Richard Childress Racing at Darlington Raceway … In 129 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has found success at the famous Southern 500 with eights victories, 23 top-five, and 42 top-10 finishes. The Welcome N.C. organization has yet to find victory lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the ‘Lady in Black’, but has accumulated 10 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes.
Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway … Over the past several years Richard Childress Racing has fully embraced a popular tradition known as ‘throwback weekend’ at Darlington Raceway. Teams and partners use the Southern 500 as an opportunity to honor NASCAR greats from the past and present. This weekend Austin Dillon will pay tribute to Junior Johnson with a special white and red No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet scheme. Tyler Reddick will honor Jeff Burton with a colorful Cat Power Chevrolet paint scheme that Burton accepted rookie of the year honors in. Anthony Alfredo and Blue Otter will pay homage to RCR’s winning tradition in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with a throwback to Kevin Harvick’s 2006 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship paint scheme.
Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live Saturday, September 5, beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
The NASCAR Cup Series’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live Sunday, September 6, beginning at 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network 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 Darlington Raceway … Austin Dillon has made eight career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway, posting a career-best fourth-place finish in 2017. He has made three appearances at ‘The Lady in Black’ in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, securing his best finish of fifth in 2012. The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series champion has two starts at the track in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of fifth in August 2010.
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. Al 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.
NASCAR Throwback … Austin Dillon pays tribute to Junior Johnson with his No. 3 American Ethanol Chevy throwback scheme at Darlington Raceway. The Hall of Fame driver, who passed away in December, earned nine wins behind the wheel of the number three during the 1960s.
NASCAR Playoffs …Dillon won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in July to lock himself into the NASCAR Playoffs. He is one of 16 drivers currently competing in the 2020 postseason.
The four-round postseason consists of eliminations after the Round of 16 (Darlington, Richmond, Bristol), the Round of 12 (Las Vegas, Talladega, Charlotte Roval) and the Round of 8 (Kansas, Texas, Martinsville). The Championship 4 will compete for the title at Phoenix. This is Dillon’s fourth time making the NASCAR Playoffs.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What will it take to advance to each round of the NASCAR Playoffs and vie for a championship this year?
“Over the years, running in the NASCAR Playoffs I’ve figured out that every point does matter, so I think you have to attack from the opening green flag. Stage points are important. In 2016, I missed advancing to the Round of 8 by one point over Denny Hamlin. That really makes you realize how important every single point is. It does help that the Playoff drivers will all be starting the races towards the front of the field together, but as a team we need to do a good job of starting up front and keeping that track position. Throughout the season so far, we have done a good job of adjusting our car throughout the race and finishing well but we need to start our races with our Chevys just a little better so that we can put ourselves in the next round.”
How does Darlington suit your racing style?
“I think long races in the past have fit my racing style. There is plenty of time to make the car better during a long race, and all of our wins have come in races 500 miles or more. So, I think that bodes well for Darlington. We like the long-distance races and it’s a place that falls off. RCR has always been known for a long run speed. Short run speed is something that we’ve struggled with, but we’re trying to change. It’s nice that we’re going to a place that long run speed matters a bit.”
Talk about how special it is to run a Junior Johnson tribute scheme this weekend at Darlington Raceway …
“This Junior Johnson car means so much to me and I’m grateful to American Ethanol to be able to work with them to honor a NASCAR Hall of Famer this weekend. It’s a beautiful car. I grew up going to school with Junior’s kids and Junior came to our school and spoke to us when I was in middle school. He was a hero to me and when he came and spoke to us, he took me aside and talked to me because he knew my grandfather, obviously. He was nice and always a great person to be around. My mom and Lisa Johnson are very close friends. They talk all the time, so to do this throwback for Junior is very special. My grandfather is pumped about it, too. Darlington Raceway would be a great place to grab a win to honor Junior, solidify our place in the NASCAR Playoffs and earn our third Crown Jewel race. It would be special.”
Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cat Power Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Darlington Raceway … Tyler Reddick has two NASCAR Cup Series starts, including a seventh-place finish from the first race back for NASCAR following a brief postponement due to COVID-19, at Darlington Raceway. Reddick also has three starts at the ‘Lady in Black’ in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, collecting two top-five finishes and leading 70 laps during last year’s race.
NASCAR Throwback … During the NASCAR Throwback weekend, Reddick and the No. 8 Cat Power team will be honoring former Caterpillar driver, Jeff Burton, with a scheme that highlights his No. 8 Raybestos machine. Burton accepted Rookie of the Year honors with the scheme for his run during the 1994 season.
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TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:
We’re headed back to Darlington Raceway this week, but it’ll be a much longer race for you this time around. How are you preparing for that?
“Well, based on the two races we had at Darlington earlier this year, I need to avoid hitting both the wall and things that come off the wall. That sponsor banner that came off the wall and got stuck on the grille of my Caterpillar Chevrolet during the first race there back in May completely messed up the handling of it. The handling got so bad that I got into the wall too, and that didn’t help things either. So, I need to avoid both those things. 360-plus laps at Darlington is a long time with lots of opportunity to have success, but also a lot of opportunities to receive a Darlington stripe. Everything will be important on Sunday, and we’ll need to run a perfect race. Adapting to the changing track conditions as the rubber comes in throughout the night will be key to being successful.”
Can you tell us a little bit about your throwback scheme you’ll be running this weekend?
“We’re running a scheme on our No. 8 Cat Power Chevrolet that honors longtime Caterpillar driver, Jeff Burton, and his rookie season. Jeff also ran the No. 8 during his rookie year and captured Rookie of the Year honors, so our scheme highlights the Raybestos scheme that he accepted the trophy with. I love participating in NASCAR’s Throwback weekend and really appreciate all the history in our sport, so I’m looking forward to having a good run with our scheme on Sunday.”
Anthony Alfredo and the No. 21 Blue Otter Polarized Chevrolet Camaro at Darlington Raceway …
Anthony Alfredo will be back behind the wheel of the No. 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry for Richard Childress Racing this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Alfredo made his Darlington Raceway debut in May when NASCAR resumed on-track competition after being postponed due to COVID-19.
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NASCAR Throwback … Alfredo will sport a special paint scheme with Blue Otter Polarized this weekend to honor Richard Childress Racing’s 2006 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship-winning paint scheme with Kevin Harvick in the No. 21 Chevrolet. Harvick scored nine victories in the blue and red U.S. Coast Guard colors to claim Richard Childress Racing’s second of five total championships in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Fast Start for Fast Pasta … Running a limited schedule in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, Alfredo has secured six top-10 finishes and has an average finish of 11.9. He also won an eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Saturday Night Thunder Race at Dover International Speedway during NASCAR’s hiatus from on-track competition.
ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTES:
Do you feel more comfortable returning to Darlington Raceway knowing you have competed there earlier this season in the No. 21?
“It definitely adds some confidence to our whole No. 21 Blue Otter Polarized team, knowing we got to race at Darlington earlier this year. I think Darlington is one of the hardest tracks on the schedule. It’s extremely difficult to get the car perfect, so it’s going to be about who can hustle their car around the track the best. I know my Richard Childress Racing team has been working hard and will bring another fast Chevrolet to the track. I’m looking forward to going back and applying what we learned from our first trip to hopefully be better this weekend.”
Tell us about your Darlington throwback scheme and what this weekend means to you.
“Throwing it back to Kevin Harvick’s No. 21 Coast Guard scheme is truly an honor. It’s pretty incredible to think Kevin and Richard Childress Racing won nine races with this scheme en route to their second Xfinity Series Championship in 2006. RCR has such a storied history in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, so I am really excited I have the opportunity to highlight their success. Not only was Kevin successful during his time at RCR in both the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series, but he has become a household name for NASCAR. Hopefully we can excite the fans by putting this famous scheme back on track. I want to say a special thanks to Blue Otter Polarized for allowing us to rock such a classic scheme this weekend at Darlington Raceway.”
