| Race: Budweiser Shootout
February 12, 2011 Location: Daytona International Speedway Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes: Seven Shootout Wins for RCR …RCR has earned seven checkered flags in the Budweiser Shootout — 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 with driver Dale Earnhardt and 2009 and 2010 with driver Kevin Harvick– and has had an entry in 24 of the 32 races. Three to Get Ready … RCR will field entries for Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick in this year’s exhibition event. This is the third consecutive season that the Welcome, N.C.-based organization has had multiple entries in the Budweiser Shootout’s 32-race history. RCR’s Invite … Bowyer, Burton and Harvick became eligible for the 33rd annual season-opening event by being 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup contenders and/or past race winners at Daytona International Speedway. While all three RCR drivers made the Chase in 2010, Burton visited Daytona’s Victory Lane in July 2000 while Harvick captured the checkers in the 2007 Daytona 500 and the 2009 and 2010 Budweiser Shootout races. The new qualifying rule will showcase a strong line-up of drivers who were last season’s top performers and previous race winners at the sport’s most-storied race track. Rookie of the Year honorables are also invited to compete. The star-studded field will compete in two segments, 25 and 50 laps, with a 10-minute pit stop between to allow teams to visit pit road should they elect to change tires, add fuel and make chassis adjustments. Qualifying Draw … Budweiser’s annual Draw Party will take place Friday, February 11 at the SPEED stage located outside of the Turn 4 tunnel. All three RCR drivers, along with other eligible competitors, will draw their respective starting position for Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout. This year’s Draw Party will be televised on SPEED beginning at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Catch the Action … Flag-to-flag coverage of the Budweiser Shootout will be televised live Saturday, February 6, beginning at 8 p.m. EST on FOX and will be broadcast worldwide on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. RCR on Social Media … To keep up-to-date with the latest news and information and to view exclusive behind-the-scenes content, visit RCR’s Twitter page (@RCRracing), the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages (@RCR27PMenard, @RCR29KHarvick, @RCR31JeffBurton and @RCR33CBowyer) and RCR’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing). Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet Impala Race Notes and Quotes This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 334 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s Budweiser Shootout. This No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet was built in-house by the Gil Martin-led No. 29 team over the winter months and will make its first competitive laps around the speedway this weekend. Career Stats … Harvick makes his seventh appearance in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season-opener during Speedweeks. In six Budweiser Shootout starts at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, Harvick has claimed two victories, four top-five and five top-10 finishes. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned a 16.8 starting average and a 6.8 finishing average. King of Beers … Harvick hits the track with a brand new sponsor and paint scheme for the 2011 season, as Budweiser joins RCR and the No. 29 team. Harvick’s black and red Chevrolet Impala will make its debut this Saturday night in one of NASCAR’s wildest events of the year. Winner, Winner … Harvick has enjoyed quite a bit of success in previous years at Daytona’s big-dollar shootout, and this year he will contend for his third consecutive Budweiser Shootout title. Harvick won his first title in 2009, competing against the largest field ever recorded. A win in the 2010 event added another notch in Harvick’s belt, making him the defending champ two years in a row. Introducing the Crew … Harvick debuts a new pit crew for the Budweiser Shootout. The No. 29 team’s 2011 pit crew includes two veterans from the 2010 crew, along with new front- and rear-tire changers and carriers and a new jackman. Super Weekend …Harvick spent his last weekend before the 2011 season cheering on the Green Bay Packers. Joining his new sponsor Budweiser, Harvick traveled to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas for Super Bowl XLV. He stopped by FOX’s Super Bowl Red Carpet pre-game show to talk about NASCAR’s Super Bowl, the Daytona 500. KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES: Talk about your new primary sponsorship with Budweiser. “It’s been fun to be a part of all the Budweiser stuff and see the car on the race track. The photo shoots have been pretty cool, because Budweiser is such an iconic brand not only in our sport, but around the world. It makes it a lot easier to promote a product that you actually like, so it’s been fun to be normal and just hangout.” You won races last year, you led the regular season points and you came close to winning the championship. You must have some pretty high goals for this season? “I think when you look at everything and where we are, racing for the championship is really what it’s all about. We want to win a championship trophy. Coming so close last year, I think we learned a lot, from the mind set, to the expectation level that you need to set for yourself, to the preparation that goes into everything for those last 10 weeks. It’s very important to be able to maintain that level of competitiveness throughout those last 10 weeks. We know what that feels like now, and we’ve done that better than we ever have before. We just have to keep doing the things that we’re doing. We have to make our pit crew better. That’ll