Pocono 400
Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News and Notes
Event Pocono 400
Date: Sunday, June 8, 2014
Location: Pocono Raceway
RCR at Pocono Raceway … In 132 starts at Pocono Raceway, RCR team owner Richard Childress has two wins, both with Dale Earnhardt, who won on July 19, 1987 and July 18, 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole award, 16 top-five and 52 top-10 finishes with 599 laps led at the uniquely-shaped, three-turn track. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed two of those top-10 finishes under the RCR banner.
RCR in the NSCS … In 2,431 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 46 pole awards, 105 wins, 450 top-five finishes and 958 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.
The Collective RCR …Throughout the season’s first 13 races, RCR’s Sprint Cup Series entries have earned one pole award with Austin Dillon at Daytona International Speedway in February. Collectively, the organization has notched one top-five and 12 top-10 finishes with drivers Dillon, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard. RCR’s three full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers rank 11th (Newman), 14th (Menard) and 15th (Dillon) in the driver championship point standings.
RCR Dover Rewind … Last weekend, RCR teammates Menard, Dillon and Newman finished 10th, 21st and 31st respectively, in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.
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 Pocono 400 will be televised live Sunday, June 8 beginning at 1 p.m. ET on TNT 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 Pocono Raceway … Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 457 in the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway. This is the same Chevrolet SS Dillon drove to a 19th-place finish at Kansas Speedway in May and an 11th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway in March.
Dillon at Pocono Raceway …. Although this weekend marks Dillon’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series attempt at Pocono Raceway, he has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the triangle-shaped track, finishing seventh in 2010 and fifth in 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 ranks 15th in the championship point standings entering this weekend’s race event at Pocono Raceway.
#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.
Happy Anniversary … On Friday, Dillon joins baseball aficionados throughout America in wishing the Little League World Series a Happy 75th Anniversary. Dillon made it to Williamsport in 2002 when he played for the Southwest Forsyth (Clemmons, N.C.) team.
Testing 1, 2, 3 … Dillon spent Wednesday testing at Virginia International Raceway with his Gil Martin-led race team in preparation for the upcoming road course races on the schedule.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Are each of the three corners at Pocono Raceway different, and is it possible to set up the car for each of them?
“We did test there. We chose that as one of our tracks. Ryan Newman wanted to go there, so we went there to learn as much as we could. I ran there in the trucks. I’m sure it’s going to be a learning experience shifting and doing different things, and three turns does make it a little harder than two to comprehend. It’s a frustrating place because you have three different corners to set up for. One’s flat, one’s banked and one’s just a weird corner, so you get after it as hard as you can and try to give it the best you can.”
Paul Menard
No. 27 Moen/Menards Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Moen/Menards Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway… Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 463 in the 400-mile event at Pocono Raceway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was previously raced this year at Darlington Raceway where Menard finished in the 41st position after a late-race incident.
Pocono by the numbers … Menard has 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway. His best start of second came in 2011 and best finish of ninth came in 2012. The Wisconsin native has completed 2,392 of 2,488 laps attempted (96.1 percent) at the “Tricky Triangle.”
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Season-to-date … Through the first 13 Sprint Cup Series races of the 2014 season, Menard has completed 4,232 of 4,357 laps contested (97.1 percent), led 45 laps and is currently 14th in the driver point standings.
Looking Back … In last year’s 160-lap race, Menard started the No. 27 Chevrolet from the ninth position and was relegated to a 30th-place finish after a late-race incident.
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
How do you set-up up for Pocono since it’s such a unique track?
“Pocono is a great track as far as uniqueness, obviously. We shift (gears) there, and a lot of guys have been doing that the last couple of years which adds a different element. It’s kind of like a big road course really, you just turn left. The hardest part is trying to get your car out of the air while still maintaining grip in the corners. In Turn 1, it’s real wide and has pretty good banking where you can run side-by-side. Turn 2 is really flat and sharp which makes it very difficult to run side-by-side through. Turn 3 is in-between, it’s real flat but with a sweeping, pretty wide corner. It’s definitely a unique track.”
Ryan Newman
No. 31 WIX Filters Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s WIX Filters Chevrolet SS at Pocono Raceway … Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 456 on Sunday at Pocono Raceway. Chassis No. 456 has been utilized in two Sprint Cup Series events so far in 2014 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway – seventh and Texas Motor Speedway – 16th).
Newman at the Tricky Triangle … In 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Pocono, Newman drove to victory lane in the second summer event of 2003. The “Rocket Man” also owns two pole awards. In total, he’s recorded nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. He has led 184 laps in competition. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of 10th and average finish of 12th. In the last six races at Pocono, the RCR driver ranks third in most points earned. Plus, Newman’s first ever ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards start came at Pocono Raceway in 2000 where he started on the outside pole to win the race.
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Point of Interest … Newman ranks 11th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing 10th place by just three markers and the current leader by 89 points, entering the 14th event on the schedule – the Pocono 400.
Where’s Ryan? … On Sunday, Newman is scheduled to participate in a question and answer session at the Sprint Experience at 9:55 a.m. ET located at the Pocono midway.
Race Rewind … Last season, Newman led the Pocono 400 three times before crossing the finish line in fifth place.
Team Test … Newman and teammate Austin Dillon participated in an RCR team test at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., on Wednesday. Last week, all three RCR Cup teams tested at Pocono Raceway in preparation for this weekend’s event.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What are your expectations for Pocono now that the new surface has aged a year?
“I think it has definitely slowed down a little bit even though our cars are a little bit faster, but to me, it’s still the same track. They changed Turn 2 a little bit, the curbs are gone. It makes for a better escape route especially with the way our splitters are now. On a restart, it will really help when we get jumbled up. We will have a place to go now instead of running in the back of someone. The track is pretty much the same and it remains one of my favorite tracks on the circuit.”
Do the three unique turns make it fun for you to drive?
“It’s a third more work per lap is what it amounts to. I wouldn’t say it’s anything crazy or anything we can’t handle. All three corners are different and it makes it more different. It’s possible to set your car up for all three turns. It’s doable to make the car perfect. It’s not easy, but all it takes is good communication between you, the crew chief and the engineers. One of the reasons why I like the place is because of the unique turns and the chance to shift. Shifting makes it fun and adds a little more fun. There is still heavy braking, so it has characteristics of a short track. It’s totally unique, which is what I like.”
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