Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … In 36 Series starts at the one-mile speedway, RCR has captured one victory with Kevin Harvick in 2007. The Welcome, North Carolina organization has completed 7,030 laps of the 7,241 (97.1 percent) that they have competed. RCR has accumulated four pole awards, 12 top-five finishes, 20 top-10 finishes, led 851 laps and averages a starting position of 9.4 and finishing position of 11.5.
Kentucky Review … Austin Dillon was the highest RCR finisher in second, Ty Dillon seventh, Brandon Jones 11th and Brendan Gaughan 13th, respectively, at Kentucky Speedway.
The Points … All three RCR XFINITY Series full-time drivers remain in the top 10 of the driver point standings as the series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the 17th event of the season. Ty Dillon is currently third, Brendan Gaughan is fifth and Brandon Jones is seventh. The No. 2 RCR team is third in the owner point standings. Brandon Jones is currently second in the XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.
Catch the Action … Coverage of this week’s AutoLotto 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, July 16, beginning at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN. It will also be broadcast live on Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.
Preview – AutoLotto 200
Austin Dillon:
This Week’s Rheem/Watts Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Austin Dillon will pilot chassis No. 163 in the AutoLotto 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In three races so far this season, chassis No. 163 has earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
Loudon Details … In four previous XFINITY Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Dillon has earned three top-five finishes and holds an average starting position of 9.2, coupled with an average finishing position of 8.2.
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Stay Cool this Summer … Chances are, the last thing you think about is your air conditioner. You just expect to be comfortable. That’s why Rheem is the best choice you can make. They simply offer the finest air conditioning solutions in the business. Top-quality, innovative products with the latest technology, dependable performance, great warranties and excellent service and support. All of this is why they confidently say, “Welcome to the new degree of comfort.”
No. 2 Team by the Numbers … With 16 XFINITY Series events complete in 2016, the No. 2 team has one victory, nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes with 24 laps led to their credit. Paul Menard returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 2 Chevrolet next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Austin Dillon Quote:
Over the course of a weekend, how much does New Hampshire Motor Speedway change with all the different series that run there?
“A lot of rubber gets laid down there throughout the weekend, rubber that you’re not used to running on the K&N cars and the late models. New Hampshire has always been a fun place to race especially if you have a good handling car, you can definitely make up a lot of ground.”
Ty Dillon:
This Week’s WESCO Chevrolet Camaro at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Ty Dillon will pilot chassis No. 157 for this weekend’s AutoLotto 200. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet Camaro last saw track action at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, where Dillon finished eighth. Chassis No. 157 has four starts to its credit this season and 12 total starts with an average finishing position of 8.1.
Dillon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … In two starts at the ‘Magic Mile,’ Dillon has one top-10 finish. He drove the No. 3 Wrangler Workwear/UniFirst Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish last July and finished 12th in July 2014.
WESCO … Since 2012, the black, blue and white colors of WESCO Distribution have been sported on Dillon’s Chevrolet. WESCO, a publicly traded Fortune 500 holding company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., is a leading provider of electrical and industrial supply.
Points Update … Dillon remains third in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver point standings trailing second place by 10 points and the leader by 19 points. Through 16 races, Dillon has five top-five finishes, 10 top-10 finishes and one pole award (Daytona International Speedway).
Meet Ty Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to visit the XFINITY Zone located in the Fan Midway on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. to participate in a question-and-answer session.
Ty Dillon Quote:
“I grew up a short-track racer and I love racing those types of race tracks, except New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a unique short track. It’s pretty flat and has a degree of technical difficulty. This weekend it will be important to communicate with our crew chief, Nick Harrison, and car chief, Mike Scearce, to get the balance right. I’ll be looking to improve on our sixth-place finish from last season.”
Brandon Jones:
This Week’s Cometic Chevrolet Camaro at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Brandon Jones will pilot chassis No. 169 this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet Camaro previously raced at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Pocono Raceway, where Jones finished 11th, 15th and eighth, respectively.
New Hampshire Nuggets … Jones will be making his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut at NHMS this weekend, but the driver of the No. 33 Cometic Chevrolet Camaro does have experience on the one-mile track. Jones has two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts at the ‘Magic Mile,’ recording an average finish of 16.5.
