Martinsville 500 Richard Childress Racing – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News and Notes
Event: Martinsville 500
Location: Martinsville Speedway
Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Martinsville Speedway … In 141 NASCAR Sprint 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 27 top-five and 54 top-10 finishes at Martinsville dating back to the team’s first start there on April 10, 1972. RCR teams boast a 16.8 average starting position, an average finishing position of 16th place and have completed 65,991 of the 70,198 contested laps (94 percent) at the paperclip-shaped race track. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed four of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978.
RCR in the NSCS … In 2,396 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 44 pole awards, 105 wins, 450 top-five finishes and 951 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 15.8. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90,’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR Nationwide 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.
Save Kids’ Lives by Joining the Childress Champions … Help support the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma by selecting your favorite driver when making a bronze level donation of $33 (Austin Dillon), $27 (Paul Menard) or $31 (Ryan Newman) to CIPT. To make a tax deductable donation, visit: . The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma invests resources in research, education and awareness to improve the treatment for critically injured children in the U.S. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center was established through the generosity of Richard and Judy Childress. For more information, please visit www.InjuredKids.org.
Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages – @RCR3ADillon, @RCR27PMenard, @RCR31RNewman, 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 – www.facebook.com/austindillon3 , www.facebook.com/PaulMenard27 and www.facebook.com/RyanNewmanNASCAR.
Catch the Action … The Martinsville 500 will be televised live Sunday, March 30 beginning at 1 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Austin Dillon
No. 3 Dow Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Dow Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway … Austin Dillon will pilot chassis No. 420 in the Martinsville 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This Chevrolet SS was utilized five times during the 2013 season by the Gil Martin-led team with driver Kevin Harvick posting a sixth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway in October, an 11th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway (September), a seventh-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July), a first-place finish at Richmond International Raceway (April) and a 13th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway (April).
Dillon at Martinsville Speedway … Although this weekend will mark Dillon’s first attempt at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he has made four appearances at the track in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series earning his best finish of third in October 2011.
Welcome, Dow … Dillon’s rookie year in the Sprint Cup Series is also Dow’s first year as a primary sponsor with RCR and the No. 3 Chevrolet. Together, both teams embrace the power of safety, science and technology as RCR tests Dow products under the most strenuous conditions. Dow also drives innovation to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems, bringing a broad range of sustainable products and solutions to customers in nearly 180 countries. www.dow.com
Get to the Points … Dillon is tied for eighth in the championship point standings entering this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway, 36 markers behind current leader Carl Edwards.
The Season So Far … Dillon started off his rookie campaign with a pole award in the 56th running of the Daytona 500, making him the youngest polesitter in Daytona International Speedway history in the Sprint Cup Series. He earned a ninth-place finish in the “Great American Race.” From there, the series traveled to Phoenix International Raceway where Dillon finished 24th, and then Las Vegas Motor Speedway where he posted a 16th-place finish. He has earned back-to-back 11th-place finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway.
#ALLin Challenge … Dillon is asking fans whether they are #ALLin for a new and exciting challenge every Wednesday on his Twitter account, @austindillon3. From capturing an “awkward hug” via video to submitting your best “poker face” photo to helping crew chief Gil Martin’s son Ford find a date for his upcoming prom, each challenge is unique and the winner, as voted on by Austin, wins race tickets or unique memorabilia. Follow @austindillon3 on Twitter every Wednesday for the #ALLin Challenge.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on running at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?
“I’m looking forward to racing at Martinsville Speedway. I haven’t been there in a few years, since the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series days. I had some good runs there in my truck. It’s going to be totally different there in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. There’s a lot of competition, we just have to make it through. It’s one of those races where you have to fight to stay in it. Things are going to happen. Things are definitely wild there, so hopefully we can just have a good solid day as a rookie.”
Everybody is saying the new knockout-style qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway might be kind of crazy since it’s a tight track, which will make it difficult to get a clean track. What are your thoughts?
“Yeah, and you’ll be able to get in quite a few runs. I don’t think many laps on the tires are going to hurt you as much. You’ll be able to run less tape. If your car is fast, you should be fine.”
Paul Menard
No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway … Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 419 in the 500-lap race at Martinsville Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was utilized five times in 2013 having raced both Martinsville races finishing 19th and 22nd, and Richmond International Raceway events finishing 13th and fifth, and the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where it took the checkered flag in 17th place.
