR XFINITY Series Top-10 Finish

“I really wanted to put the Rheem Chevrolet into Victory Lane but today was just not our day. We were tight and loose depending on how I tackled the corners but Justin Alexander and the team did a great job with adjustments during each of the segment breaks. We did have a issue with fuel pickup or something on initial green flag runs but I know we will work on that in the shop this week and have it sorted out before we head to the next race. Overall, we are making strides as a team and I’m excited for the rest of the season.” Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Atlanta Post Race →

Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Atlanta Motor Speedway … In 140 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned nine wins and three pole awards, including Kevin Harvick’s emotional victory in the Cracker Barrel 500 on March 11, 2001. Dale Earnhardt won eight times at the Hampton, Ga.-based track under the RCR banner. Additionally, RCR boasts 29 top-five and 57 top-10 finishes at AMS and RCR-prepared Chevrolets have led 2,935 laps at the ultra-fast, 1.54-mile oval. Richard Childress, a former driver on NASCAR’s senior circuit, recorded his best finish at AMS, ninth, in the Atlanta Journal 500 on Nov. 2, 1980. Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Atlanta Preview →

Fuel Gamble Does Not Pay Dividends for Austin Dillon and the Dow Chevrolet Team in Daytona 500

“Overall, we had a good day and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead in 2017. I’m just bummed that we ran out of fuel at the end. We put ourselves in good positions all day. We have to get better and we’re working hard as an organization to make that happen. I’m proud of the Dow Chevrolet team for working hard together. We put ourselves in great position all day and were able to lead some laps. It just didn’t work out for us at the end. We’re really looking forward to Atlanta Motor Speedway next weekend.”

– Austin Dillon Continue reading RCR–Daytona Post Race →

Austin Dillon Drives “Evil Fast” Rheem Chevrolet to Third-Place Finish in Season-Opener at Daytona International Speedway

“It was wild for sure. I got into that first little scuffle. I saved it, but the right-rear quarter panel of the Rheem Chevrolet incurred damage. The team did a great job fixing it in under five minutes. After that the Rheem Chevrolet was pretty fast, but evil to drive. We had to get four tires at the end, which turned out to be a good thing because the right rear tire had started to separate. All-in-all it was a good run. I wanted to get a Chevy in Victory Lane but it didn’t happen. When the No. 3 car ran out of gas, I thought my only option was to push the No. 16 car out front. We had a big lead going and then Kasey Kahne came with a big run. It just didn’t work out. We’ll take a third-place finish. Everyone is safe and that’s all we could ask for.”

– Austin Dillon Continue reading Austin Dillon Drives “Evil Fast” Rheem Chevrolet to Third-Place Finish in Season-Opener at Daytona International Speedway →

Austin Dillon and the Dow Chevrolet Team Rely on Momentum to Earn Fourth-Place Finish in Duel at Daytona

“I felt like I put myself in a good position to win. We were running second with one lap to go, but down the backstretch I didn’t move quick enough and it put us to fourth. It was a good race anyways. I just feel like I needed to move faster to the right. I know the momentum is in the top lane and I didn’t get there. It was a tough call to stay where I was on track. Overall, the Dow Chevrolet was really good and I feel like we have something we can work with for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.” Continue reading Austin Dillon and the Dow Chevrolet Team Rely on Momentum to Earn Fourth-Place Finish in Duel at Daytona →

Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Daytona International Speedway … Dating back to 1976, Richard Childress Racing has won 11 poles and collected five points-paying victories at the most-storied race track on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit. RCR owns two Daytona 500 wins (Dale Earnhardt – 1998, Kevin Harvick – 2007), three Coke Zero 400 trophies (Earnhardt – 1990, 1993 and Harvick – 2010) and 14 qualifying races, including 10-consecutive victories with Earnhardt (1990 – 1999). In addition, RCR has earned the Advance Auto Parts Clash a total of eight times, with drivers Harvick (2009, 2010, 2013) and Earnhardt (1986, ’88, ’91, ’93, and ’95). Continue reading Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Daytona International Speedway →