RCR Event Preview – Dover International Speedway

This Week’s Duracell / Menard Chevrolet SS Team at Dover International Speedway … Menard has competed in 19 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events at the one-mile race track. He has two top-10 starts and three top-10 finishes with 99.1 percent of laps completed in competition. The Richard Childress Racing driver’s best start of third came in October 2011 and best finish of seventh in October 2010.

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PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
What does a lap feel like at Dover International Speedway?
“It’s probably the number one track that we get a sensation for speed at. You’re right by the wall, actually you’re surrounded by walls inside and outside right off the racing surface. There’s not really an apron there. Things just happen fast. It’s like Bristol Motor Speedway on steroids. You can make fast laps around the bottom but it does move up a little bit, which is cool. It depends on what tire they bring. We’ve seen some really great races in the past. You just hold your breath during qualifying for a lap or two and then the race pace slows down. You can feel what the car is doing and try to make adjustments for it.”

How do you manage the phenomenon there of when you’re at speed and your putting down a lot of rubber on the track, then under caution you’re picking it back up and throwing a bunch of marbles out? That has to be maddening to try and get it dialed in.
“That’s a bad part about the track. If you stay out on scuffs, then those hot tires just pick up all the rubber under caution, so you’ve really got to clean them off. Or it’ll just be slippery for a couple of laps. Stickers are not that bad. They’ll still pick up the rubber but since they’re cold it won’t be as greasy feeing. Hopefully every time we pit we’ll put on four tires and not have to worry about it.”

This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet SS at Dover International Speedway … Newman will make his 561st Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start when the Series competes at Dover International Speedway.  In 30 Cup Series events, Newman has three victories to his credit including a Dover sweep in 2003 and a win in the fall of 2004. The “Rocket Man” also owns three pole awards. In total, he owns six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Also, he has led 848 laps in competition. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of 10.0 and average finish of 14.0.

Winner, Winner … Newman punched his ticket to the MENCS playoffs with a victory at Phoenix Raceway on March 19th in the No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet. The win equates to the driver’s 18th-career Cup Series victory and RCR’s 106th.

Age of Smart Iron … Caterpillar has spent over 90 years committed to innovation and technology that helps customers succeed. What was important then is even more important now, in an age when advancements come faster and more frequently than ever before. An age where connectivity drives productivity and industry evolves. This is the Age of Smart Iron. Watch this video. For more information about Caterpillar, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What are the keys to being successful at Dover International Speedway?
“You leave the Coca-Cola 600 and you head to Dover and Dover seems to be just as long of a race. It’s still 400 laps. It’s still super demanding and it’s probably more physically demanding than Charlotte”

What’s been the quickest thing you’ve picked up at Dover International Speedway?
“Dover is just a lot of fun. The way the transition is of getting down into the corners and then climbing the hill up the straightaway makes it a lot of fun to drive. The concrete doesn’t typically change a whole lot. Typically when you get your car right there, it stays that way.”

What is the hardest thing to learn at Dover International Speedway?
“More recently, it’s harder to pass now than it’s ever been at Dover.”

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Dover International Speedway … In 77 Series starts at the one-mile concrete oval, RCR has captured three victories with drivers Jeff Burton (2006) and Clint Bowyer (2006 and 2009). The Welcome, North Carolina, organization has completed 14,348 laps of the 15,103 (95.0 percent) that they have competed. RCR has accumulated five pole awards, 19 top-five and 43 top-10 finishes, led 727 laps and averages a starting position of 10.8 and finishing position of 12.9.

Charlotte Review … Austin Dillon was the highest RCR finisher in third, Brendan Gaughan ninth, Daniel Hemric 13th, Brandon Jones 16th and Ty Dillon 18th, respectively, in the Hisense 4k TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Dash4Cash … This weekend’s XFINITY Series race at Dover International Speedway marks the fourth and final Dash4Cash event. The two highest finishing XFINITY Series regulars from each stage will qualify for that event’s Dash4Cash award, a $100,000 bonus. Daniel Hemric earned the cash bonus in a previous Dash4Cash event at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Points … All three RCR XFINITY Series full-time drivers remain in the top 20 of the driver point standings as the Series heads to Dover International Speedway for the 11th event of the season. Daniel Hemric is currently fourth, Brandon Jones is 15th and Brendan Gaughan is 16th, respectively. The No. 2 RCR team is fourth in the owner point standings, and the No. 3 RCR team is in eighth coming out of Charlotte. Daniel Hemric is currently second in the XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.

