CHINA GROVE, N.C.(May 31, 2011) – When the green flag flies over the 1.5-mile oval and under the lights of Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday night, Robert Richardson, Jr. and the No. 23 North Texas Pipe Dodge have one goal in mind – get a good finish.
After a rough couple of weeks with unfortunate incidents ending races early for the team, the goal to make it to the checkered flag is forefront on their minds as they head to the Midwest facility. Not only does it reward Walter Giles (crew chief) and the team for their hard work getting ready for the race, but also pays off in points and pride.
Making it even more exciting for the Nationwide Series is the fact they will be the only NASCAR series at the track, sharing the weekend with the ARCA Series. Their brethren in the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will be competing in Kansas.
Stay with R3, get a great hotel deal:R3 Motorsports will be staying at the Hampton Inn located in Crestwood, Illinois. In turn, the Hampton Inn is pleased to announce a Special R3 Motorsports Discount Package by offering a Special Low Rate for the first 10 guests who call and make reservations at their hotel. The rates start at $79.00, plus tax, per night starting June 3 through June 5, 2011.
The Hampton Inn Crestwood is conveniently located south of Interstate I-294 and Route 50 (Cicero Avenue), also 10 miles south of Interstate -80 and four miles west of I-57 just minutes from downtown Chicago.
The rates include Hot Breakfast Buffet, Free Local Phone Calls, Free Wireless Internet, Indoor Swimming Pool, Fitness Center, along with many in-room amenities that will make your stay comfortable and relaxing. Call the Hampton Inn Crestwood at 708-597-3330 today and ask for the R3 Motorsport discount rate.
Fast Facts:Robert Richardson, Jr. will be making his 81st NASCAR Nationwide Series start of his career and 12th of this season. To date, his overall best finish was 15th at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indy last year. For this season, Richardson has a best start of 26th at Talladega Super Speedway and finish of 20th at Richmond International Raceway.
Track Facts: With two previous starts to his credit at Chicagoland, the results bode well for continued success showing a 97.5% ratio (393 of 403) for laps completed. It was in the ’09 race when he enjoyed his best success with a 28th-place finish.
Tune in for the Win:Neither of the two practice sessions on Friday evening will be covered, but ESPN2 will air the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. (ET). Then, ESPN will take over with race coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. from Chicagoland. You can also listen to all 200 laps of action on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 that evening, as well.
Robert Richardson, Jr. Quotes:“If there are two things I really like about racing is 1.5-mile tracks with multiple grooves, and doing it under the lights. This was a great move by Chicagoland to bring us in to do that on a Saturday night. I hope the fans are looking forward to it as much as we are this weekend.
“I like racing Chicagoland because you do have the choice of grooves to run to get your car faster and handling better. The one thing I know every week when we show up is our cars are ready to race. Walter and the guys put a lot of effort into preparing our cars, and this weekend we just need to put a total race together and get the results we all deserve.
“So, turn on the lights and drop that green flag on Saturday night – we’re looking forward to it.”
