Richard Childress Racing at Darlington Raceway … In 137 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has eight wins, all by Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt claimed the checkered flag in 1986 (spring), both races in 1987, 1989 (fall), another sweep in 1990 plus spring events in 1993 and 1994. He won three consecutive races in 1989 and 1990 and finished first or second in four events in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. RCR drivers has 25 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes at the historic South Carolina superspeedway.
Back in the Playoffs … Richard Childress Racing enters Darlington with three victories in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series during the 2022 season. The Welcome, N.C., based company has two entries in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time since 2017 (Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman).
Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington … RCR is looking to find victory lane for the first time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington. Tyler Reddick claimed the most recent top-five by RCR at Darlington, a second-place effort at the 2019 fall event. The Welcome, N.C. based team has 10 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes.
Introducing the Carolina Cowboys … Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the PBR Team Series, an elite new league featuring the world’s top bull riders in games that began in July 2022. The team is operated by Richard Childress Racing with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Austin Dillon serving as General Manager.
Don’t miss the Carolina Cowboys inaugural “Cowboy Days” Home Stand September 9-11 at Wake Forest’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Friends of RCR have the opportunity to save 15% on tickets by entering code RCR15. To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/pbr-professional-bull-riders-tickets/artist/2859854?venueId=369555
Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips 200 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live Saturday, September 3, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Follow Sunday’s Action at Darlington … The NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, September 4 beginning at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
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This Week’s BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Darlington Raceway … Austin Dillon has made 12 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway, posting a career-best second-place finish in September 2020, missing Victory Lane by a narrow margin over Kevin Harvick. Dillon also has a fourth-place finish in 2017. He finished 10th at the track in his most recent appearance there. Dillon has made four 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.
Welcome to the NASCAR Playoffs … Dillon secured his spot in the NASCAR Playoffs with a thrilling victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. It marked his second NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona, and his first win of the 2022 season. He enters this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway seeded 16th in the NASCAR Playoff standings. It is his fifth time making a post-season appearance.
Roll the Dice with BetMGM … When a legendary global entertainment company joins forces with the world’s largest online betting technology company, the gaming world sits up and takes notice. BetMGM is a partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain Holdings that is revolutionizing sports betting and online gaming in the United States. BetMGM is the exclusive sports betting division of MGM, both online and in MGM casinos nationwide. BetMGM is also the headline brand for online casino gaming alongside sister brands Borgata Online (New Jersey), Party Casino and Party Poker. We aspire to make unforgettable moments of sports and gaming even more personal, powerful, and fun through unmatched digital technology and evocative player experiences. For more information, visit betmgminc.com.
Honoring Our BetMGM Workforce … To honor and recognize the spirit of Labor Day Weekend for the country, the NASCAR industry will pay tribute to the workforce that help move businesses forward this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team will be hosting Anca Danilescu as a Workforce Appreciation Honorary Crew Member.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on Darlington Raceway?
“I’ve always loved Darlington Raceway. It’s a historic track and a lot of drivers and teams circle it at the beginning of the year as a place they would love to win at, myself included. We finished second at Darlington a couple of years ago. It’s a demanding track. Darlington is a place that falls off, so tire management becomes important, and I really like that. It’s nice that we’re going to place that long run speed matters a bit.”
Does making the NASCAR Playoffs give you a sense of validation?
“I think every time you make the NASCAR Playoffs, it’s validation to yourself that you’re one of the guys. We’ve made it five times now. I don’t know how many years I’ve been doing this, but every time you’re not in it, it doesn’t feel good. You’re not going to the banquet at the end of the year. You feel like you let your guys down. You feel like you let your company down. For me, it’s everything. It feels good to get a chance to compete for a championship. I did feel like we should have been locked into the Playoffs earlier than this, but it doesn’t matter how you get in, you got in. 15 different winners this year. That’s a testament to this NextGen car and how competitive the field is. I don’t think there’s any other form of motorsports that has this type of competitiveness week-in and week-out. Take Watkins Glen, for instance, and the spread from first to 20th. You look at the time sheet, and you are holding your break for a hundredth to move you up five sports. It’s what the NASCAR Cup Series is supposed to be. It’s challenging. You never give up, and that’s been the theme of this season.”
Now that you are locked into the NASCAR Playoffs, how do you feel about the first round?
“Actually, the first round has historically been a good round for us on the No. 3 team. We’ve done a good job of upsetting some teams in that first round. Darlington Raceway is a good place for me, so it’s a great starting point. I think we finished second at that track the last time I was in the Playoffs, so I feel good about Darlington. We’ve got to improve on what we took there earlier this year. When those long runs happen at Darlington and the tires wear out, I feel like that’s some of the best driving I do. Kansas Speedway was a decent track for us earlier this year. We’re just going to have to go to work and work really, really hard on the SIM at Chevrolet and at RCR. It won’t be from a lack of effort over the next three weeks to progress and try to get another win.”
This Week’s Lenovo Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Darlington Raceway … Tyler Reddick will be making his seventh NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. His best previous finish came in his most recent start at the 1.366-mile speedway earlier this season when he claimed a second-place finish. The driver of the Lenovo Chevrolet scored a respectable seventh-place finish in his first Cup start at the egg-shaped oval in 2020. Reddick has three top-10 finishes in five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Darlington, highlighted by his second-place finish with RCR in 2019. Reddick has qualified for the Cup Series Playoffs for the second consecutive season and enters Darlington as the eighth seed in the standings, five points above the cutline.
