Richard Childress Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway … In 177 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has scored nine wins, 34 top-five, and 70 top-10 finishes. The Welcome N.C. organization has also found success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile’, capturing nine wins, 37 top-five and 61 top-10 finishes.
NASCAR Playoffs … Austin Dillon is in the midst of his fourth NASCAR Playoffs appearance and currently ranks sixth among the 16 Playoff-eligible drivers following a couple strong top-five performances in the opening round of the NASCAR Playoffs (second at Darlington Raceway and fourth at Richmond Raceway). Dillon is 36 points above the cut line with only one race remaining (Bristol) in the Round of 16.
Catch the Action …The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live Friday, September 18, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
The NASCAR Cup Series’ Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live Saturday, September 19, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
This Week’s Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Bristol Motor Speedway … In 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Dillon has one top-five and three top-10 finishes, including a career-best fourth-place finish in August 2016. He finished sixth in his most recent Bristol Motor Speedway appearance in May. He is a former winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the track (August 2016).
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 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.
NASCAR Playoffs … Dillon’s 2020 NASCAR Playoffs appearance was enhanced last Saturday at Richmond Raceway by a career day in which he led 55 laps, scored 18 Stage points and finished fourth despite two in-race penalties. Dillon now ranks sixth among the 16 Playoff-eligible drivers. 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.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on Bristol Motor Speedway?
“Anything can happen at Bristol Motor Speedway. It’s a short track and you can get caught up in things fast. Our goal as a team is to be consistent and to try and score Stage points early. I think Stage points will play a big part of advancing out of each round in the NASCAR Playoffs, and with Bristol being the cutoff race there’s a lot on the line.”
What’s going to be your top priority for the Bristol race weekend? Just finishing or going for a win?
“I think you’ve got to keep going for wins. Darlington and Richmond were both good races for us, but we have just as much potential at Bristol. We had a solid run here back in May, and I really think this team has the capability to back that up.”
Did you feel like you were overlooked coming into the playoffs a little bit?
“I get overlooked some, probably more than most, and I don’t know why. I always feel like I perform pretty well in pressure situations, and RCR as a whole can step up. I have total belief in the 3 team and probably more belief this year than I’ve ever had because we’ve brought consistent speed to the track. We might not have gotten every finish that we should have gotten this year, but we’ve gotten a lot of good finishes. It’s been one of my best years statistically and just the ability behind the cars are better. Chevy has stepped up. Eric Warren, RCR, all of the mechanics and everybody that puts work in do a really good job. I think the smaller group has been good for us, with less distractions at the track. As a whole, our group really works together well.”
Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Bristol Motor Speedway … Tyler Reddick has one previous NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway. Reddick also has five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, winning last fall’s race with crew chief Randall Burnett, along with two top-five and four top-10 finishes. Reddick has two NASCAR Truck Series starts, with two top-five finishes at Bristol.
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.
About Food City … Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 134 retail supermarkets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, Chattanooga and north Georgia, including 109 pharmacies and 108 fuel/convenience stores. The company also owns and operates their own 1.2 million square-foot distribution center in Abingdon, VA. Food City offers a wide variety of services and conveniences, including in-store bakery/delis, floral boutiques, full-service meat and seafood departments with in-house butchers, locally grown produce, full service pharmacies, fuel centers, GoCart curbside pick-up, and home delivery. The Food City name is also synonymous with NASCAR racing through their title sponsorship of two of the sport’s most popular events, the Food City 500 and Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Food City is Bristol Motor Speedway’s longest running sponsor and the second longest in NASCAR.Learn more by visiting FoodCity.com.
TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
Over the course of these final eight races, we return to a couple tracks you’ve now been able to make a Cup start at, including this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. How are you and the team looking to improve from your last race at Bristol?
“We had a really good Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE during the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway. We started near the back of the field due to how line-ups were determined at the time, but we were making some good adjustments on our car and starting to pick our way up through the field. Unfortunately, it was just a wrong place-wrong time situation when we got caught up in the wreck with the No. 47 car and a few others during the first part of that race. Bristol is a tough track and one where you have to be aware of those moves people will make entering the backstretch, especially since that seems to be where a lot of the wrecks happen. So that is something I’ll be paying attention to, but we had a solid piece entering that race and were making good adjustments before our day ended early. We’ll definitely be looking back at our notes from that time to get a feel for what we want to do entering this weekend’s event with our No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet.”
Anthony Alfredo and the No. 21 Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet Camaro at Bristol Motor Speedway …
Anthony Alfredo returns to the seat of the No. 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry for Richard Childress Racing this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Friday night will mark Alfredo’s first short track appearance of the 2020 season; however, Alfredo is familiar with ‘The Last Great Colosseum’ after competing in the short track nationals behind the wheel of a late model stock car early in his career.
About Death Wish Coffee … In 2012, Death Wish Coffee Co. started a small coffee shop in Saratoga Springs, NY. Founder Mike Brown saw a need for coffee that was both strong and delicious to serve his groggy morning customers. After creating the perfect blend of beans and combining it with his unique roasting technique, the ‘World’s Strongest Coffee’ was born. Today, thousands of people trust Death Wish Coffee to wake them up and keep them going every day. For more information visit deathwishcoffee.com.
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. 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:
How do you feel about making your first short track appearance of the season at a place like Bristol Motor Speedway?
“I’m pumped to finally go short track racing in the NASCAR Xfinity series, especially at Bristol where RCR has had a lot of success. Short track racing is where I started my career, so it’s exciting to go back to my roots and be racing at this level. I even have a little history at Bristol from when I competed in the short track nationals in a late model stock car. I’m looking forward to putting together a strong performance in our Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet, and hopefully we will have a shot at the win under the lights on Friday night!”
What are going to be the keys to a successful night at Bristol Motor Speedway?
“I think patience will be key on Friday night, especially with us starting further towards the back of the field. With that being said, I know we will have a very fast Death Wish Coffee Chevrolet. There will also be times where I will need to be aggressive behind the wheel to capitalize on opportunities since track position is very important. If we can have a smooth night and not make any mistakes, I am confident we can be in contention at the end.”
