Richard Childress Racing in the Bluegrass State … In 22 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kentucky Speedway, Richard Childress Racing holds an average starting position of 17.9 and an average finishing position of 17.9, completing 5,870 of the contested 5,895 laps (99.6 percent).
RCR in the MENCS … In 2,882 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,108 wins, 487 top-five finishes and 1,057 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.2. 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.
The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 … Chevrolet, the winningest brand in motorsports, debuts the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition this season. The Camaro ZL1 is the most advanced Chevrolet Cup Car ever developed and is also the most authentic, featuring rear-wheel drive, a fuel injected V8 engine and a manual gear box.
Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3 and @RyanJNewman. Information about the 15-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages – http://www.facebook.com/austindillon3 and www.facebook.com/RyanNewmanNASCAR.
Catch the Action … The Kentucky 400 at Kentucky Speedway will be televised live Saturday, July 14 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This Week’s AAA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Kentucky Speedway … Dillon has five previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kentucky Speedway, earning his best finish of 16th in 2016 and 2014 and best starting position of 11th in 2015.
Dillon in the Bluegrass State … Kentucky Speedway is the site of Dillon’s career-first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The 2013 Xfinity Series Champion earned back-to-back Xfinity Series wins at the 1.5-mile track in 2012, sweeping both races and earning the pole award for both the June and September events.
We Know Cars and Drivers … AAA and the RCR No. 3 team know how to keep drivers and their cars on track. For over 100 years AAA has been the name that millions of Members trust with the vehicles they rely on. From auto loans and roadside assistance to repair and maintenance, AAA is the ultimate automotive solution at every stage of car ownership. Learn more about the company at AAA.com/AllRoadsLeadToAAA
Drivin’ Like Dillon … AAA is giving fans an opportunity to win a brand new 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, similar to the car Dillon drives. Fans can enter Drivin’ Like Dillon by visiting aaa.com/Dillon for their chance to win.
Meet Dillon … Austin and the Drivin’ Like Dillon sweepstakes grand prize Camaro ZL1 will be in Cincinnati and at track this weekend. They will be at the AAA Auto Wash (3330 Central Parkway, Cincinnati) at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 12th as well as the Kentucky Speedway AAA Midway activation space at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 14th.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
What are your thoughts going into Kentucky?
“Kentucky is one of those places I’ve always been pretty decent at, going back to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series days. We were able to win there, and any time that you head into a track that you’ve been successful at in the past you go in with some confidence. The repave is a few years old now so it should be fun to see how that’s shaping up. We will look forward to Kentucky as one of those places where we feel like we can run well. I think brakes are going to be important there.”
This Week’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Kentucky Speedway … Ryan Newman will make his 603rd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start when the Series visits Kentucky Speedway. In seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events at the 1.5-mile track, Newman owns three top-five and three top-10 finishes. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of 15.1 and average finish of 14.3.
Season 26 in NASCAR … Richard Childress Racing embarks on its 10th season with Caterpillar on board the No. 31 Camaro ZL1 and Cat Racing’s 26th in NASCAR. For more than 90 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. Customers turn to Caterpillar to help them develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets. With 2017 sales and revenues of $45.462 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company principally operates through its three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation – and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment. For more information, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.
Featured Caterpillar Dealers … Whayne Supply Company and Walker Machinery are the featured Cat dealers for this weekend’s race at Kentucky Speedway.
Whayne Supply Company is one of the oldest and largest Caterpillar dealers in the U.S., based in Louisville, Kentucky. Whayne Supply Company has 17 locations across Kentucky and Southern Indiana serving the construction, mining, highway, ag and power industries.
Walker Machinery has over 60 years in the construction and mining industries and is the best choice when you are looking to purchase or rent equipment. Not only the authorized Caterpillar Dealership in western West Virginia and southeastern Ohio, they also sell and service several other lines of equipment. From backhoes and dozers, to continuous miners and on-highway trucks, Walker Machinery is your number one choice for all of your equipment and service needs.
Meet Newman … Fans are encouraged to stop by Trackside Live on Friday at 5 p.m. CT for a chance to meet Ryan Newman and take home a prize provided by partner Caterpillar! Brush up on your Cat Racing trivia for a chance to win! Hint: If you like to tailgate or camp, you’ll love it! On Saturday, Newman is scheduled to sign autographs on behalf of Coca-Cola Racing at 10 a.m. CT. It’s taking place at the Kroger located on Hwy 227 in Carrollton.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading into Kentucky?
“Kentucky is a big weekend for us and our partner Caterpillar. We’ve got a lot of folks and customers from Wayne Supply and Walker Machinery coming so we obviously want to put on a strong show for them. Plus, Caterpillar has a few surprise giveaways planned for race fans at the track. The first one happens on Friday during my Trackside appearance at 5 p.m. We hope to see a lot of Cat Racing fans when we are there. It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this.
