Richard Childress Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … In 64 previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has posted two pole awards (Kevin Harvick in 2003 and Jeff Burton in 2006), three wins (Dale Earnhardt in 1995, Harvick in 2003 and Paul Menard in 2011), 11 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes. RCR Chevrolets have also been atop the leaderboard for a total of 268 laps and with the exception of one, each entry has been running at the finish of every event at the Brickyard, dating back to the inaugural race in 1994.
RCR in the MENCS … In 2,795 Monster Energy Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,107 wins, 481 top-five finishes and 1,041 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 16.1. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR 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.
3 on 3 Basketball … Austin and Ty Dillon are hosting the 3rd Annual 3-on-3 Celebrity Basketball Tournament presented by The Dow Chemical Company to benefit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, on Wednesday, July 26. The 16-team, double-elimination tournament will start at 3 p.m. and the final game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. For more information visit https://saveinjuredkids.org/basketball/.
Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup, 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 – http://www.facebook.com/austindillon3, www.facebook.com/PaulMenard27 and www.facebook.com/RyanNewmanNASCAR.
Catch the Action … The Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is scheduled to be televised live on Sunday, July 23 on NBC beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Indianapolis Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
This Week’s Dow Molykote Smart Lubrication Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … In four previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series attempts at the Brickyard, Dillon’s best finish at the track in the Cup Series is ninth. He also has two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at IMS, with a best finish of fifth in 2012. Dillon grew up attending races at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway track with his grandfather, car owner Richard Childress. Dillon recalls riding in the pace car as a young child and participated in Victory Lane festivities with Paul Menard in 2011 and Kevin Harvick in 2003.
Molykote®: Trusted Performance … Great teams do great things. And, Molykote® brand Smart Lubrication™ solutions from Dow help the RCR team sharpen its competitive edge with less energy-robbing friction and breakdown-potential wear. With a track record of almost 70 years, trusted to solve some of the world’s toughest lubrication challenges, Molykote® specialty lubricants are driving innovation in automotive comfort, performance, safety and reliability. Learn more at molykote.com.
Meet Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to participate in a Q&A Session on the Chevrolet Stage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 22 at 2:15 p.m. EDT.
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AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
Do you feel the prestige of Indy? Especially how big the Brickyard is even though the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series only goes there once a year?
“Yeah, I mean Indy just pours out racing. It’s a racing city and I love going there. The downtown area is very cool and you always can see somebody you know when you are walking downtown. It’s a great area.”
This Week’s Valvoline / Menards Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … Menard has competed in 10 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since his first start at the track in 2007. He is the 2011 Brickyard 400 champion and finished 10th in last year’s event. Menard has completed 1,568 of the 1,614 laps (97.1 percent) he has attempted at the iconic track.
Meet Menard … Menard is schedule to appear at the Fisher Menards Store in Indianapolis for an autograph session with RCR NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Brandon Jones on Thursday, July 20, starting at 7 p.m. local time. Menard will also be part of the Brickyard 400 Hauler Parade at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, July 21, starting at 7 p.m. local time. He and a group of race fans will compete against Chris Buescher in a pit stop competition.
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PAUL MENARD QUOTES:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway is near and dear to your heart. You scored a huge victory there in 2011 and you are running double duty this weekend. What is so challenging about that track for stock cars?
“Indianapolis is just extremely narrow and there are such high speeds down the straightaways and 90-degree corners at the end of each straightaway. You actually don’t use as much brake as you think you should, but you still have to get the car slowed down and try to find clean air to make passes.”
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.
LIQUID GOLD … VELVEETA® Shells & Cheese and Richard Childress Racing have teamed up to give NASCAR fans a taste of the one and only LIQUID GOLD. VELVEETA® Shells & Cheese is the primary sponsor for select races, beginning June 18 at Michigan International Speedway, and associate sponsorship for the remainder of the 2017 season.
The partnership is highlighted by a comprehensive marketing and content program, including a national sweepstakes that will grant one lucky grand prize winner the LIQUID GOLD championship experience: an all-expenses paid VIP weekend at the NASCAR Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Entrants will also have the chance to win more than 100 autographed swag items, including mini replicas of Ryan Newman’s race helmet and race-worn fire suits from the No. 31 Chevrolet pit crew. Details and call-to-action for the sweepstakes, which launches this month and will continue through the summer, are being distributed on more than three million boxes of VELVEETA Shells & Cheese.
See Newman + Media Availability … On Friday, Newman is scheduled to participate in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hauler Parade and Fan Fest. He’ll lead the parade starting at 6 p.m. and then he’ll join IMS President Doug Boles on the stage for a fan question and answer session starting at 6:10 p.m. Upon completion, he’ll stop by the media bullpen for media availability.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What makes Indianapolis Motor Speedway so unique?