Lenovo Workforce Appreciation Recognition at Darlington … Lenovo will recognize Daniel Findlay on the No. 8 Chevrolet for the Workforce Appreciation Initiative this weekend at Darlington. Lenovo is honoring Daniel for his role in managing the technical projects with Richard Childress Racing. He is passionate, creative, and dedicated to ensuring the pain points of the RCR team are being addressed quickly and pushing forward new technology initiatives that will enhance the overall performance of the teams at RCR.
About Lenovo … Lenovo’s story has always been about shaping computing intelligence to create a better world. With the world’s widest portfolio of technology products, we deliver our vision of Smarter Technology for All through products, solutions, software, and services that individuals, communities, businesses, and entire populations need to fulfill their potential. We serve more than 180 markets, and we own the majority of our facilities, giving us unrivaled scale, efficiency, and control of our supply chain. Our global manufacturing allows tailored offerings to regional markets and includes more than 30 manufacturing facilities, including in-house, joint venture, original design manufacturer, and contract manufacturer sites in Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, and USA.
TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:
What is your confidence level entering Darlington this weekend?
“It’s in a good place, honestly. We’ve been really strong at Darlington for a while now. The Southern 500 has been a weird race for us in some ways, like we’ve come into this race guns blazing, trying all this crazy stuff that as we’ve learned the few times we’ve raced at Darlington we may not have had to do. We’re in a good spot. We’ve been able to learn some hard lessons at Darlington. This Next Gen car has been really good for us at a lot of these worn out racetracks so I feel like we’re going to have a good opportunity with our Lenovo Chevrolet, With our good finishing position Daytona we will qualify in Group B and hopefully get a shot at the pole so we can have that really prized pit stall number 1. I feel good about what we’ve got. This Next Gen car has narrowed down the things that you can adjust on at tracks like Darlington. This track has been good to us so I’m excited to see what that means.”
What are your thoughts on teammate Austin Dillon qualifying for the Playoffs with his win last week at Daytona?
“In my opinion both of our cars at RCR have done enough of the right things and have been strong enough all year long this year where we can go and if things go right, one of us, or both of us hopefully, can make it through the Round of 8. I feel like we’ve been that close all year long. The whole RCR organization deserves to be in the Playoffs. Austin has worked really, really hard this year. I wanted to do everything I could to help them get where they belonged in the post-season and in the Playoffs. There’s a lot of great people at RCR that put a lot of work into this team and I just wanted both of our cars to be in it.”
This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Darlington Raceway … Sheldon Creed heads back to Darlington Raceway this weekend for the second time of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. His first start was earlier this season, when he started 10th and finished 38th due to an engine issue. Creed has been extremely successful in the NASCAR Truck Series at Darlington. In 2020, he made his first start from the second position and finished 18th. In 2021, he swept both races at the South Carolina track, leading 111 laps total between both races. Creed is currently 13th in the driver Playoff standings, 55 points below the cutline.
Whelen Celebrates 70 Years … From a small garage workshop in Connecticut in 1952 to a worldwide leader in emergency warning equipment today, Whelen Engineering continues to push the boundaries of innovation. As we mark our 70th anniversary, we’re proud to continue our founder’s mission of making it safer for those who serve and protect. Whelen has been manufacturing in America for 70 years—we never left, and we’re here to stay.
About Whelen … Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.
SHELDON CREED QUOTE:
How are you feeling heading into the race weekend at Darlington?
“I’m really excited for Darlington this weekend. I’ve always really like racing there and I feel like it suits my racing style really well. I won there twice in the Truck Series and just had some bad luck earlier this season. I like the track a lot because it’s extremely difficult and the line is so different from anywhere else that we run. But, I felt confident in the Xfinity car when we raced in May and I’m looking forward to getting back out there today. Practice and qualifying will be really important to give us a good starting position and make sure we’re running up front for the win. It’ll also help us see where our car is at for the race. We’re definitely fighting hard for our spot in the Playoffs right now and our team is working really hard to grab that first win. We had a great car last weekend in Daytona and got caught up in another mess, but we’re really excited to get things back on track at Darlington.”
This Week’s Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Darlington Raceway … Saturday’s race at Darlington Raceway will be Austin Hill’s third Xfinity Series start of his career. His first start was in 2020 and most recently, in May of this season. He finished ninth in both of those races. In 2020, Hill made his first NASCAR Truck Series start at the track and started third and finished third. In 2021, he finished the spring race 13th and the fall race in 12th. Hill had a really strong run last weekend at Daytona International Speedway. He was in the lead during the third NASCAR Overtime attempt and was taken out of the lead by an electrical issue. He ended up finishing 14th. Currently, Hill is sixth in the driver Playoff standings with two wins, nine top fives and 14 top 10s.
Visit the Bennett FanZone Display … Come get an autograph from Austin Hill in the Darlington Raceway Midway on Saturday, September 3 from 12:15 p.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET. Hill will also be taking pictures with fans, so don’t miss out.
About Bennett Family of Companies … McDonough, Ga.-based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 12 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. The company will use race experiences to recruit and retain hundreds of truck drivers for their organization in 2022. For more information, visit www.Drive4Bennett.com.
AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:
The series is heading back to Darlington this weekend, what’s your mindset for a track that is very unique?
“Definitely looking forward to getting to Darlington this weekend. My team and I are looking to bounce back from a couple of unfortunate finishes. Last weekend’s race at Daytona was definitely a tough one. We had the win right in front of us and got taken out by an electrical issue so that one still stings but it’s time to move on this weekend at Darlington. This track is so different than any others we go to and practice and qualifying are going to really help us understand our car. We definitely want to keep it clean and be at the front at the end. We’re in the Playoffs, which helps with the pressure, but we’ve got to get our teammate Sheldon Creed in. Excited to rebound after last weekend and get this ship steered forward as we approach the start of the Playoffs.”
