Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series History at Phoenix Raceway … Team owner Richard Childress has six victories at Phoenix Raceway, ranking him third on the all-time car owner victories list at the Avondale, Ariz. facility. This includes wins with Ryan Newman in March 2017, along with Kevin Harvick in Nov. 2013, Nov. 2012, and March and Nov. 2006. Prior to that, Dale Earnhardt won the Checker 500 on Nov. 4, 1990. In 123 starts at Phoenix Raceway, the Welcome, North Carolina based organization boasts 19 top-five and 43 top-10 finishes.
RCR in the MENCS … In 3,000 NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 51 pole awards,108 wins, 490 top-five finishes and 1,077 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.3. RCR has earned 16 total championships (six NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, seven NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two NASCAR Truck Series titles and one ARCA Menards Series 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 NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3 and @TylerReddick. Information about the 16-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/TylerReddick.
Catch the Action … The FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway will be televised live Sunday, March 8 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This Week’s Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Phoenix Raceway … Dillon has 12 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway to his credit, earning two top-10 finishes. He earned his best finish of eighth at the track in November 2018.
Tracker Off Road … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.
Bass Pro Shops … Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/.
E-Z-GO … E-Z-GO is an iconic, world-renowned brand in golf cars and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, E-Z-GO Express™ personal utility vehicles, and the 2Five® street-legal low-speed vehicle. Known for innovation in electric-vehicle technology, E-Z-GO’s newest offerings include the ELiTE series of lithium-ion powered golf cars and PTVs, and the company’s exclusive 72-volt AC electric powertrain found in its latest Express series vehicles. Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960, and today operates as part of the company’s Textron Specialized Vehicles division.
Meet Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to participate in a Q&A session on the Team Chevy Stage in the Phoenix Raceway fan midway area on Saturday, March 7 at 11 a.m. Local Time.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Another change this year is the package difference at road courses and short tracks. Describe what it was like driving with that package last year versus what you think it might be like this year.
“I feel like saving your tires could make a difference. Being a good tire manager at those races with less downforce will be key. You’re going to have to be easier on the throttle at certain places. I think of places like Sonoma Raceway where the tires are already at a premium, and they will probably be at even more of a premium now with all of that horsepower that we’re going to have and no downforce. For short tracks, I like it. I have a better record at short tracks with less downforce so it should play into my cars pretty well.”
Phoenix Raceway serves as the Championship race this season, taking over that finale from Homestead-Miami Speedway. What are your thoughts on that?
“It’s hard to recreate what Homestead-Miami Speedway has been able to do for our championship race the last couple of years, so Phoenix Raceway has a lot to live up to, but I feel like it being a short track and a place where guys can get to each other, it should be a good race and I’m excited to see what it can deliver.”
Phoenix Raceway has a whole new fan experience. What do you think about all that?
“Phoenix Raceway did a really good job making updates to the track and the entire fan experience. I love when we update our tracks in NASCAR. I think it really appeals to our younger fans. When you go to other sports venues and see some of the really nice stadiums ours are right along with them. NASCAR Tracks do a great job of keeping their stadiums clean and nice. Phoenix Raceway’s is the newest, and most up-to-date of the NASCAR tracks and it’s really cool to see what they’ve done with the place.”
What do you think about restarts with the new start finish line location?
“When you’re going into the flat area of the track it’s a little different. You can make up some ground there pretty quickly if you get a good corner. It’s like you go down in there and you’re leaned over and you just thinking turn, turn. If it picks up the gas and turns left, you know that you can probably gain some positions and make some hay. It’s nice having the flat. I like it.”
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Meet Reddick … Fans can meet Reddick at the Team Chevy display located in Phoenix Raceway’s FanZone on Sunday, March 8, beginning at 9:25 a.m. local time.
Meet the Press … Reddick will be available to media for questions during a press conference at 11:45 a.m. local time on Friday, March 6. Stream the conference live via NASCAR.com/PressPass.
TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:
Do you consider Phoenix Raceway a short track or speedway?
“To me, Phoenix Raceway has a short-track mentality, but with these Cup cars, it will probably be more like what a speedway feels like. However, with the new short-track package NASCAR is introducing this year with less downforce, it will be a new ball game for everyone. I think it will end up racing like our Xfinity cars did last year and end up more like a short track. The compound they put down on the track will be interesting for restarts, especially for when the balance starts to go away later in a run. I’m excited for this weekend. It’ll be fun to see how these Cup cars race with more horsepower and less downforce.”
Do you think the new package will play more in your favor than the package Cup cars ran a year ago?
“It’s really hard to say. I think what they had a year ago would have been easier to manage. It was harder to pass, but if you had good teamwork and got track position, you could hold on to it, even with a lesser car. This year, you’ll probably see more drivers come and go up in the top spots. I think regardless of the package, the best driver, crew chief, team and car combo is going to win the race. Clean air does still matter at Phoenix, just not as much as it did in previous years.”
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway … In 86 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the one-mile short track, RCR has captured three victories with drivers Kevin Harvick (2006), Clint Bowyer (2007), and Elliott Sadler (2012). The Welcome, N.C., organization has completed 16,825 laps of the 17,147 (98.1 percent) that they have competed. RCR has accumulated two pole awards, 29 top-five and 50 top-10 finishes, led 594 laps and averages a starting position of 11.8 and finishing position of 11.5.
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 week’s Phoenix 200 at Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on Saturday, March 7, beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX Sports 1. It will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Myatt Snider and the No. 21 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro at Phoenix Raceway … This weekend marks Myatt Snider’s return to the No. 21 TaxSlayer Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing following a one-week hiatus. Despite this being Snider’s first race at Phoenix Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he has two NASCAR Truck Series starts at the one-mile D-shaped tri-oval.
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MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:
You have a couple of Truck Series starts at Phoenix Raceway. What kind of knowledge did you gain that you can apply to a Xfinity Series car?
“Well it’s a short track of course, so we’re going to be a little closer to each other than we would normally be on a mile-and-a-half. I’ve always ran decent at Phoenix, but I definitely have room for improvement. I’m excited for the challenge and fortunately for me, there’s no better group than this No. 21 TaxSlayer team to make me better.”