Menard to Date … Paul Menard is making his 261st-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this Sunday. During that span, the native of Eau Claire, Wisc., has earned one victory, one pole award, 11 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes while leading 272 circuits. This year, he has earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes in the first five races.
Martinsville by the Numbers … At the half-mile, elongated oval of Martinsville Speedway, Menard has 13 previous starts to his credit. His best start of ninth took place twice, with the first happening in the 2010 spring race and the other in the 2012 fall event. His best finish of 12th took place in the fall of 2012 race. His average start is 21.7 and average finish is 21.8 at the southern Virginia track. Menard has completed 6,278 of 6,534 laps attempted (96.1 percent) in those 13 events.
About Pittsburgh Paints … PPG Pittsburgh® Paints is a nationally recognized brand trusted by painting contractors, building owners, architects, designers, and homeowners for over 100 years. Products include interior/exterior paints and interior/exterior stains. For additional information, please visit www.ppgpittsburghpaints.com.
Race Rewind … In this race last year at Martinsville Speedway, Menard started the No. 27 Chevrolet SS from 16th place on the grid and took the checkered flag in 19th place for his fifth top-20 finish at the track.
One Week Ago … Last Sunday at Auto Club Speedway, Menard officially started 30th, but was relegated to the back of the 43-car field because he passed up qualifying on Friday to be with his wife and their newborn daughter in N.C. The new father raced his way to a ninth-place finish to record his second top-10 of the season.
Movin’ on Up … Since the season-opening Daytona 500, Paul Menard and the Slugger Labbe-led team have moved from 30th in driver points to 14th in just five races.
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on racing at Martinsville Speedway?
“We had a pretty good race last weekend going from the back to the front in California (Auto Club Speedway). But, that’s a tough task to do at a short track like Martinsville with so few lanes to race. Everyone is fighting for the bottom groove, which makes passing difficult. It’s a fun track to drive with a big emphasis on qualifying and pit strategy to maintain good track position.”
Ryan Newman
No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS at Martinsville Speedway … Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 435 in Sunday’s Martinsville 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet SS is brand new in competition and will make its debut for the first time during Friday’s practice and qualifying activities.
Newman at Martinsville’s half-mile … In 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, Newman visited victory lane at this event in 2012. The Rocket Man also owns three pole awards, all happening in the fall events in 2002, ’04 and ’09. In total, he owns seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of ninth and average finish of 15th. When calculating points earned over the last 10 races at the half-mile track, Newman ranks fourth in amount of points earned.
Engineered to Amaze … Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation’s fourth largest retail home mortgage lender. The company closed a record $80 billion of volume across all 50 states in 2013. Quicken Loans generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Scottsdale, Arizona. The company also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among all home mortgage lenders in the United States by J.D. Power for four consecutive years in 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010.
Quicken Loans was named among the top-30 companies on FORTUNE magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for the last 11 consecutive years, ranking #5 in 2014. It ranked in the top-15 of Computerworld magazine’s “100 Best Places to Work In Technology” for the past nine years, ranking #1 in 2013. The company moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010, and now more than 8,500 of its 10,000-plus team members work in the city’s urban core. For more information about Quicken Loans, please visit www.quickenloans.com, on Twitter at @QLnews, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/QuickenLoans.
Point of Interest … Newman ranks eighth in the championship point standings, trailing the current leader by just 36 markers heading into the sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event of 2014.
Race Rewind … Last season, Newman started 10th and had a strong run cut down by two flat tires. It resulted in a 31st-place finish.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on Martinsville Speedway?
“I really like Martinsville Speedway. I wish we had more short tracks like Martinsville. Short-track racing is some of the best racing we have going for our sport because of the quality of racing we have there. The mechanical grip is always a factor at that track and it depends on which tire Goodyear brings for us. Mechanical grip and tires can manipulate the kind of weekend you are going to have and hopefully you can adapt quickly, as well as adjust appropriately throughout the course of the weekend. I like the challenge of having to chase the combination of the tire and race track. The track changes day to day so the key is making the right adjustments so you don’t go off path. I am really looking forward to having a good race there in the Quicken Loans Chevrolet.”