“From an on-track standpoint, Kentucky is one of those tracks that I continue to have mixed feelings about. I’ve never been a fan of its configuration, but it is what it is. My results there have been mixed, too, so I hope we are able to unload fast and repeat our performance from back in 2016. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes.”
Based on your previous experience at the track, what is the hardest thing about Kentucky Speedway?
“The hardest part of Kentucky has always been turning into Turn 3. It is usually loose into Turn 3 and a real challenge to get a hold of.”
What do you say to those people that keep complaining about you being one of the hardest drivers to pass?
“I guess I am doing my job the best. That is what you are supposed to do as a driver. There is a certain amount of give and take that we all have to have. If they think I have the least, then that’s still OK. I give and take. I really do, and a lot more so than they think.”
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Kentucky Speedway … In 65 Series starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, RCR has captured four victories with drivers Kevin Harvick (2001), Austin Dillon (2012 sweep) and Brendan Gaughan (2014). The Welcome, North Carolina, organization has accumulated four pole awards, 23 top-five finishes, 41 top-10 finishes, led 973 laps and averages a starting position of 10.2 and finishing position of 10.5. RCR has completed 12,303 laps of the 12,918 (95.2 percent) in which they have competed.
Daytona Review … Shane Lee was the highest-finishing RCR driver when he placed sixth in the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 with Daniel Hemric close behind in eighth. Matt Tifft finished 20th after receiving damage during a wreck in the final stage of the race.
The Points … Daniel Hemric and Matt Tifft currently sit second and ninth, respectively, in the Xfinity Series driver point standings. The No. 3 RCR team is currently 13th in the series owner point standings.
Social Media … To keep up with the latest updates from RCR’s Xfinity Series teams, follow @RCRracing and @RCRNXS on Twitter. Updates can also be found via RCR’s Facebook Page and Instagram (@RCRracing).
Catch the Action … Coverage of this weekend’s Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway will be televised live on Friday, July 13, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. It will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
This Week’s No. 2 Surface Sunscreen Chevrolet Camaro at Kentucky Speedway … This week Matt Tifft returns to the site of his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut, Kentucky Speedway. Tifft finished 10th in his first Xfinity Series start at the 1.5-mile speedway in September 2015. Kentucky Speedway is also the site of the second race Tifft competed in after recovering from his brain tumor surgery, in which he placed fifth in the September 2016 Xfinity Series event. The 21-year-old driver has an additional top-10 finish at the track from his September 2017 Xfinity Series race there. Tifft also has two ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards starts at Kentucky, collecting a second and third-place finish in the series.
About Surface Sunscreen … Inspired by Motocross, Offroad and BMX, with roots deep in surfing, Surface Sun Systems was created with one mission, to provide high quality sun-care products to the athletes and fans of action sports. Located in the heart of Southern California, Surface wanted products that were designed for what they were are all about, living all day outside in the dirt, sand and water. The passion Surface has for action sports is hard to duplicate, and they put that passion to work with their rider developed and tested line of sun-care products, which allow all of us to enjoy our lifestyle without worrying about the damaging effects of the sun. Learn more at surfacecorp.com.
Stock Up on Surface … Tifft uses Surface Sunscreen to protect himself throughout the race weekend from harmful sun rays. Fans can do the same by picking up their own bottle of Surface Sunscreen, which is available at any Fanatics location at all tracks that NASCAR visits during the 2018 season.
Meet Tifft … Fans can meet Tifft during the Xfinity Series autograph session located in the tent in Kentucky Speedway’s fan midway on Friday, July 13, beginning at 3:30 p.m. local time.
MATT TIFFT QUOTE:
Since they repaved Kentucky Speedway and now that we’ve had a couple races on it, how does the track surface handle now?
“Kentucky Speedway was definitely one of my favorite tracks before they repaved it, but I think they did a good job with the repave there. It seems like the groove is starting to widen out finally where we can have more than one lane to run in. Even since the repave, Kentucky has been a strong track for me. It’s also a special track for me seeing as it was one of my first ones back after my brain surgery in 2016. I’ve finished in the top-10 all but one time there in the Xfinity Series. I hope that we can learn off of what these guys learned off of at RCR since the 21 and the 2 were fast there last year, and if we combine that with my experience, hopefully we’ll hit on something really strong for the weekend.”
This Week’s Red Kap / Alsco Chevrolet Camaro SS at Kentucky Speedway … Ty Dillon has seven previous starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Kentucky Speedway, earning three top-five and five top-10 finishes. His highest finish of second place came in 2015 and he earned a pole-position starting spot in 2014. He has led 270 laps of competition. Dillon also has two previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at the 1.5-mile track, and he scored his best finish of 25th place in 2016. He has four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Kentucky. Dillon has earned three top-five finishes and won the 2013 event after leading 26 laps.
