Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Chicagoland Speedway … Richard Childress is tied for second place for number of car owner victories at Chicagoland Speedway with Kevin Harvick’s back-to-back wins in 2001 and 2002. In 48 starts at the 1.5-mile suburban Chicago tri-oval, Richard Childress Racing teams have a combined 10 top-five, 19 top-10 finishes and one pole award with Jeff Burton in 2006.
RCR in the NSCS … In 2,706 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 46 pole awards,105 wins, 473 top-five finishes and 1,024 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.0. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR XFINITY 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 …Last weekend at Richmond International Raceway, Austin Dillon clinched a spot in the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup, and ranks 15th on the Chase Grid. Newman ranks 17th and Menard ranks 23rd in the driver championship point standings.
Life-saving Education … The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma funds education to provide the people that save injured kids’ lives with the latest techniques. We recently provided a sports medicine education course for EMS, coaches and athletic trainers, and are hosting a pediatric trauma conference in NC and international web symposium in September. Learn more about our programs saveinjuredkids.org/sportsmedicine2016/.
Catch the Action … The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 is scheduled to be televised live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.
This Week’s Dow Chevrolet SS at Chicagoland Speedway … Austin Dillon will pilot chassis No. 555 in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. This is the same Chevrolet SS that Dillon raced to a ninth-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.
Winner, Winner …. Dillon has two previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, earning his best finish of 16th in 2014. The 2013 NASCAR XFINITY Series Champion has five previous XFINITY Series starts at the track, earning four top-five finishes. He has led 105 laps at the 1.5-mile track. He is also the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race winner.
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Ready. Set. Chase … Dillon clinched a berth in the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup with a 13th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway and currently ranks 15th on the chase grid. He is scheduled to participate in various media events in the Chicago market this week to promote his career-first Chase berth, including an appearance at Wednesday night’s Chicago White Sox game.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
This is your first time making the Chase for the Sprint Cup. How excited are you and what are your thoughts?
“I’m just proud of our effort, our team and everything we went through this year. I’m proud to be here. I’m just excited. The stress level is off of me. I’m not going to take stress into the Chase. I’m going to go have fun and try to win, look at it with no pressure situation.”
Chicagoland Speedway is a great track for you. Talk about your outlook for the first of three races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“Chicagoland Speedway is one of my favorite tracks and we are going there to win. That is all we are doing. We are going there to win and see what happens after that.”
Chicagoland Speedway Stats … In nine previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, Menard has one top-10 finish and averages a starting position of 14.2, coupled with an average finishing position of 23.1.
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PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
What makes racing so unique at Chicagoland Speedway?
“Chicagoland Speedway is one of the newer facilities on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Over the past couple of years the racing groove has widened, which allows for more passing opportunities. The backstretch there is slightly curved, but it doesn’t affect the car too much. Because of the curve, you’ve got to slightly turn the car left going down the straightaway. It’s a fun track and a fast track.”
Career Stats at Chicagoland … Newman will make his 539th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend. In 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Chicagoland Speedway, Newman visited victory lane in 2003. The “Rocket Man” also owns one pole award in 2002. In total, he owns four top-five and nine top-10 finishes. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of 10th and average finish of 15th. In the last eight events at Chicagoland, Newman ranks fifth in most driver points earned.
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RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
What are the challenges that Chicagoland Speedway presents to you?
“Chicago is just a big circle. It’s important to keep the Caterpillar Chevrolet turning and on the gas. Those two things are super important more so than other tracks we compete. Also, the track has some character bumps so any kind of breaking of momentum at a track with its configuration is important so having a car that can ride over those bumps well is so important.”
Richmond Review … Ty Dillon was the highest RCR finisher in sixth, Austin Dillon seventh, Brendan Gaughan 18th and Brandon Jones 23rd, respectively, at Richmond International Raceway.
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 Chicagoland Speedway for the last event before the inaugural XFINITY Series Chase begins. Ty Dillon is currently fourth, Brendan Gaughan is fifth and Brandon Jones is eighth. The No. 2 RCR team is second in the owner point standings. Brandon Jones is currently third in the XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.
Catch the Action … Coverage of this weekend’s Drive for Safety 300 at Chicagoland Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, Sept. 17, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. It will also be broadcast live on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.
This Week’s Richmond / Menards Chevrolet at Chicagoland Speedway … Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 148 at Chicagoland Speedway for the Drive for Safety 300. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet has been recently rebuilt and will make its first competitive laps on Friday during practice.
Windy City Details … In 10 previous NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Menard has recorded two top-five and five top-10 finishes. He holds an average starting position of 13.5, coupled with an average finishing position of 14.5.
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No. 2 Team by the Numbers … With 25 XFINITY Series events complete in 2016, the No. 2 team has three victories, three pole awards, 15 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes, with 115 laps led to their credit. Sam Hornish Jr. will return to the driver’s seat of the No. 2 Chevrolet next weekend at Kentucky Speedway.
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
What is it like to race at Chicagoland Speedway?
