Richard Childress Racing at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course … Continuing to navigate through an unprecedented 2020 season, Richard Childress Racing will compete at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course for the first time this weekend. In order to prepare for the new challenge, RCR Cup Series drivers Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick have spent significant time preparing with their teams in the Chevrolet simulator. Earl Bamber, who will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend under the RCR banner, has competed on the configuration seven times, earning four podium finishes in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series.
Richard Childress at the Daytona Road Course … Richard Childress competed at the Daytona Road Course as a driver in 1969 when he drove his 1968 Camaro to a 13th-place finish in the Citrus 250. Childress went on to compete on the Florida road course a total of five times, racing in the NASCAR Grand Touring Division and NASCAR Grand American Series. He finished in the top 10 in three out of the five races, with a best result of eighth in 1970.
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Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series UNOH 188 at the Daytona Road Course will be televised live Saturday, August 15, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
The NASCAR Cup Series GoBowling 235 at the Daytona Road Course will be televised live Sunday August 16, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
This Week’s American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Daytona International Speedway… Dillon, the 2018 Daytona 500 Champion, has earned race wins at Daytona in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. However, this weekend features a new road course configuration for NASCAR at Daytona and will mark his first attempt at the track.
Delivering Performance on and Off the Racetrack… Austin Dillon races on Sunoco Green E15 fuel made with 15 percent American Ethanol. Ethanol is the most effective and least expensive source of octane available and it also burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline. All those factors mean that ethanol helps drive peak engine performance whether you’re in a racecar or on your way to the grocery store. And, ethanol helps keep our air cleaner and our environment healthier by reducing toxic and greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about why ethanol is the smart choice for your engine, your wallet and our environment at americanethanolracing.com.
Playoffs Bound … Dillon survived three late-race restarts at Texas Motor Speedway to earn the win in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/E-Z-GO/Tracker Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, securing a spot in the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs. His teammate, Tyler Reddick, finished a strong second to create a 1-2 finish for Richard Childress Racing.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
How do you prepare for the Daytona International Speedway Road Course as a driver who has never competed on that configuration before?
“I’ve been working on the simulator to prepare for the race. We’ve all been putting a lot of hours in leading up to the race. You can get some information from watching former races at the track in other series and seeing past 24 Hours of Daytona races, but overall there are some differences because stock cars drive differently and there is an added chicane. It’s an American Ethanol race, and I can’t wait to get out there in that green No. 3 car. I’m looking forward to the race. Some of the guys are going to have a little bit of an advantage because they’ve raced there before, but a lot of us have not and it will be a fun test. We’re just going to go out there and give it our all and see what we come up with.”
Will it be helpful having all three NASCAR series competing at the Daytona Road Course this weekend?
“I think it will be interesting having NASCAR Cup Series cars out on the track. It will be good to get to see the NASCAR Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series on the track before us so we can see how rubber gets laid down and where speed is made.”
Walk us through a lap at the Daytona Road Course …
“It all starts in Turn 1. Obviously, blending onto the track right past the area where we would normally be leaving pit road if we were competing on the oval configuration, that we are all used to. You’ve got a sharp left there, a quick back and forth, and then to another hard right-hander. That slow section through the middle of the track is going to be key, I think. The cars that get through that the best are going to be your best cars of the weekend. Also getting onto the big track in Turns 1 and 2 seems to be where a ton of the speed is carried since that is the longest straightaway. There’s a little section on the back that’s not there for the 24 Hours of Daytona race. It’s a chicane that you approach when you come off of Turn 4. You have to get slowed up really quick for it before the start finish line. It seems like a really fun road course compared to what we usually run. It’s kind of spread out. There are a lot of left-hand turns, which I like because that’s what I’m used to. So we will get there and take what it gives us.”
Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cat App Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Daytona International Speedway …This weekend, Tyler Reddick and the NASCAR Cup Series will be making the series’ debut on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course configuration. Reddick has two wins and two pole awards across NASCAR’s three national touring series on Daytona’s oval configuration.
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TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
Knowing that NASCAR has not run on Daytona International Speedway’s Road Course before, how are you preparing for the weekend?
“I’m very excited about the possibility this weekend brings for me and the No. 8 Cat App team. I’ve been taking advantage of Chevrolet’s simulator they have available to us to help get familiar with the course and start learning where passes could potentially be made on Sunday. The Chevy simulator has helped me a lot with road courses in the past. That has always been a style of racing I’ve found challenging, but I think that by using the simulator a lot last year, I was a lot closer to where I wanted to be heading into those weekends. I’m hoping to reach the same level of preparation this year by just making lap after lap on the simulator and practice hitting my marks every time. I’ve also leaned a lot on AJ Allmendinger again. He has worked with my crew chief, Randall Burnett, a lot in the past, and he helped me a lot last year too with the road courses. Randall also has a really good idea on how to set up our Chevrolets for road courses, so I’m confident he has a plan on where he wants the car to be before we even reach the track this weekend. But overall, I’m really looking forward to this weekend. There is just a lot of possibility out there to make up points on the other drivers we’re on the Playoff bubble with, and we’ll need to capitalize on that.”
This Week’s No. 21 KCMG Chevrolet Camaro at Daytona International Speedway … Road course ace Earl Bamber will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the seat of the No. 21 KCMG Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing this weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Although new to NASCAR, the New Zealand native has competed at the 3.56-mile road course seven times, earning four podium finishes in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series.
About KCMG … 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.co.hk.
EARL BAMBER QUOTES:
What does it mean to you to be making your NASCAR debut this weekend for Richard Childress Racing?
“It’s a really proud moment for me. It’s been a long time in the making to finally make it on the grid, and it’s also a really cool event to be at the Daytona Road Course. Since this is the first time NASCAR is racing there, it levels the playing field for everyone as well. I’m really looking forward to just rolling off in our No. 21 KCMG Chevrolet and seeing what NASCAR is all about. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the simulator, so now it’s time to just go racing.”
What do you anticipate will be the biggest differences in a NASCAR Stock Car compared to the cars you are more accustomed to racing?
“Everyone talks about the weight of the cars. Obviously for us, we’ll have a heap more power in the stock car as well, which I can’t wait for. I’m going in there with an open mind to feel it out and see what it’s like. I think I’ll love it. In the end, it brings a lot more back on the driver with everything we’ve got to do inside the cockpit, so I’m looking forward to it.”