Catch the Action … Coverage of this week’s Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, June 3, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern time on FS1. It will also be broadcast live on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.

This Week’s Rheem Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway … In six NASCAR XFNITY Series Starts at Dover International Speedway, Austin Dillon has acquired one top-five and six top-10 finishes, earning an average finish of 6.7. He’s also earned one pole award at the Monster Mile.

Register Your Product … Did you know that registering your Rheem products allows you to access included warranty benefits, opt to extend warranty coverage and take advantage of other valuable Rheem support services? Have your product serial number handy, then select Water Heating or Heating and Cooling to begin the quick registration process. For more information, visit http://www.rheem.com/warranty.

By the Numbers … According the NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon ranks third in Average Running Position in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Dover International Speedway with an Average Place of 6.108.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
How intimidating is Dover International Speedway?
“It’s a tough place, but I’ve kind of gotten used to it and enjoyed the challenge of racing there. The rubber moves around a lot, so you can move into different grooves as the tires wear out. That makes it exciting to race and fun for the fans to watch.”

This Week’s Daniel Defense Chevrolet at Dover International Speedway … Ty Dillon has plenty of experience at Dover International Speedway, having raced there in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series. He has two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series and scored his best finish of sixth place in the 2012 season. Dillon has eight starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at the Monster Mile. He has recorded six top-10 finishes, including a second-place run in the fall of 2016. In the single race that he has run at Dover in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Dillon finished in 32nd place.

Introducing the NASCAR community to quality firearms  … Daniel Defense joins the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro team at Dover for their first primary sponsorship in NASCAR. At the turn of the 21st century, firearms enthusiast and lifelong shooter, Marty Daniel, had multiple concepts and designs he thought would greatly improve his M16 rifle. Unable to find these parts in the commercial market, he designed and created custom accessories and soon found the demand for these types of products was much greater than he could have ever imagined. Since then, Daniel Defense has become a major player within the tactical and hunting industries and is known for its world-class firearms, a commitment to quality, exceptional customer service and unwavering support for the Second Amendment.

TY DILLON QUOTES:
When you run up to speed at Dover you are laying rubber down, but you are picking it back up again under caution. Do you feel that?
“Dealing with the rubber is kind of common with the concrete tracks and it makes your car handle quite a bit differently on restarts. It creates change over a long run as far as how much rubber gets laid down and where you can run on the race track. The last couple of years, people have been able to run the top and make that work.  It will be interesting to see what kind of race we are going to have with our No. 3 Daniel Defense Chevy with the new downforce package and the things that are going on with our sport now that we are stage racing.”

Do the turns there kind of feel like driving off that big hill on a roller coaster at some point?
“That drop into Turn 1 and Turn 3 is really impressive, especially if you’ve never done it before.  It will make you hold your breath a little bit longer around that place.”

This Week’s Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet Camaro at Dover International Speedway … Hemric will be making his first NASCAR XFINITY Series start at the one-mile Dover International Speedway during this weekend’s Dover 200. Hemric has two previous NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the Monster Mile, recording an average finish of 6.5, with one top-five and two top-10 finishes.

Meet the Driver … Fans will be able to meet Hemric and teammate Brendan Gaughan at the XFINITY Zone on Saturday, June 3 in the Fan Midway, starting at 9:20 a.m. ET.

Meet the Press … Hemric will have a media availability session with other XFINITY Series drivers on Friday, June 2, starting at noon ET. The media availability session will be streamed on NASCAR.com/presspass.

Rearview Mirror: Charlotte … Hemric earned a hard-fought 13th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway after overcoming damage sustained in the opening laps of the race. Starting fourth, Hemric’s No. 21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet hit the outside wall on Lap 3. The team made extensive repairs to the right rear quarter panel and rear decklid, keeping Hemric on the lead lap the entire race. Crew chief Danny Stockman continued to make adjustments to help the handling of the car, and in the end Hemric raced his way back to 13th. It was Hemric’s seventh top-15 finish through the first 10 races of the season.

DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
You have a solid average finish at Dover in the Camping World Truck Series. What do you like so much about the Monster Mile?
“Dover is just an intense, get-up-on-it type of racetrack. That is something as drivers that we always look forward to. That place is like no other for its own reasons. The XFINITY cars, with this aero package and everything that we have going on in the series, I think it will be fun to race around there. This package allows us to move around at racetracks where you didn’t normally see people move around a lot in the past. I’m curious to see how this race plays out. I know in the past RCR has had speed there, and I like going around that place, so hopefully the racetrack will get wide throughout practice and we’ll put on a good show for all of the fans.”

