Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of the few race tracks where team owner Richard Childress has yet to earn a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. Richard Childress Racing entries have finished second on four occasions: 2003 (Kevin Harvick), 2008 (Harvick), 2009 (Jeff Burton) and 2014 (Ryan Newman). In 60 starts, RCR has earned nine top-five and 24 top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile, progressively-banked oval with drivers Dave Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Green, Harvick, Newman, Paul Menard and Mike Skinner. Kentucky Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway are the other tracks on the current Cup Series schedule where RCR is still on the hunt for hardware.
RCR in the MENCS … In 2,917 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,108 wins, 488 top-five finishes and 1,067 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.
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 Homestead 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live Sunday, November 18 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This Week’s Dow UCON Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Dillon has four previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, securing his best finish of 11th in the November 2017 event and a best starting position of 10th in November 2015.
Homestead-Miami Memories … The Welcome, North Carolina driver has plenty of positive memories at the 1.5-mile, intermediate-style track. In 2013, he clinched the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway by finishing 12th in the Series’ season finale. He also clinched the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title at the track in 2011.
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AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What’s it like racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
“We all wait for Homestead-Miami Speedway all year. It’s one of the best tracks. I think it’s the most driver-friendly track. It’s fun. Actually, it’s not really friendly because you can get into the wall pretty easily, but it’s so much fun to run right up against the fence. You have to be disciplined in how you drive that track and save your tires. It’s an epic race. It’s always intense.”
It seems like everyone is always excited to get to Homestead-Miami Speedway because it marks the end of a very long season and everyone wants to go there and run well so that they can finish off the year strong. Is that how you see it?
“Everybody is worn out at that point, but you’re in that grind session and you’re just trying to finish off strong and on a good note.”
This Week’s E-Z-GO Camaro ZL1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Ryan Newman will make his 620th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start when he competes one final time for Richard Childress Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In 16 Cup Series events, Newman owns 2 top-five and 6 top-10 finishes. His average start is 12.4 and average finish is 16.1. He’s led 143 laps in competition. When it comes to the last 10 events at the raceway, he ranks ninth in most driver points earned.
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RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES
What makes Homestead-Miami Speedway a fun place to race?
“I think it has such a great layout and design. The biggest difference are the ends of the track. Usually the way the sun hits it, Turns 3 and 4 are a big rougher than Turns 1 and 2. It makes it really fun to drive.”
What is the key to success at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
“The key to Homestead is really maintaining momentum. It’s a unique track and it is so important to keep your car rolling because the banking progresses as you go through the corners. When you pick up the throttle it is more rewarding at that track than any other track because you can keep building speed as you exit. Having a car that’s good on entry because it is fairly flat, you are able to run up to the wall and it seems as if that’s one of the most important things. The race there doesn’t necessarily finish up at the wall but being good at the wall to get yourself up in good position to finish the race in the middle of the track or even the bottom is really important.”
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway … In 46 Series starts at the 1.5-mile racetrack, RCR has captured two victories with drivers Kevin Harvick (2004) and Jeff Burton (2007). The Welcome, North Carolina, organization has accumulated two pole awards, 11 top-five finishes, 23 top-10 finishes, led 623 laps and averages a starting position of 13.1 and finishing position of 13.5. RCR has completed 8,971 laps of the 9,233 (97.2 percent) that they have competed.
NASCAR Playoffs … Daniel Hemric advanced to the Championship 4 after a second-place finish at ISM Raceway. Hemric is one of four drivers left in the Playoffs that will compete for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Phoenix Review … Daniel Hemric was the highest RCR finisher in second with Matt Tifft placing right behind him in third at ISM Raceway. Shane Lee finished 14th in the Whelen 200.
The Points …Daniel Hemric and Matt Tifft currently sit fourth and sixth, respectively, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver point standings. The No. 3 RCR team is currently 11th 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 Homestead 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, Nov. 17, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. It will also be broadcast live on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, Channel 90.
This Week’s Tunity Chevrolet Camaro at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Matt Tifft has two previous NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, collecting one top-10 finish at the track during last year’s event. Tifft also has two previous NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races under his belt at the 1.5-mile track.
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MATT TIFFT QUOTE:
This week we wrap up the 2018 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. What are your thoughts on your season as a whole?
