Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series History at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … In 62 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets have earned 10 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes with eight different drivers – Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Austin Dillon, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Mike Skinner.
RCR in the MENCS … In 2,898 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,108 wins, 488 top-five finishes and 1,061 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.2. 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.
The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 … Chevrolet, the winningest brand in motorsports, debuts the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition this season. The Camaro ZL1 is the most advanced Chevrolet Cup Car ever developed and is also the most authentic, featuring rear-wheel drive, a fuel injected V8 engine and a manual gear box.
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 and www.facebook.com/RyanNewmanNASCAR.
Catch the Action … The South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live Sunday, September 16 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This Week’s DOWFROST Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … In six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dillon’s best finish is fifth in 2016.
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Welcome to the Playoffs … Dillon clinched a berth in the Playoffs for the third consecutive year by virtue of his historic win in the 2018 Daytona 500. Fans can join in supporting Dillon’s Playoff run by using the team’s official Playoff Twitter hashtag, which is associated with its own emoji, #AD3.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
This year Las Vegas Motor Speedway opens up the Playoffs. How different do you think that place will be at that time of year versus March?
“It will be slick for sure. We haven’t been to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car with those types of temperatures in a long time. I have ran the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at that time of year and ran pretty well at night time. Las Vegas will be hot and slick, and it will be really easy to bust loose. You will be working on all the grip you can get in your race car.”
What is the surface like at Las Vegas Motor Speedway? Is it hard on tires?
“Las Vegas Motor Speedway is not necessarily as hard on tires as the track is hard on your car. It’s a rough track, so getting a balance is key. Having a car that can turn through those bumps is really hard to do. If you’ve got the car that is turning better than the rest you are usually going to be pretty good.”
What is your strategy for the Playoffs?
“We need to gain points during the Playoffs. We want to make it to that next round. That is a place we feel like we can capitalize on. I run well at those 1.5-mile tracks and we need to get as big of a cushion as we can going into Richmond and the Roval. A lot of time and effort has been put into those two tracks, but each one of them is so important.”
This Week’s Liberty National ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Ryan Newman will make his 611th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start when the Series competes at the 1.5-mile speedway this weekend. In 18 Cup Series events, Newman owns one pole award (2005) along with four top-five and eight top-10 finishes. His best result of third came in 2015 with Richard Childress Racing in the Caterpillar Chevrolet. The South Bend, Indiana native has an average start of 13.6 and average finish of 15.9. He’s led a total of 112 laps in competition. In the last 10 races at LVMS, Newman ranks ninth in most Cup points earned.
They’re Back … Ryan Newman, a Liberty National Life Insurance Company policyholder, will feature the Liberty National paint scheme on the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Liberty National has been in the insurance industry since 1900 and offers affordable life and supplemental health insurance to middle-income Americans through in-home and workplace sales. With local offices throughout the United States, Liberty National’s Agency Owners will be featured on the hood of the No. 31 car in each of its primary races. Liberty National, Ryan Newman, and Richard Childress Racing share an admiration and appreciation for veterans who have served to protect our country. Liberty National hires former military and is proud to have many veterans call Liberty National their career homes today. Visit LNLCareers.com/Atlanta to learn more about career opportunities with Liberty National.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What is the key or keys to running well at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?
“It seems like in order to be successful you need to get through the bumps in Turns 1 and 2. And then you have to have a good overall balance in Turns 3 and 4 as well as getting your splitter right. Raw speed and horsepower are always important because of the banking and the size of the track but ride and drivability are needed in order to have the ability to pass.”
What is the most difficult thing to figure out?
“It’s all about getting the car to ride good through Turns 1 and 2. It’s just because the front straightaway has so much of an arc to it. If you carry good speed through Turns 1 and 2, it just makes the back straightaway that much longer.”
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… In 48 Series starts at the 1.5-mile paved oval, RCR has captured three victories with drivers Kevin Harvick (2004), Jeff Burton (2007) and Austin Dillon (2015). The Welcome, N.C., organization has completed 9,052 laps of the 9,627 (94.0 percent) that they have competed. RCR has accumulated four pole awards, 13 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes, led 527 laps and averages a starting position of 8.9 and finishing position of 11.6.
Indianapolis Review … Daniel Hemric was the highest RCR finisher in fifth place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Matt Tifft finishing right behind him in the sixth spot. Ty Dillon was caught up in an accident early, finishing 33rd in the Lilly Diabetes 250.
The Points … Daniel Hemric and Matt Tifft currently sit fourth and eighth, respectively, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver point standings. The No. 3 RCR team is currently 14th in the series owner point standings.
Social Media … To keep up with the latest updates from RCR’s Xfinity Series teams, follow @RCRracing and @RCRNXS on Twitter. Updates can also be found via RCR’s Facebook Page and Instagram (@RCRracing).
Catch the Action … Coverage of this weekend’s DC Solar 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, September 15, beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on NBCSN. It will also broadcast live on the Performance Radio Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, Channel 90.
This Week’s KC Motorgroup Chevrolet Camaro at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Matt Tifft has two previous NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, collecting his best finish of 11th at the track earlier this season. Tifft also has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the 1.5-mile track.