Does the roller-coaster feel of Dover wear on a driver lap after lap throughout the race?
“Dover is probably one of the most physically demanding tracks. The mental side of it is just as important because you’re going so fast and have so much grip, but when that grip goes away – whether if it’s from that roller-coaster feel or something else – it goes away in an instant. When that happens, you have to stay ahead of it. That’s where it goes back to having a solid practice and getting good drivability in your car. I feel like a lot of guys can go fast from the pure grit of the racetrack and getting more than the other guy in qualifying, but when it comes to the race your car has to drive well. Hopefully we can tune on our Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet throughout the weekend and make the most of it in the race.”

This Week’s AAA Chevrolet Camaro at Dover International Speedway …
Brandon Jones has seven starts at Dover International Speedway across three different NASCAR touring series. Since 2013, the 20-year-old driver has amassed two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts, three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, and two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at the mile-long concrete track. Across all his races at the ‘Monster Mile,’ Jones has secured one top-five and four top-10 finishes and completed 1,202 of the 1,220 laps (98.5 percent) he has competed in.

Welcome back, AAA … AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with 54 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA offers members services including roadside assistance, personal insurance, financial, automotive and travel services through retail branches, Car Care Insurance Travel Centers, regional operations centers and online at  AAA.com.

Honorary Pit Crew Members … During this Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series event, Jones and the No. 33 team will have three honorary pit crew members with them from the Dover Air Force Base. SrA Donovan Martin, SrA Tyrone Hamilton and A1C Christen Medema will be joining the team and getting a firsthand look at all that goes into a NASCAR race day.

Meet Brandon Jones … Jones will appear at the AAA Stage at Victory Plaza at Dover International Speedway’s midway beginning at 9:15 a.m. local time Saturday morning. Come out, ask a question and get an autograph from Jones before he takes to the track for qualifying.

BRANDON JONES QUOTES:
We have another short track this weekend with Dover International Speedway. Does Dover feel similar to Bristol Motor Speedway, or do the two just look alike and that’s it?
“Dover really only looks like Bristol. It’s is definitely a roller-coaster ride. You go into Turn 1 and it sinks down so much when you get in the corner, and then it sort of pops back up on the straightaways. It’s very unique and has the biggest elevation changes we feel on an oval track. There’s really nothing like it on the circuit. There’s nothing like Bristol either, so those two tracks are two completely different animals compared to anywhere else we visit.”

AAA is back on the car for the first time this year. How does it feel to have them returning as a sponsor for you this season?
“I’m honored AAA has returned this season to our No. 33 team after the great run we had with them at Kentucky Speedway last year. I’ve worked with AAA a couple of times now across the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series, and they’re a great partner to have. I’m looking forward to representing such an established brand and hope we can have more successful races together this season.”

This Week’s South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet at Dover International Speedway … In 10 XFINITY Series starts at Dover International Speedway, Gaughan has completed 1,910 of 1,925 (99.2 percent) laps that he has competed. Gaughan finished ninth in the fall race last year, earning his second XFINITY Series top 10 at the concrete oval. The Las Vegas native also has eight starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, earning one top-five and three top-10 finishes at the Monster Mile.

At The South Point … The South Point Hotel and Casino will host the Mecum Motorcycle Auction June 1-3, 2017. The event features motorcycles from the early 1900s to present day models. For more information visit southpointarena.com.

Meet the Driver … Brendan Gaughan will appear on race day Saturday, June 3, at the XFINITY FanZone with teammate Daniel Hemric. The RCR question-and-answer session will begin at 9:20 a.m. local time.

Loopy in 2016 … Gaughan averages a starting and finishing position of 10.4. The 41-year-old driver has made 414 quality passes, has had seven fastest laps and spent 642 laps in the top 15. Gaughan is currently 16th in points, 43 points behind the cutoff position for the XFINITY Series Playoffs.

BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTES:
What do you like about the Monster Mile?
“Dover is one of those manly-man tracks. Dover is a place we call Bristol on steroids. It is so much of a challenge with the concrete and the bump in Turn 1. It is a three story building that we drive off, the bump in Turn 1 lifts the car and gives you a true sensation of speed. The car actually lightens just like a rollercoaster. It is the only racetrack that I have been told to breathe by my spotter. I’ll never forget my first time at Dover.”

After 200 laps how do you feel climbing out of the car after battling the monster?
“After 20 years of racing, I just kind of chuckle. I love it when the race goes longer and it’s hot. The younger guys with less experience are struggling, tired and falling out of the car. The old guy still feels pretty darn good after the race.”