Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway… In 189 overall NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, drivers in Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolets have earned nine wins, 35 top-five and 71 top-10 finishes, completed 93.4% of the laps contested (87,733 of 93,887) and led 3,685 laps entering Sunday afternoon’s race. Seven of those victories were scored by Dale Earnhardt: both races in 1985 and 1987, plus victories in 1988 (fall), 1994 (spring), and 1999 (spring). Kevin Harvick won the 2005 spring event while Jeff Burton won the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2008.
RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Bristol Motor Speedway… Richard Childress Racing has nine NASCAR Xfinity Series victories at Bristol Motor Speedway, led by Kevin Harvick’s four wins (2000, 2001, 2003, and 2005). Other drivers who have posted wins at the Tennessee short track include Jeff Green (2002), Clint Bowyer (2008), Elliott Sadler (2012), Austin Dillon (2016), and Tyler Reddick (2019). The storied organization has racked up 39 top-five and 65 top-10 finishes at the high-banked oval. Jesse Love is the most recent RCR driver to score a top-five result at Bristol Motor Speedway (fourth in 2024).
Did You Know? Richard Childress raced at Bristol Motor Speedway during the height of his driving career in the 1970s and early 1980s. While Childress didn’t win at Bristol, he did manage several top-10 finishes between 1977-1980 driving the famed No. 3, showing he could hold his own on the high-banked, bullring-style track.
Three Times the Fun… Jesse Love is making his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Richard Childress Racing this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, driving the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet on Sunday. The double-duty driver will also compete in the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Bristol is one of several racetracks in which RCR will enter a third Cup Series entry this season. Veteran RCR employee Andy Street will serve as crew chief.
Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series SciAps 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, April 12, beginning at 5 p.m. ET on The CW. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Check out the CW App for practice and qualifying coverage, along with access to in-car driver cams during the race.
The Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, April 13, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Practice and qualifying will air on Prime Video. NASCAR Driver Cam on Max will offer users comprehensive access inside each driver’s car during the race, including a layered audio mix of scanner team radios and ambient car noise, synced with a Driver Cam feed on supported devices.
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway… Austin Dillon has made a total of 22 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, 19 of which have been on the track’s paved configuration. Dillon has three top-10 results at the track in the paved format, including a best finish of fourth in the fall of 2016. His best finish on the dirt format is a third-place finish in 2023. Dillon has made nine starts at Bristol in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earning one win among four top-five and five top-10 finishes. He’s also made three NASCAR Truck Series starts at the track.
Winner, Winner… Dillon has won at Bristol Motor Speedway on both the paved and dirt configurations. In addition to winning a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Tennessee track in August 2016 (paved), Dillon was among the first drivers to compete on the track’s dirt surface in 2021. The veteran racer won two features and a heat race in dominating fashion in a 604 Crate Late Model for Corey Hedgecock Racing.
Play Ball! Dillon visited Truist Park, the home ballpark of the Atlanta Braves, this past March to promote the upcoming MLB Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 2, 2025, in which the Atlanta Braves will play the Cincinnati Reds at The Last Great Colosseum, marking the first time a MLB game will be played at the track. Dillon took a stock car for a spin in the middle of Truist Park’s outfield to help promote the MLB Classic. Dillon, a life-long Braves fan, grew up attending Braves games with his family, including his grandfather, Richard Childress, and his father, Mike Dillon.
Delivering Performance on the Track and For the Planet… Dillon will race the Get Bioethanol Chevrolet this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway showcasing the benefits of racing with earth-kind and engine-smart bioethanol blended fuel, Sunoco Green E15. Whether it’s delivering cleaner and cooler high-octane on the track or on your drive to the grocery store, plant-based bioethanol makes a positive impact on our planet and for future generations. NASCAR drivers have now officially raced 25 million NASCAR miles on Sunoco E15, a notable milestone since NASCAR introduced the fuel in 2011. Learn more about what fueling up with bioethanol means for you here.
Meet Dillon… Dillon is scheduled to appear at the RCR Merchandise Hauler at the Fan Midway at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 13, at 11 a.m. Local Time. Stop by to meet the driver of the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet and get new merchandise to wear on race day. Dillon is also scheduled to make a Trackside Live appearance at the Food City Fan Zone Stage in the Fan Midway on Sunday, April 13, at Noon Local Time.