About KC Motorgroup … KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) is an international motorsport services group established in 2007 by Dr. Paul Ip. The group, with its headquarters located in Hong Kong, has operations reaching across Europe and the Asia Pacific region. KCMG operates closely with many partner companies and racing organizations around the world to provide unrivalled Motorsport Services, Equipment, Team Management and quality distributorship in the Automotive Industry. 2013 saw KCMG become the first Chinese outfit ever to race at the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours in its 90-year history and participate in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The Hong Kong-based team later on took an historic LMP2 victory at Le Mans and was Vice Champion in FIA WEC in 2015. With years in the motorsport industry, KCMG has been involved in a wide range of Formula, GT and Le Mans prototype endurance racing series across the globe. For more information please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.hk.
Wrapping up the 2018 Regular Season … Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will conclude the 2018 regular season for the series. During the regular season, Tifft has recorded one pole award, four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in his debut season with RCR. He clinched his spot in the Xfinity Series Playoffs after his eighth-place finish at Darlington Raceway a couple of weeks ago.
MATT TIFFT QUOTE:
How does it feel to be going into the Xfinity Series regular season cut-off race knowing you’ve already locked in for the Playoffs?
“It feels good, but I wouldn’t say there isn’t a lack of pressure to perform. We’ve had one stage win this year, but we would like to have more so there will be an emphasis on getting as many of those as we can during Saturday’s race. I think for us, the pressure is more focused on bettering our result from when we raced at Las Vegas in March. We weren’t really happy with the result and our intermediate track package then, but I feel that it has come a long way. I think we have the raw speed now, we just need to maintain it for the entire race and execute it to really max out our points there. That’ll be important not just for Las Vegas, but our entire run in the Playoffs.”
This Week’s Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Shane Lee will be making his return to RCR’s Xfinity Series program this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This Saturday’s race will be Lee’s debut start at the 1.5-mile track and debut start at an intermediate track for RCR this year.
About Childress Vineyards … Childress Vineyards is a premier winery located at the southern gateway of the Yadkin Valley in Lexington, North Carolina. Owned by Richard Childress, NASCAR team owner and Hall of Fame member, Childress Vineyards has been producing award-winning wines with the expertise of Winemaker Mark Frizsolowski. Open daily for tours, tastings, and lunch in the Bistro. Information about Childress Vineyards can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/childresswines/, on Twitter at @ChildressWines and on Instagram at Instagram.com/childresswines.
SHANE LEE QUOTE:
You’ll be making your debut start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. What are your thoughts on that track?
“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the driver’s seat with this RCR team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This weekend will be my first mile-and-a-half track, so there will probably be a bit of a learning curve for me but I’m ready for it. I was in the No. 3 Chevrolet for the Xfinity test at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this year, so even though they are completely different tracks, I think there are certain things I can take that I picked up on from there. I’ve also been doing quite a bit of simulation work over the past couple months for this final stretch of races, so I feel confident heading into the weekend.”
This Week’s South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Hemric will be making his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during this weekend’s 200-lap event. In his previous two starts at the 1.5-mile track, Hemric has an average start of 5.5 and an average finish of 9.5.
Rearview Mirror: Indianapolis … In an event that was delayed until Monday due to heavy rain, Hemric and the No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team had a solid outing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Starting eighth after weather canceled qualifying on Saturday, Hemric raced inside the top 10 for much of the first stage, before crew chief Danny Stockman made a strategy call to bring the car in for service before the stage break. That allowed Hemric to get out front, lead 25 laps and win Stage 2, his fourth stage win of the 2018 season. Hemric fought his way back into the top five during the final stage and had the No. 21 Chevrolet in fifth when the checkered flag flew.
This Week at the South Point … The South Point Hotel & Casino will play host to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Media Day on Thursday, Sept. 13. For the first time, a portion of Playoffs Media Day will be open to select fans. For more information, please visit southpointcasino.com.
Meet the Driver … Fans have the opportunity to meet Hemric on two occasions during the Xfinity Series race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hemric is scheduled to make an appearance at the South Point Hotel & Casino display in the fan midway for autographs on Saturday, Sept. 15, starting at 9:30 a.m. local time. He is scheduled to appear at the Xfinity Zone, also in the fan midway, for a Q&A session and autographs on Saturday, Sept. 15, starting at 10:10 a.m. local time.
DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
How important is it to end the regular season with a strong run in front of the South Point Hotel & Casino’s backyard of Las Vegas?
“Heading into this weekend’s race, we are looking to not only close out the regular season on a strong note, but also put on a good show for the Gaughan family and everyone at the South Point Hotel & Casino. I never would have imagined Las Vegas being like a hometown, but that is how it has turned out since joining RCR and especially since having the South Point Hotel & Casino colors on this No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro. We ran inside the top 10 last time we were at Las Vegas in March, and I feel like we have grown a lot as a team and an organization since then. We are locked into the Playoffs, so this weekend is all about earning as many points as possible and trying to put the No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet in Victory Lane in front of our other ‘hometown’ crowd in Las Vegas.”