“It’s the Brickyard. It’s the history of motorsports in America. It’s that yard of bricks. It’s a special place when you think about everyone who’s been there associated with F1, IndyCars, motorcycles and NASCAR. It’s unique because of the four corners, the long straightaways and the flatness. To me, it’s just unique in so many ways. It’s a fun place to drive and yet, it’s quite a challenge at the same time.”
What is your current mindset going into the remaining races before the Playoffs?
“We’re trying to get our train back on its tracks, so to speak, from where we were in Phoenix. Our 1.5-mile program has really struggled. Our short track program is not what we need it to be, even in Phoenix we didn’t lead the amount of laps we should have. We led the right one, but we haven’t dominated. We see the No. 78 and the No. 42 and at times the No. 48 and the No. 18 have been dominating; maybe not all leading the last lap, but in general, we’re not leading enough laps to be as competitive as we need to be for those last 10 races. Our focus is like it always is, to make the cars drive better and faster and to put ourselves in better contention for making our way easier, or a chance to be easily progressing through the Playoffs.”
LUKE LAMBERT QUOTE:
How will stage racing influence the running of the Brickyard 400?
“I feel like stages are going to add an element of strategy that we will have to consider before the race. Knowing the stage breaks are laps 50, 100 and 160 relative to our fuel window is going to give us an opportunity to play the race backwards and we’ll potentially sacrifice stage points at times to get in position to optimize our finish at the end of the race.”
Loudon Review … Ben Kennedy was the highest RCR finisher in sixth, with Ty Dillon close behind in eighth. Daniel Hemric finished 12th, while Brendan Gaughan placed 17th and Brandon Jones finished 34th at New Hampshire 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 Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 18th event of the season. Daniel Hemric is currently fifth, Brendan Gaughan is 13th and Brandon Jones is 18th. The No. 2 RCR team is eighth in the owner point standings, with the No. 3 team right behind them in ninth. Daniel Hemric is currently second in the XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.
Catch the Action … Coverage of this week’s Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, July 22, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. It will also be broadcast live on the Indy Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio Channel 90.
This Week’s Richmond / Menards Chevrolet Camaro at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … Menard has competed in five NASCAR XFINITY Series events at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing inside the top 10 in each start and completing every lap he has attempted. Menard has back-to-back top-five finishes at IMS, along with an average starting position of 8.2 and an average finish of 5.4.
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PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
NASCAR is changing things up for the XFINITY Series cars this year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with restrictor plates and a different package. How will that impact the racing?
“The XFINITY Series cars will have restrictor plates on them and there will be some aerodynamic tweaks to them as well. Hopefully these changes make for a better race, because the racing does get a little strung out for the spectators. For the drivers, it’s Indianapolis and it’s the best racetrack in the world.”
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Building Environments … For more than 150 years, Johns Manville has focused on developing materials to make diverse environments stronger, more durable, and more energy efficient and comfortable. JM manufactures premium-quality building and mechanical insulation, commercial roofing, glass fibers and nonwoven materials for commercial, industrial and residential applications. JM products are used in a wide variety of industries including building products, aerospace, automotive and transportation, filtration, commercial interiors, waterproofing and wind energy. For more information, visit jm.com.
Meet Dillon … Fans will have two opportunities to meet Dillon on Sunday morning before the Brickyard 400. He will be at the GEICO stage in the fan zone at 11:20 a.m. local time signing autographs with the GEICO Gecko. Dillon will then head over to the Team Chevy stage at 11:45 a.m. local time for a fan question and answer session.
TY DILLON QUOTES:
What is the challenge for a stock car at a track like Indianapolis?
“I’ve been successful there in the XFINITY Series, so it’s always a place that I look forward to going to each year. It’s a place that I have circled on my calendar every year, ever since I got my win there. It’s definitely tough because it’s so big but the corners are flat. The unique challenge of making those long straightaways even longer by making Turns 2 and 4 extended straightaways is definitely different than any other track. You give up speed off of Turns 1 and 3 to make sure that you can extend those straightaways off of Turns 2 and 4. That’s always been the strategy that I’ve worked with there. It seems to have worked out well, so I’ll stick with it.”
What are your thoughts on adding the restrictor plates to the XFINITY Series cars this weekend? That seems unusual, but the track is giant.
“It’s going to be different. I hope it works out for the best. I have no doubt that it’s going to be wild. Hopefully everyone tunes in and enjoys the show that NASCAR is expecting to come from the restrictor plates. I can guarantee that it’s going to be great or it’s going to be a big mess.”