help us a lot. If we do the same things we did last year and we improve on pit road, we’ll win more races.” Paul Menard joined RCR’s roster of drivers. What has it been like having him as a fourth team member? “Obviously, with Paul coming here, he’s a good guy first off and easy to get a long with. Bringing a fourth team in that’s funded correctly and when you go out and hire the right people and do the right things, you really shouldn’t miss a beat. It should help everything progress forward, with more R & D dollars and more opinions at the race track as far as what needs to get better or things you need to do differently. When the No. 07 team went away, all that stuff went to the truck team, so it really has been a complete addition of everything brand new.” Jeff Burton No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala Race Notes and Quotes This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway … For the second consecutive year, Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 238 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the annual Budweiser Shootout event. Built new in 2008, this No. 29-turned-31 Chevrolet Impala was driven in a number of races that year, including those at Auto Club Speedway at California in February, Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, as well as the June race at Michigan International Speedway and the fall race at Bristol Motor Speedway. In those five races, Harvick qualified in the top 10 four times and posted three top-10 finishes, his best result being a fourth-place run at Bristol in August. At the completion of the 2008 season, the RCR entry was converted from its original downforce configuration into a superspeedway car. In 2009, Harvick was scheduled to drive this car in the Daytona 500, but a crash during practice forced the team to use a back-up car instead. A couple months later, Harvick and the No. 29 Chevrolet were involved in a multi-car incident just seven laps into the 188-lap event at Talladega Superspeedway and were credited with a 38th-place finish. Serving as a back-up entry for the remaining restrictor-plate events, this racer wouldn’t return to competition until the 2010 Budweiser Shootout when Burton drove it to a 12th-place finish. The Road Previously Traveled … In five Budweiser Shootout starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, Burton boasts one top-five and two top-10 efforts. His best finish of fifth came in 2001 after starting from the 16th position. The veteran driver’s average starting position of 12.8 is, ironically, his average finishing position, as well. Shootout Victor … Crew chief Todd Berrier owns a Budweiser Shootout champion’s jacket for his win with Harvick in the 2009 event. Despite Harvick being knocked out of the draft early in the 75-lap race due to contact with the outer retaining wall, Berrier orchestrated an array of repairs during the 10-minute break that put his team back in contention for the win. No Rest for the Weary … The Cat Racing team spent some time away from the shop in the off season, testing a number of No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolets in preparation for 2011. Berrier and his squad participated in Goodyear’s tire test at Daytona International Speedway in December and revisited the ‘World Center of Racing’ in January for Preseason Thunder. Most recently, the No. 31 team returned to the Sunshine State where they tested the black and yellow machine at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
You made the Chase last season that put you in the Bud Shootout. Does that race take on a little more significance this year because you have so many more cars? “It’s almost a whole field. There are a lot of cars in it, and I guess that’s good because we’re in it. It’s going to be an exciting race. I really think that the race, with the new surface, is going to be crazy. This race offers an opportunity to learn something. The drivers and teams racing in the Bud Shootout will go into the Duel 150’s with a race under their belt that others won’t have, and I think that’s an advantage. Anytime you can be on the race track and other people can’t, gives you an edge. It’s going to be hard to imagine that half the cars that come out of it won’t need another car to replace that one.” Speaking of another non-points race, the Duel 150’s on Thursday, are you just trying to get your car through the races? Is that your first priority? What’s your thought process in that race? “I think it depends on what you have going on. I think that’s going to be the mind-set for most people. If you look at testing this year, there was never a large pack of cars. You would walk through the garage area and ask ‘are you guys going to draft?’ People say ‘no, we’re afraid we’re going to tear something up.’ There’s a general consensus that there’s going to be a fair amount of wrecks going on at Daytona. You certainly want to be able to put your best piece into the Daytona 500 and, certainly, the car that you qualify is the car that you believe is the best one. There’s a fine line between learning and being aggressive. I think the 150’s are going to be a great place to learn but, at the same time, it’s a race and people are going to try and win.” You’ve come close to winning the Daytona 500. How do you feel about coming so close and not winning it? “In the last four years, we’ve been 15 laps from the end of the race and in the midst of a battle with a real opportunity to win the 500.Every year, there’s been a circumstance where we didn’t make the right move or something happened and it just didn’t work out for us. Our restrictor-plate Chevys have been great and I feel like we’ve been in position to win at both Daytona and Talladega. We’ve always been a little better at Daytona than at Talladega, but I think you’re going to have to shift your mentality a little bit. I have to make sure that my