“There’s a lot of character at Chicagoland, which lends itself to being wide. The backstretch is unique in that it’s curved and there are a lot of bumps throughout the corners. Depending on what part of the fuel run you are in and where your tires are, you can run all over the track. I like racing there because it’s similar to Atlanta (Motor Speedway) and Texas (Motor Speedway), where you can search to try and find grip.”
Dillon in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Chicagoland Speedway … In four XFINITY Series starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, Dillon has two top-five finishes and four top-10 finishes. Dillon has never finished worse than ninth at Chicagoland Speedway. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Dillon has one top-five finish. Dillon also recorded a victory in the ARCA Racing Series in June 2011.
Continuing to Succeed on the 1.5-mile Tracks … Through 25 races in the 2016 season, the XFINITY Series has visited five tracks of 1.5-miles in length. In those five races, Dillon has recorded one top-five finish (Atlanta Motor Speedway) and four top-10 finishes (Las Vegas, Charlotte, Kentucky).
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Locked In … This weekend marks the regular season finale for the XFINITY Series with next weekend’s race kicking off the first round of the inaugural XFINITY Series Chase. Dillon, who is locked into the Chase on points, has seven top-five, 14 top-10 finishes and one pole thus far in 2016.
TY DILLON QUOTE:
Evaluate the No. 3 team on 1.5-mile race tracks this season.
“We feel like we have an advantage when we go to 1.5-mile tracks because we have a notebook that is filled with information from over the years. I’m starting to get more experience. My teammates have a lot of experience. We’re in a position now that we expect to finish top five at 1.5-mile tracks. The good news is, when the Chase starts next week, five of the seven tracks we race are 1.5-mile. That’s great news for us because we feel that we can lead laps, compete for wins and keep us above the cut line to make it to the final race of the season in Homestead.”
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One To Go … This weekend’s event at Chicagoland Speedway marks the final race before the start of the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. Jones was able to lock himself into the 12-driver Chase after a ninth-place run at Darlington Raceway. The first round of the Chase kicks off next weekend at Kentucky Speedway, before moving to Dover International Speedway and concluding at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Chicagoland Nuggets … Jones will be making his XFINITY Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend, but has a 17th-place finish there in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has shown strength on the 1.5-mile tracks this year, earning an average finish of 8.8 through the first five events.
Meet the Driver … Jones is scheduled to make multiple appearances around the track this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. He will visit the Chicagoland Kids Club in the Fan Midway on Friday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. Jones will also be at the Kimberly-Clark Display in the Fan Zone on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 9:30 a.m. and again on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 11 a.m.
Going Social … Jones will take over the Richard Childress Racing Instagram account this Sunday, Sept. 18 before and during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Follow along at instagram.com/rcrracing/.
BRANDON JONES QUOTES:
What other tracks on the schedule does Chicagoland Speedway compare to that you have experience at?
“I would say Chicagoland is pretty similar to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track where we had a good run earlier this season. We almost won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway last year, but ended up running out of fuel and finishing 17th. We were really competitive that day. I’m really looking forward to getting to Chicagoland this weekend with the Tide/Menards Chevrolet. I have been able to do tests in the past at Chicagoland in the XFINITY Series cars, so I feel like it will be a good track for us.”
Is Chicagoland Speedway truly a multi-groove track or do you have to find one groove and stick to it?
“There are definitely multiple lanes at Chicagoland Speedway. In Turn 1 you can run right along the top. The track is a little line sensitive getting through Turns 3 and 4, but it is a place where there are multiple grooves. I feel like we’re going to be wide open for the most part, so that’s always fun.”
Gaughan’s Stats at Chicagoland … In seven NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Gaughan has completed 1,394 of 1,404 (99.3 percent) laps that he has competed. Gaughan has led five laps, accumulated one top-five finish and two top-10 finishes. He averages a starting position of 15.7 and a finishing position of 13.6. Gaughan also has three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the 1.5-mile speedway. In those three starts, the 41-year-old driver has earned one top-five finish, in which he led 83 laps to finish second.
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Meet Brendan Gaughan … Fans of Gaughan will have the opportunity to meet the driver of the No. 62 on Friday, Sept. 16, beginning at 5 p.m. Central Time at Thorntons, located at 2798 W Jefferson St. in Joliet, Illinois. The autograph session will feature a unique American Ethanol / Thorntons hero card, as well as the chance to win tickets to the Drive for Safety 300 XFINITY Series race.
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTES:
How do you feel about the 1.5-mile program at RCR?
“We have been working hard at Richard Childress Racing. August was a great month. The momentum from those team wins, plus the hard work on our intermediate track program will equal great performance. I feel really good going into Chicagoland. It will be a benchmark for the performance heading into an intermediate track-heavy XFINITY Series Chase. We will race at five 1.5-mile tracks in the seven-race Chase. It is important to dial in your performance at this type of track.
What is your favorite memory of Chicagoland Speedway?
“My favorite memory of Chicagoland Speedway is the Tropicana Orange going down the racetrack in 2004. It’s probably not Chicagoland Speedway’s favorite memory, but it’s definitely one of mine. It was fun racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series there in 2004. I had a great pass late in the race, which I took Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Jarrett three-wide on the outside. I love racing there.”