“I’m bummed we couldn’t lock ourselves into the Championship 4, but we had a great run this year and there is still work to do. We had a great run in the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, coming up just shy of moving on to the final round. Overall, this has been a strong year for myself and the No. 2 team. We collected 6 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes, the most out of any NASCAR season for me. I’m really looking forward to getting down to Homestead-Miami with this team and just going for it. We’ll be going for the win this weekend with nothing to lose, so that will make it exciting. I can’t thank all our partners enough for all the support they’ve given me this year. It’s been a lot of fun, and hopefully we’ll come out of this last race weekend of 2018 with a win.”
This Week’s CMR Construction & Roofing Chevrolet Camaro at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Shane Lee will be making his debut start at Homestead-Miami Speedway weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
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SHANE LEE QUOTE:
With the season winding down this weekend, how would you say the year went for you?
“It was a different year for me sharing the seat with other drivers throughout the season, but overall I think it was a good year. It was a challenge for me not always being consistently in the seat every weekend, but I think I adapted well. A lot of these tracks were new for me, including this weekend’s track, so it’s been a huge learning year. As a driver, you’re always thinking of ways you could have done better, but I think one top-five and multiple top-10 finishes is a pretty good start for me in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I’m excited to get to Homestead-Miami Speedway and have one last race this year with the No. 3 team. It looks like a challenging place to race, and I’m ready to try it.”
This Week’s South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Hermic will be making his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway during this weekend’s 200-lap race. In his previous start at the 1.5-mile track, Hemric started fourth but suffered a mechanical failure that resulted in a 34th-place finish.
The Road to the Championship 4 … Hemric and the No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team have earned a position in the Xfinity Series Championship 4 by recording 12 top-three, 15 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes through 32 races. Hemric also captured four pole awards, including the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. He has an average start of 7.9, an average finish of 9.1 and a total of 440 laps led, with nine stage wins on the season.
NASCAR Loop Data … According to NASCAR season-to-date Loop Data, Hemric leads all Xfinity Series drivers in Average Running Position (7.297), Fastest on Restarts, Laps in the Top 15 (93.4 percent; 5,174 laps) and Percentage of Laps Run on Lead Lap (96.07 percent; 5,372). He ranks second in Fastest Drivers Late in the Run, Quality Passes (1,142) and Speed by Segment.
Rearview Mirror: Phoenix … Hemric was able to advance to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 thanks to a second-place finish Saturday at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona. Starting in the eighth position, Hemric scored points in both stages and was a factor inside the top 10 much of the afternoon. Thanks to quick work on pit road, Hemric found himself in a position to race for the win in the closing laps but ended the day in the runner-up spot. The second-place finish was Hemric’s 12th top-three finish of the 2018 season.
This Week at the South Point … Fans visiting the South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet have the opportunity to see the Stayin’ Alive, Canada’s #1 Tribute to the Bee Gees at The Showroom on Nov. 16-18. Tickets and information are available at southpointcasino.com.
Meet the Driver … Fans have the opportunity to meet Hemric during the Championship 4 autograph session at the Xfinity Zone in the fan midway on Saturday, Nov. 17, starting at 11 a.m. local time.
DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
With a championship on the line, how do you approach this weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
“We will just bring our best race car at the most important time of the year and do our best. We go to Homestead knowing the four of us fighting for a shot at the title have an even playing field in terms of the points and whoever finishes ahead of the other three is going to celebrate at the end of the day. I am just extremely proud of Danny Stockman and everyone on this No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team for getting us to the Championship 4 for the second season in a row. I felt like we did everything we could to put ourselves in position to take the championship home last year, but we just fell short with a mechanical failure. We kicked this season off as a redemption tour, and we get a shot at that this weekend.”
How much will this weekend be about making up for last year’s Championship 4 race at Homestead after that mechanical failure took you out of title contention?
“You just hope to have a shot at the championship like we did last year. I can confidently say we have that shot again this weekend. It is a tough situation to be in and it was not easy to get here. We had that 10-point penalty after Kansas that put us on edge, then we went to Texas and lost some points, and we knew we had to go into Phoenix, be as solid as we could and maximize our points. That’s what we did, and it got us here. We have always believed that if we could get to the championship race at Homestead we have as good a shot as anybody. Having that taken away from us last year with the mechanical issue just makes us that much hungrier as we head there this week with one goal in mind.”