Making Moves… Dillon, who in addition to racing serves as the general manager of the Carolina Cowboys in the PBR Teams Series, has been busy making moves and building his team in anticipation for the start of the season in July. The team acquired 19-year-old Clay Guiton in a trade made last Friday with the Oklahoma Wildcatters. Guiton, who hails from Cherryville, North Carolina, gives the Cowboys a home state rider and a promising young talent. Shortly after the trade, Guiton became the only man to go a perfect 4-for-4 at the PBR Unlease The Beast (UTB) event in Sioux Falls, topping two massive 90-point rides in the championship round to earn his very first win at the sport’s premier level.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on this weekend’s race compared to last year’s at Bristol Motor Speedway?
“I always love going to Bristol Motor Speedway. We’ve had good runs there in the past, and I feel confident that our Richard Childress Racing team will bring a fast Chevrolet. The temperature is going to be cool this weekend, and the PJ1 is going to be applied to the bottom of the track. Qualifying on Saturday is going to be important because the leaders are coming so quickly, and staying on the lead lap is extremely important to have a shot at a win later. I think since going away from the resin, the tire life has been better. I thought the race last year was solid. You could move around on different parts of the track where, in past years, you couldn’t. I do like tire wear races, so last year was fun. The teams will have a better handle on this race, and we shouldn’t have any surprises.”
What is your favorite part about racing at Bristol Motor Speedway?
“The intensity of the close quarters racing, on top of the speed we’re running at a half-mile racetrack. You have to race the track and the rubber that’s getting laid down. Things happen fast, and you have to be on your game for 500 laps. I want one of those Cup swords the winners get. I have one on dirt, but winning a NASCAR Cup race in the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet at a track as famous as Bristol Motor Speedway would be special.”
How would you explain Bristol Motor Speedway to a new fan?
“I would say adrenaline pumping, horsepower, loud and America.”
Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway… Sunday’s Food City 500 will mark Kyle Busch’s 37th career NASCAR Cup Series start on the concrete at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch has eight wins there, in 2007 (spring), both races in 2009, 2010 (fall), 2011 (spring), 2017 (fall), 2018 (spring), and most recently in 2019 (spring). Additionally, the 39-year-old driver has 14 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s at the .533-mile oval. He has also led 2,598 laps, has an average starting position of 15.4, an average finish of 14.5, and has completed 94.4 percent (17,005 of 18,016) of the laps he’s contested there.
Wins Not Limited to Concrete… Busch won the 2022 Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway from a distant third place when, in the late stages, second-place Chase Briscoe slid up the high-banked dirt track and into the Chevrolet of leader Tyler Reddick in the final corner, getting both cars out of shape. Busch’s momentum coming off Turn 4 carried him past Reddick by 0.330 seconds to claim victory.
A Place of Firsts… Busch’s first win at Bristol came on March 25, 2007, a date forever etched in NASCAR history. Driving the No. 5 Chevrolet, Busch earned the honor of becoming the first winner in “The Car of Tomorrow.” He was able to hold off RCR’s Jeff Burton in a side-by-side overtime finish. The victory also secured his place as the youngest winner in Bristol history at the age of 21 years, 10 months, and 23 days old.
Success Not Limited to the Cup Series… In addition to his Cup Series success at Bristol, the veteran racer also has nine NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and five NASCAR Truck Series wins at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.”
The NASCAR Hat Trick, Twice… In 2010, Busch made history at Bristol, becoming the first driver to win all three NASCAR national series races in the same weekend. Seven years later, in 2017, Busch repeated the accomplishment – again at the Last Great Colosseum – when he secured victories in the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series races.
Busch has career totals of 63 wins, 34 poles, 252 top-five finishes, 386 top-10s and 19,437 laps led in 722 career Cup Series starts.
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KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:
Bristol Motor Speedway. The Last Great Coliseum. You’ve had so much success there. What is it like to race at Bristol?
“Bristol’s one of my favorite tracks, if not my favorite. I love going there. It’s obviously a great place. It reminds me of the local short track atmosphere that you get on Saturday nights, growing up racing late models. It’s a lot of fun. I love the banking. I love the concrete and just the nature of that place. It’s gotten a little bit tougher over the years to be as good as I once was there. Everybody’s kind of picked up on it. It’s definitely one of the coolest tracks that we get a chance to go run on. And obviously, the speed that you carry there and the close nature of the action, whether you run the bottom or whether you run the top, there’s just a lot of options.”
What is it like having to navigate the top and the bottom? Selecting a line multiple times, you may run the top, you may run the bottom, each lap. What’s it like to just navigate through all of that, every lap at that track?