Meet the Driver … Fans have two opportunities to meet Hemric this weekend at IMS. He will be at the Team Chevy Stage for a Q&A session on Friday, July 21, starting at 2:30 p.m. local time. The rookie contender will also be part of the XFINITY Series autograph session on Saturday, July 22, starting at 11 a.m. local time.
Twitter Takeover … Hemric is scheduled to take over the @XFINITYRacing Twitter handle on Saturday, July 22 as he prepares for the day’s action. Follow along as he goes through his morning routine, attends the XFINITY Series autograph session and gets ready for qualifying at IMS. Fans can send questions to Hemric using the hashtag #AskDanielHemric.
Rearview Mirror: New Hampshire … In his first XFINITY Series start at the ‘Magic Mile,’ Hemric brought the No. 21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet home in the 12th position. After starting fifth, Hemric battled changing track and weather conditions as he and crew chief Danny Stockman continually adjusted on the handling of the car. Hemric ran his best laps of the race in the final stage and earned his 12th top-15 finish of the season.
DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
What does it mean to go to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time?
“It is going to be incredible to roll through the gates at Indianapolis and know the history you are amongst. To know the past, the people that have run there and won there, it’s truly incredible. Especially coming from the short track background, where you read all of the stories of everyone back in the 1960s, ’70s and even before, and how they wanted to get to Indy and that was their goal. To know that nonchalantly we’re going there this week is pretty incredible. I’m looking forward to it. I know it is a place where RCR has had success in the past, which is always a good thing. I’ve won races at the old IRP short track and other tracks in the area, but to know we’ll be battling there on the main stage in the Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet is pretty cool.”
Whenever you go to a track for the first time, what is that initial practice session like for you?
“Going to a track for the first time is kind of fun, because it’s like going on a blind date for the first time. You don’t really know what to expect. You can do all the simulation you want, but it’s just an interesting feeling because you’re processing everything that is going on around you. To do it at Indy, in particular – a lot of the places I have never been to are short tracks or mile-and-a-half tracks – but Indy is so big. I’m going to be very adamant about being around or near another car so I can get some markers in real life to be able to use those and cut the practice time in half so we’re not using a bunch of time with me learning the track and instead focus on making our race car better. But it’s always a good time experiencing new places for the first time.”
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Menards Store Autograph Session … Jones is scheduled to appear alongside fellow RCR driver Paul Menard for an autograph session at the Menards store located on 96th Street in Indianapolis beginning at 7 p.m. local time on Thursday, July 20.
Meet Brandon Jones … Jones is scheduled to be available for a Q&A session at the Team Chevy display located in the IMS Infield Midway starting at 10:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, July 22. Jones will then take part in the XFINITY Series autograph session beginning at 11 a.m. local time on Saturday at the Infield Pavilion.
BRANDON JONES QUOTE:
How do you think the addition of restrictor plates will affect the racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year?
“I think it will have a positive effect on the racing seen this season. The restrictor plates will bunch us all back up and make passing more frequent. In the past, the cars always seem to spread out so much that it was extremely difficult to pass anyone and put on a good show for the fans. This year, we will be bunched up, drafting a little bit and able to move around a little more easily. It should be an exciting race. I actually tested this package earlier this season. There were only three of us out there, but we were in a draft pretty much the entire time. That will only increase in intensity with a whole field out there running so close together. It’s a track that still requires help to pass someone, but with other cars out there it shouldn’t be too hard to get a run and make some moves.”
The South Point Welcomes Clinton Anderson … Clinton Anderson will be bringing his Walkabout Tour to the South Point this weekend from July 22-23. During his tour, Clinton shares the ultimate goal of horsemanship with his personal horses and explains the training process, right from the start, by working with local problem horses. Step-by-step, he demonstrates how his training method helps real horses with real problems get real results. For more details, head to www.southpointarena.com.
Meet Gaughan … Fans have the chance to meet Gaughan as he participates in a Q&A session at the Team Chevy display located in the IMS Infield Midway beginning at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 22. He will also participate in the XFINITY Series autograph session located in the Infield Pavilion beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTES:
Indianapolis will be different this year with the restrictor plates being added to the cars. What are your expectations for the XFINITY Series race?
“Luckily, we had a teammate (Brandon Jones) test the new package, so I did talk to him about how it went and we were able to get the notes from that test session which will help us prepare. In the end though, I’m approaching the weekend like I do most things, wait and see. Let’s not condemn or praise the change before we race it. It’s definitely going to be different, which is what I think the fans wanted. For me though, it’s still racing at the Brickyard. I don’t care if I’m racing tricycles around the place, racing at the Brickyard is always a huge honor to me. It’s always awe-inspiring when you walk into that track.”
