Richard Childress Racing at the Charlotte ROVAL… The Charlotte ROVAL made its debut on the NASCAR circuit in 2018. In five NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Charlotte ROVAL, Richard Childress Racing has a best finish of 11th in 2018 with Ryan Newman. The Welcome N.C. organization’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program also secured one top-five and three top-ten finishes in just four starts.
NASCAR Playoffs… Austin Dillon is in the midst of his fourth NASCAR Playoffs appearance and currently ranks 10th among the 12 drivers attempting to advance from the Round of 12 into the Round of Eight at this weekend’s cut off race at the ROVAL. Dillon is just 21 points below the cut line despite mechanical issues at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and being involved in several on-track incidents at Talladega Superspeedway.
Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at the Charlotte ROVAL will be televised live Saturday, October 10, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
The NASCAR Cup Series’ ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte ROVAL will be televised live Sunday, October 11, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
This Week’s TRACKER Off Road/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the ROVAL … Dillon has two NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, with a best finish of 23rd in last year’s event.
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 is currently competing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, where he ranks 10th in the standings and 21 points below the cutoff line to advance to the Round of Eight after a mechanical issue at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and an on-track incident at Talladega Superspeedway. 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:
Evaluate your NASCAR Playoffs performance in the Round of 12 so far …
“At Talladega Superspeedway, I got into every wreck possible. It was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for most of the day. The week before that, we had a mechanical issue. But through both of those races, my Richard Childress Racing team has been amazing. The communication is unbelievable. They’ve been able to jump right in and fix the damage the last two weeks. At Talladega Superspeedway, we changed the oil cooler and only lost two laps. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, we knocked the belts off and only lost eight laps. I don’t know how you can make either of those repairs so fast. The communication is great with this team. Even though the last two weeks have been unfortunate, we’re still in the hunt and have a chance to advance to the Round of Eight.”
What are your thoughts on the next race in the NASCAR Playoffs, the ROVAL?
“We have the ROVAL left in the Round of 12. We just need some help from some of these guys who are higher than us in the point standings, and we have to be in the position to help ourselves some, too. We’re going to rely on our notes from the Daytona Road Course a lot. Kaz Grala was a fill-in driver for me that week, and he did a great job. We will try to use that same setup moving forward. The ROVAL has never been the greatest track for us, but we’ll see what we can do. We’re going to try our hardest.”
Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL… This weekend’s race will mark Tyler Reddick’s first NASCAR Cup Series start on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL configuration. Reddick has two NASCAR Xfinity Series top-10 finishes in two starts on the ROVAL configuration, capturing his best finish of second during last year’s event.
Tyler on Twitch… Join Tyler Reddick and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen for an exclusive virtual Q&A session on Cheddar’s new Twitch channel this Thursday, October 8, at 5:30 p.m. ET. Fans can hang out with Reddick as he tries his hand at a couple of video games, ask him questions through the chat and be entered to win prizes throughout the stream, including a grand prize of autographed, race-worn gloves.
Watch the Race with Cheddar’s… To celebrate the debut of the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro this season, Cheddar’s is offering 15% off all To Go orders with the offer code RACEDAY placed on 10/11 and every Cup Series race day for the remainder of the 2020 season! Whether you’re watching the race on a Sunday afternoon or on a weekday under the lights, watch with all your Cheddar’s favorites for 15% off. Terms & conditions apply, visit cheddars.com/offer/race-day for full offer details.
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TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:
Is there any comparison between the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL and the Daytona International Speedway Road Course you competed on earlier this year?
“I really thought the two were going to be pretty similar, but they are really nothing alike. The Daytona Road Course is a really challenging track. The chicane we added to the frontstretch has some similarities to what the nature of the Charlotte ROVAL can be like, but to me, the Charlotte track feels a lot more like a street course. I’d be curious what drivers of other divisions would say to that if they ran the ROVAL. To me though, if I imagine running a street course, this is what I imagine it being like. I really enjoy both tracks even though they are nothing alike other than being two ovals we’ve turned into road courses.”
You also have a unique event coming up on Thursday where you and your partner, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, will be streaming live on Twitch with fans. What can you tell us about that?
“I think this Thursday’s event on Twitch is going to be a lot of fun. Everyone knows we haven’t been able to interact with fans as much face-to-face this year due to the restrictions, so I’m excited to hang out on the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Twitch channel and answer some fan questions and have some fun. I’m going to get to play the new NASCAR Heat 5 game and take the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet around the ROVAL before this weekend, so maybe I’ll pick up some tricks on that. But overall, this is all about the fans and getting some time to interact with them. Plus, we have some cool prizes to give away during the stream, including a grand prize of autographed, race-worn gloves, so it should be a fun evening.”
Kaz Grala and the No. 21 Ruedebusch.com Chevrolet Camaro at the Charlotte ROVAL… Kaz Grala will return to the seat of the No. 21 ruedebusch.com Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at the Charlotte ROVAL. Grala has one career start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Charlotte ROVAL, where he finished eighth in 2018. The Boston native has scored one top-five and three top-10 finishes in four NASCAR Xfinity starts this season. Grala also made his Cup Series debut in August at the Daytona Road Course, where he finished in the seventh position.
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KAZ GRALA QUOTES:
You are heading into the Charlotte ROVAL this weekend for your last start of the year. Talk a little bit about your 2020 season.
“It’s been another great year here with everyone at Richard Childress Racing. This year has been short, but sweet for me. I haven’t run that many races this year, but I feel like I’ve shown myself well in the races that I did run and have raised my stock as a driver. It’s been an awesome season, and I don’t think there is any better place to finish this year out than the Charlotte ROVAL. We’ve had some really strong performances this year at places like Road America and the Daytona Road Course, so I definitely feel like we’re capable of going out and winning this weekend in our No. 21 ruedebusch.com Chevrolet.”
What are some of the unique challenges at the Charlotte ROVAL that make this track so difficult compared to the Daytona Road Course?
“The biggest challenge at the Charlotte ROVAL, in my opinion, is a lot of the braking zones are not straight-line braking zones, whereas, the Daytona Road Course, most of the braking zones are straight line. So, you really have to make an effort to float the car in more gently in the infield portion at Charlotte because, as we’ve seen in the past and in testing, you can tear up a lot of equipment very easily. You really have to be careful and take care of the car early in the race to make sure you have something to race with by the end. I think you’ll see a little different of a race here than the Daytona Road Course. I’m predicting this race will produce more chaos, especially with it being the cutoff race in the NASCAR Playoffs to get inside the Round of 8. My goal is to ultimately get this No. 21 Chevrolet inside that next round, so we can continue to pursue the Owner’s championship for Richard Childress and everyone at Richard Childress Racing.”