weaknesses at Talladega don’t come out at Daytona because I feel like it’s going to be more like a Talladega race. I’ve spent a lot of time watching the last three races at Talladega to see how Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer have won them as well as other drivers who got it done. I feel like I’ve learned a lot. I’ve talked to Clint a lot. The Daytona 500 is a race that means a great deal to me. I’ve never won one and it’s certainly on my list.” Is there rust the teams have to knock off every year and is the Budweiser Shootout helpful with that? “Competition brings something out of you that you can’t replicate by practice or testing, especially in our sport. With football, basketball and baseball, you can practice and scrimmage at a level against people. When we go test, we’re testing against the race track, which you ultimately have to beat. But, you have a lot of people you have to go through to beat the race track. So, in our sport, you don’t get the chance to do that unless you’re at the race track with other people. The Shootout is our first chance in three months to go out and try to beat our competitors. I think it’s great to get started the week before the Daytona 500.” Clint Bowyer No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet Race Notes and Quotes This Week’s Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 294 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the annual Budweiser Shootout event. This chassis was driven in two restrictor plate races during the 2010 NSCS season at Daytona and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Bowyer drove the No. 33 Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Talladega last Halloween and to a top-five finish in the prestigious DAYTONA 500. In both races, he qualified inside the top 10 and led for a total 56 laps. It’s Good to be Back … After a two-year hiatus, Bowyer will make his second career start in the annual Budweiser Shootout under the lights at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Bowyer scored a top-15 effort in his first outing with a finish of 14th in the 2008 event. Familiar Faces … Shane Wilson returns for his third season atop the pit box after scoring two wins, seven top-five, and 18 top-10 finishes in 2010 with Bowyer at the wheel. Kevin Hamlin, who replaced RCR Vice President of Competition Mike Dillon as Bowyer’s spotter for the final three races of the 2010 NSCS season, will also return for the 2011 season. CLINT BOWYER QUOTES: How was your off-season? “The off-season was really great and too short. I had a lot of fun. I actually went hunting right after the banquet for two or three weeks. I enjoyed some hunting back home around Kansas and then went on to Tennessee to a buddy’s house and enjoyed some more outdoors there. I just relaxed and took it easy. I worked on my dirt program quite a bit. I’m really excited about that. We’re hoping to start a new team, making us a two-car organization running on dirt next year. I’ve been working a lot in the shop on the dirt cars and, hopefully, making their program bigger and better this year than it’s ever been.” You made the Chase last year and won some races. What are your goals for this year? “Same thing, just add one to the end of it, that’s all you can do. You set out the year to win races, make the Chase and win a championship. Those are your three goals, in that order. Hopefully, we can win more races, do better in the Chase and compete for the championship. That’s the ultimate goal for everybody.. It’s going to happen at RCR, and I want to be the one that makes it happen.” Talk about Paul Menard joining RCR as the fourth driver. “I’m really excited. I thought Paul really came on last year big time. He was really starting to run well and was consistently up front. He was a guy you were being passed by when you were running well. I’m excited to have him as a teammate. He brings a lot to the table for us on and off the race track. To be able to work with him on the race track will add another element to our already solid program. I think we’ll be even better. I think we’re ready this time. That’s the biggest thing. We had four teams and it didn’t work. This time, we have our ducks in a row. We’re organized, we’re structured and we have a lot more depth in our management and engineering. Across the board, we’re ready for it this time.” |
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Richard Childress Racing Event Preview Fact Sheet
Race: ARCA 200 Location: Daytona International Speedway Richard Childress Racing ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Race Notes:
RCR in the ARCA Racing Series … The 2011 season marks the second consecutive year that RCR has fielded a fulltime team in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. This season, RCR will field two fulltime entries, with Tim George Jr. returning to the seat of the No. 31 RCR Chevrolet and Ty Dillon driving fulltime for RCR in the No. 41 UNOH Chevrolet. The 42-year-old racing organization has fielded drivers in the ARCA Racing Series on a partial schedule in the past, including Kevin Harvick in 1999 and Austin Dillon in 2008 and 2009. Restrictor-Plate Racing, ARCA Style… RCR is no stranger to restrictor plate racing in the ARCA Racing Series. Early in his career, Harvick brought the organization to a third-place finish in the October 1999 ARCA race at Talladega. Twitter … Follow RCR’s Nos. 31 and 41 ARCA Racing Series teams on the organization’s official ARCA Twitter page – @RCR_ARCA, and on the official RCR twitter page -@RCRRacing. Also follow Tim George Jr. on his official Twitter page – @TimGeorgeJr and Ty Dillon on his official Twitter page – @TyDillon. Catch the Action … Flag-to-flag coverage of the ARCA 200 will be televised live on Saturday, February 12 beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on SPEED. Tune into the ARCA Racing Network