“Every scenario is different at Bristol. The biggest thing is restarts. You’ve got to be ready to get down to the bottom. It seems like the bottom really fires off and takes off early, and then as the pace progresses and falls off, you’ve got to get to the top. You want to be one of the first ones up to the top so that people don’t get up in front of you and block you and not allow you through traffic. It’s just really a challenging race. It’s more of a chess game a lot of times, too, rather than just trying to figure out all raw speeds.”
Pit road there can be tricky. Green flag stops only going down once or yellow flag stops you’re going through the whole pit road. What is it like managing your lights there with the multi-speed zones in that pit road?
“Bristol’s really tough with pit road speeds. You’re up and down on your speeds and managing your lights as you go through the turns and on the straights. We’ve found over the years the hot sections are the sections that read a little bit faster than you think you’re going. You try to pick you pit stalls in those sections to help eliminate the chances of speeding. But also for me, the multiple pit lane thing can be confusing determining which one to come in during the race. I always like picking a pit stall on the back stretch so that we always enter off of Turn Two. Whether you have to run the full pit road under yellow or you can exit into Turn Three on a green flag scenario, it just makes it so much simpler.”
Sometimes people say the first time you go there, you kind of forget to breathe for a couple of laps. What are the G-loads and the forces like going into those corners with such steep banking?
“Bristol is tough when you get there for practice. The first time you get there and you’re in practice, it’s kind of like a cardio session. You’re trying to breathe and you’re trying to work through your breathing and everything, but you kind of hold your breath a little so you become out of breath. But it’s just a cool place. Being able to race somewhere that gives you those G-loads and that feeling is cool.”
Jesse Love and the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway… Jesse Love will make his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. The Menlo Park, California native has competed in one NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Tennessee short track, earning a fourth-place result. Love has also made three ARCA Menards Series starts at the World’s Fastest Half Mile, recording a best finish of second-place in 2023.
Career Background… Love has quickly climbed the motorsports ranks and continues to add to an impressive resume. Already in 2025, Love captured the checkered flag in the season-opening Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway, locking his No. 2 team into the Playoffs. During his Xfinity Series rookie campaign in 2024, the 20-year-old claimed his first series win, a series-leading five poles, and Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Love became the youngest champion in NASCAR history by clinching his first ARCA Menards Series West title at the age of 16 in 2020. Love then posted a dominating performance by winning half the races and the championship in the 2023 ARCA season.
Bringing the Frost… Making its C4 Ultimate Energy® product line-up more delicious and even cooler, Nutrabolt recently introduced the Frost collection – a product extension available in three flavors that will also unveil a unique can technology that transitions from silver to blue when the can is cold and ready to drink. Love’s No. 33 machine will carry the Frost Bitten Citrus flavor at Bristol Motor Speedway.
About Nutrabolt… Nutrabolt is a fast-growing, global active health and wellness company with a portfolio of market leading performance-oriented brands that energize and fuel active lifestyles. The company’s disruptive and innovative products compete in the Functional Beverage and Active Nutrition segments, under three consumer-loved brands: C4® (one of the fastest-growing energy drink brands in the United States and the #1 selling global pre-workout brand), XTEND® (America’s #1 BCAA brand), and Cellucor® (an award-winning sports nutrition brand created in 2002).
Since their founding 20 years ago, their goal has been to meet the discerning needs of performance athletes and fitness enthusiasts, while appealing beyond this core group to include consumers and communities around the globe who are making healthy, active living a daily priority.
Nutrabolt’s portfolio, which is distributed in over 125 countries, is sold through company-owned DTC platforms, Amazon, and other third-party marketplaces, and is available at leading retailers across the U.S., including Walmart, Target, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Kroger, H-E-B, Wawa, Publix, GNC, and the Vitamin Shoppe. For more information about Nutrabolt, please visit nutrabolt.com.
JESSE LOVE QUOTES:
What is your excitement level with making your NASCAR Cup Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway?
“A lot of people have asked me if I’m excited. I have worked my whole life towards this opportunity, so it’s going to be high pressure situation and environment. I don’t feel like going into it overly excited and ambitious is probably the best way to go about it. I’m trying to keep a level head going into the whole weekend. I have 500 laps to stay disciplined with my marks, rhythm, and how I drive. I want to go perform the best that I can, so I can achieve my bigger goal of doing it every weekend on Sunday.”
How are you preparing for your NASCAR Cup Series debut? Simulator? Talking to other drivers?
“You could list off a lot of things and I would probably have the same answer – all of the above. Obviously, the simulation stuff is important, but even more so than that, it’s about building my relationship with my new crew chief, Andy Street. He and I have a good friendship even before we knew we would work together this season. Continuing to build on that relationship and figuring out the questions I have will be important. I try to come into these weekends with an idea of what to do and what not to do, and I feel like I have accomplished that. This week has been a lot of prep, and that work will go all the way up to Friday. I want to keep the pressure on myself to find out more answers, talk to more people, and get tidbits from different drivers that I trust. I think I’ll be able to go to the track with a clear and open mind.”
Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway… Love has made one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a fourth-place result in 2024 while piloting the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet. The Menlo Park, California native has also competed in three career ARCA Menards Series events (2021-2023) at the Last Great Colosseum, where Love started inside the top-five for all three races and recorded a best finish of second-place in 2023.
Points Check… Through eight races, Love currently holds the fifth position in the Xfinity Series driver championship point standings – only four points behind fourth-place Sheldon Creed.
Double Duty… Love will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut this Sunday, April 13 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, the 20-year-old will take to the high banks of the concrete oval for 500 laps in the premier series.
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NFFF Returns in 2025… For the fourth consecutive year, the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet will feature a special National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) scheme – a powerful tribute to honor 140 firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2024 and years past. More than just a car, it’s become a powerful symbol of respect and remembrance. Each firefighter, whose name is riding with Love on the decklid, will also be commemorated at the NFFF Memorial during the annual ceremony on May 4. This year’s NFFF design will be unveiled in Whelen’s Booth #3229 at FDIC in Indianapolis, Indiana on Thursday, April 10 at Noon local time. The special design will take to the track at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on October 4.
JESSE LOVE QUOTES:
What was your initial impression of Bristol Motor Speedway when you walked into the stadium for the first time?
“I was 15 years old, running ARCA for Venturini Motorsports, and I remember being super excited. I’ve come a long way since then, but I ran a car length off the wall because the track was so fast. Things happen very quickly there. It was definitely intimidating the first time, but since then, I’ve become more comfortable with the place and took some detailed notes. I have a knack for the race track itself. It is my favorite short track on the schedule for a multitude of reasons. I love concrete, the fact that you can run multiple lanes, and the steep banking. I’ve come to love going to Bristol and look forward to it when it’s on the schedule.”
How has the start of the 2025 season been for the No. 2 team?
“We have been really good this year. We are leading laps, running up front, contending, and putting ourselves in position to win most weeks. There is a lot of confidence that comes with that. Obviously, we are building fast race cars and we are in contention most races. Bristol is probably my best race track on the schedule and a place I know really well, so I definitely have high hopes for this weekend on the Xfinity side. We had a good package there last year and had a shot to win. I’ve been able to figure some things out since the last time I was there too. Hopefully, we can continue to progress and show that this weekend. It would a good place for us to get another win and keep ourselves good for the rest of the season.”
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway… Hill has made three career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, capturing a best finish of third in 2022 while driving the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet. The Winston, Georgia native has also competed in six NASCAR Truck Series events (best finish of 10th) and three ARCA Menards Series East races (best finish of fifth) at the World’s Fastest Half Mile.
Chasing Another $100K… After winning at Martinsville Speedway and claiming an extra $100,000 for the first time in his career, Hill has another shot at the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus. On Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, the 30-year-old will battle with Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, and Brennan Poole, with the highest finisher earning the Dash 4 Cash title. This marks Hill’s fifth career Dash 4 Cash appearance.
Points Check… With eight races complete, Hill currently sits in the third position in the Xfinity Series driver championship point standings – only eight points behind second-place Sam Mayer.
Did You Know? Hill attended Bristol Motor Speedway’s Season Preview event in March, where the driver gave pace car rides to 2018 Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer Tim Hudson and 2023 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Danny Graves. Hill grew up an Atlanta Braves fan.
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AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on Bristol Motor Speedway?
“We’ve had success at Bristol but never won there. Hopefully that changes this year. Bristol is a place where the line you need to run will change throughout the race depending on how your car is handling. You may be at the bottom to start the race, and then you work your way up and run the fence at the end. I’ve actually found success at Bristol while running the wall, and I’ve never been one that is great at running the wall. I’ll be the first one to say that. A few years back, I had a shot to win this race and ended up having a little damage towards the end before finishing third. I’ve definitely been close to winning there.”
Describe racing at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“Things happen so fast at Bristol. It’s a track where you have to be mentally sharp, just like at a superspeedway. Sometimes you don’t know if you are in Turns 1 and 2 or Turns 3 and 4, simply because things are happening so fast in a 15 second lap. You catch lap cars fast, so you have to know right when you get to them if they are going bottom or top to get around them as quickly as possible. Every tenth of a second adds up at a track like Bristol. It’s a tough place to get around, but I enjoy going there and trying to conquer it.”