Dressed for the Job … Red Kap knows all about “done right.” Red Kap has been creating comfortable, durable workwear since starting out as a family business back in 1923. Today, the brand outfits 16 million Americans who apply their hands and hearts to all kinds of jobs.
Shaping the Linen and Uniform Rental Industry … As the first company to introduce linen and uniform rental services to the world in 1889, Alsco not only pioneered an industry, we created industry standards. Alsco also invented the continuous towel dispenser, pioneered the use of garment lockers, and continues to lead in the laundering and delivery of ready-to-wear uniforms for virtually every type of application imaginable. With more than 128 years’ experience, one thing is clear: You must know your customers and know how to deliver individualized attention and service from the first visit on. And that’s our guarantee. Freshly laundered, and on time – every single time.
TY DILLON QUOTE:
What are your thoughts as you head back to Kentucky in the Red Kap / Alsco Chevrolet Camaro SS?
“I love racing at Kentucky Speedway. I’ve done well there in the past in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series. I won a truck race back in 2013, and I’ve come close in Xfinity with a second-place finish. I feel comfortable racing at this track. It went through a repave back in 2016, and it’s always interesting to learn the new quirks of a track as the repave ages and goes through the seasons. These mile-and-a-half tracks we visit are all so different from each other because they’re all in different stages of repaves. It keeps us all on our toes, and we have to adjust our intermediate package and our plans with every track we visit. This trip to Kentucky will be an especially big weekend. We have Alsco on our car for the Alsco 300, and I definitely want to be the one taking them to their own Victory Lane celebration.”
Daniel Hemric and the No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro at Kentucky Speedway … Hemric will be making his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Kentucky Speedway during this weekend’s Alsco 300. The driver of the No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet has an average start of 8.5, an average finish of 8.0 and has completed all the laps attempted at the 1.5-mile track.
Rearview Mirror: Daytona … Hemric earned a career-best Xfinity Series superspeedway finish on Friday night at Daytona International Speedway by bringing the No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet home in the eighth position. Starting fourth when rain canceled qualifying, Hemric earned points in both Stage 1 and Stage 2. He was involved in one of the night’s big wrecks but suffered only minor damage. The team was able to make repairs to the car and keep Hemric in contention for the rest of the event.
This Week at the South Point Hotel & Casino … Fans visiting the South Point Hotel & Casino this weekend have the opportunity to see comedian Joey Diaz on July 13 – 14 at The Showroom. The show is 18 and over, with tickets available at southpointcasino.com.
Meet the Driver … Fans have multiple opportunities to meet Hemric over the next week. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native is scheduled to take part in an autograph session at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Summer Shootout Series on Tuesday, July 10, starting at 5:30 p.m. in the concourse. Hemric is a former Summer Shootout Series driver, with a lot of success racing Legend Cars. He is also scheduled to take part in the Xfinity Series autograph session in the Kentucky Speedway fan midway on Friday, July 13, starting at 3:30 p.m.
Meet the Press … Hemric is scheduled to be part of the Xfinity Series media availability session in the Kentucky Speedway media center on Thursday, July 12, starting at 3:15 p.m. Fans can watch the press conference on NASCAR.com/presspass.
Getting Loopy … According to NASCAR Loop Data statistics, Hemric leads the Xfinity Series this year in average running position (8.323) and laps inside the top 15 (90.7 percent or 2,605 laps). He is also second in percentage of laps run on the lead lap through 16 races, with 93.59 percent (2,687 of a possible 2,871 laps).
DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
You have a pretty good record in the Xfinity Series at Kentucky Speedway with two top-10 finishes. With different degrees of banking in both corners, is Kentucky similar to the newly reconfigured Texas Motor Speedway at all?
“Kentucky Speedway is similar to Texas in how you approach the race. I feel like we can apply some of the things we did and learned as a company at Texas to this weekend’s race at Kentucky. Last year, we ran a lot better at Kentucky than our finishes show. I am excited to get back there with this No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet. When you’re doing so many different things on each end of the racetrack, it puts a little more back in the driver’s hands. I don’t mean just from a physical standpoint, but also how we approach practice, how we work on the car to make it better on one end and know what you can and can’t give up on the other end to still be good and make overall lap times. It is fun when you have that kind of a challenge from a mental and physical standpoint as a race team.”
With a relatively new surface at Kentucky Speedway, does the track change over the course of a weekend where you practice during the day, qualify late afternoon and then race at night under the lights?
“For me, the pace changes when you transition throughout the day. When you take off for practice, the track is really, really green, it has a ton of grip and is really fast. You are going so fast that the tires have to be hard enough to last and as the day goes on, the cars come more and more out of the racetrack. As that happens, that speed crosses over with the handling of the car. You have to figure out how long you can get away with that type of speed before the handling becomes such a big deal that you have to focus on that more – and maybe that means giving up some of that speed. On new pavement that is something you really have to focus on. I think the track is widening out each time we go back there, and that is finally giving us some options.”