at http://www.arcaracing.com for live timing and scoring of all on-track activity. Tim George Jr. This Week’s RCR Chevrolet at Daytona … Tim George Jr. will pilot chassis No. 161 from the Richard Childress Racing ARCA Racing Series stable in this weekend’s ARCA 200. George led laps in this chassis last year at Talladega Superspeedway en route to a third-place finish. George’s Daytona History … Tim George Jr. has made two previous appearances at Daytona International Speedway in ARCA Racing Series competition, with a career-best finish of eighth in the 2009 edition of the race after starting 34th. Last year, he finished 19th, also after starting 34th. He has completed all 160 laps he has attempted at the track. Getting Used to This Place … George has spent a lot of time at DIS in 2011. In addition to a three day ARCA Open Test and this weekend’s ARCA race, George revisited his road course racing roots, finishing 14th in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 29. Building Off a Solid Year … Tim George Jr. returns to the seat of the No. 31 RCR Chevrolet following a successful 2010 season that included two top-five and five top-10 finishes over the course of the 20-race ARCA Racing Series. Season highlights included leading laps and battling for the win during the late stages of the series’ race at New Jersey Motorsports Park and leading laps at Talladega Superspeedway en route to a third-place finish. Up Close and Personal … Tim George Jr will join teammate Ty Dillon on the Chevrolet Stage for a question-and-answer session with race fans on Saturday, February 12 at Noon. Following the Chevrolet appearance, RCR’s ARCA drivers will meet with race fans at the back of their respective team haulers in the ARCA Garage Area as part of ARCA All Access from 12:30 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday. The entire garage area will be open to race fans that have purchased a FanZone Ticket at Daytona. . TIM GEORGE JR QUOTES: What do you think about the new racing surface at Daytona, based on ARCA testing and competing in the Rolex 24? “The new racing surface at Daytona has a lot of grip and is great to drive on. I just finished the Rolex 24 weekend there, and the banking feels like it’s a lot smoother. I think this will yield closer and more exciting racing. I know my confidence is up after a great test with RCR in the ARCA Racing Series a few weeks ago. There’s a bump low between (Turns) 3 and 4, but, other than that, the surface is much smoother than the old track. I think the set ups will be a lot more like Talladega – which I love. We’ll just set the car to go fast since handling is less important now. Of course, everything will change in a big draft.” Is testing particularly helpful to a driver and team heading into a big race like Daytona? “Testing helps at a superspeedway like Daytona, but we did not draft at all at the ARCA Open Test. We are scrambling to get my backup car together and didn’t want to risk hurting the primary, especially since it’s so good! ECR does a great job with their plate motor package and my guys have worked hard to get this car right. We are going back to Daytona to compete for the win.” Ty Dillon This Week’s UNOH Chevrolet at Daytona … Ty Dillon will pilot chassis No. 89 from the Richard Childress Racing ARCA Racing Series stable in this weekend’s ARCA 200. This No. 41 Chevrolet was built in house by RCR employees over the winter months. Although the car has not yet been tested under race conditions, Dillon did have the opportunity to drive this Chevrolet at Daytona during the ARCA Open Test in January, posting some of the most competitive times of the three day test. Dillon’s Daytona History … The ARCA 200 at Daytona marks Dillon’s first attempt at Daytona International Speedway, and his first attempt at restrictor-plate racing. However, the “World Center of Racing” is not completely unfamiliar to the 18-year-old high school senior, as he has been attending Speedweeks with his grandfather, legendary NASCAR car owner Richard Childress, and father, RCR Vice President of Competition Mike Dillon, his entire life. In fact, Dillon and his older brother, Austin, have been a part of several RCR Victory Lane celebrations at DIS, including the 1998 Daytona 500 with Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Welcome, UNOH … The University of Northwestern Ohio joins Dillon and RCR as primary sponsor of the No. 41 Chevrolet for Saturday’s ARCA 200. UNOH also serves as the Official High Performance Education University of ARCA. Meet Scott Naset … This season, Scott Naset will make the calls on top of the pit box as crew chief of the No. 41 Chevrolet. Naset is a long-time member of the RCR team, serving as truck chief for Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in 2010, and as an experienced car chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Kevin Harvick. Off to Volusia … Austin and Ty Dillon will be racing dirt Modifieds at Volusia Speedway Park as part of the 40th annual DIRTCar Nationals February 8-15. For more information, visit www.TeamDillonRacing.com. Last Season … In three ARCA Racing Series starts in 2010, Dillon earned two wins (Kansas and Rockingham), one pole award (Iowa), and led 59 of 500 laps. Up Close and Personal … Dillon will join teammate George Jr. on the Chevrolet Stage for a question-and-answer session with race fans on Saturday, February 12 at Noon. Following the Chevrolet appearance, RCR’s ARCA drivers will meet with race fans at the back of their respective team haulers in the ARCA Garage Area as part of ARCA All Access from 12:30 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday. The entire garage area will be open to race fans that have purchased a FanZone Ticket at Daytona. TY DILLON QUOTES:
Do you feel pressure to perform well based on your success in 2010? What did you find most interesting about Daytona when you were testing? |