Cometic Gasket, Inc. … Cometic Gasket, Inc., is a leading worldwide supplier of gaskets and engine sealing solutions for the automotive performance, powersports, original equipment and remanufactured engine Industries. Housed in a 70,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing center in Concord Township, Ohio, Cometic Gasket has maintained its deep roots in both the automotive performance and the powersports industries while expanding to service the domestic automotive, sport compact, V-twin, marine, diesel, agricultural, industrial and stationary power markets. Today, Cometic Gasket offers over 85,000 SKUs, shipping gaskets and engine sealing solutions across the globe.
Rearview Mirror: Kentucky … Despite a setback in Thursday’s practice session, Jones recorded his 11th finish of 11th or better Friday night at Kentucky Speedway. Jones hit the wall in practice and was forced to a back-up car, but crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. and the entire No. 33 team worked to make the back-up car just as fast as the primary car. Starting 17th, Jones spent much of the 201-lap event battling for a spot in the top 10. Earning the free pass late in the race, Jones ended the night in the 11th spot, the last car on the lead lap.
Brandon Jones Quotes:
How will your previous experience at Loudon help in your first XFINITY Series start?
“I have raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway twice in the K&N East Series, but I’m looking forward to getting there in the XFINITY Series. The first time I was there, I was pretty lost. We didn’t run very well and we qualified near the back. The next time we were there I challenged for the win. On the last lap, I got into a tangle while racing for the lead in Turn 3 and 4, so we were extremely close to a win that time. I’m looking forward to getting back there with the Cometic Chevrolet. There is going to be a lot more speed with the XFINITY Series car.”
As we reach the halfway point of the season, how do assess yourself and how does the team continue to improve moving forward?
“It has been a great rookie season so far. The July race at Daytona International Speedway set us back a little bit, so we’re trying to fight back from that. We’re certainly keeping ourselves in the points battle. Once we get some consistency back, we’ll turn those top-10 finishes into top fives and possibly contend for a win.”
Brendan Gaughan:
This Week’s South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Brendan Gaughan will pilot chassis No. 162 Saturday afternoon in the AutoLotto 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet has been utilized on three previous occasions this season, Phoenix International Raceway in March, Richmond International Raceway in April and Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Chassis No. 162 averages a starting position of 14.3 and finishing position of 10th.
Gaughan’s Loudon Stats … In four NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at the one-mile speedway, Gaughan has earned one top-10 finish and averages a starting position of 18.8 and finishing position of 14.5. The Las Vegas native also has seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, accumulating two top-five, three top-10 finishes and averaging a starting position of 11.6 and finishing position of 15.9.
Home Track for Shane Wilson … Crew chief Shane Wilson, a native of South Royalton, Vermont, looks forward to seeing old friends and family at his home track in Loudon, New Hampshire.
2016 in Review … After 16 XFINITY Series events this season, Gaughan is fifth in the driver point standings, and has accumulated two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Gaughan has led 13 laps this season and ranks fifth in quality passes with 598 passes according to NASCAR loop data statistics. The 41-year-old driver ranks sixth in average running position with a 12.649 average and eighth in driver rating with an average rating of 86.3 as the series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Meet Gaughan at the “Magic Mile” … Gaughan is scheduled to visit the XFINITY Zone located in the Fan Midway on Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. to participate in a question-and-answer session.
Brendan Gaughan Quote:
What are your thoughts on New Hampshire Motor Speedway, do you like it?
“I have no choice in liking the flat one-mile oval. It is our crew chief Shane Wilson’s home track, and he is so gracious in liking my Las Vegas Motor Speedway that I have to return the favor. It is a fun place to race a tough place and a driver’s style track. Loudon (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) is a really flat track and tough to get a hold of, which makes it fun. The last few years, we have used more of the apron, going to the bottom and making those lines work. The groove will move around the track as we begin to lay the rubber down, so you have to stay ahead of that. The track surface will be hot and slick considering the afternoon start time. Drivers will definitely be moving around trying to find the grip.”
