Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Rockingham Speedway… Richard Childress Racing’s best finish at Rockingham Speedway in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is second, achieved by Kevin Harvick in 1999 (fall). Although the team is still looking to find Victory Lane at the track for the first time, the Welcome, N.C.-based organization has earned three top-five finishes and eight top-10 results.
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Rockingham Speedway… In 81 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Rockingham Speedway, RCR has earned three victories, all by Dale Earnhardt. The driver of the famed No. 3 Chevrolet claimed the checkered flag in 1987 (spring) and at both races in 1994. Additionally, the team has captured one pole, 13 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes, completed 93.1% of the laps contested (33,494 of 35,991), and led 1,512 laps. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, made 18 Cup Series starts at the North Carolina track with one top-five and seven top-10 finishes between 1972-1981.
In the History Books… In February 2001 at Rockingham Speedway, Harvick assumed the driving duties of the newly renumbered No. 29 Chevrolet a week after the untimely passing of Dale Earnhardt, marking his Cup Series debut and helping to establish the future of RCR. Two weeks later, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Harvick earned his first career Cup Series win, the first of his 23 premier series victories while racing under the RCR banner.
Fun Fact… RCR Chief Operating Officer Mike Dillon made 12 starts at Rockingham Speedway in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, claiming a pair of top-10 finishes in 1998.
Three Times the Fun… RCR will field three O’Reilly Auto Parts Series entries this weekend at Rockingham Speedway, with Cleetus McFarland making his anticipated series debut driving the No. 33 Tommy’s Express Car Wash Chevrolet. With more than 4.6 million YouTube subscribers, McFarland has built a passionate fan base to learn more about motorsports as they watch the Freedom Factory racetrack owner build his racing resume. Earlier this year, the Omaha, Nebraska native made his NASCAR national series debut at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Truck Series. McFarland joins RCR’s fulltime O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competitors Austin Hill and Jesse Love for this weekend.
Veterans Coffee… As part of RCR’s ongoing commitment to honor and support those who served our country, RCR will host a Veterans Coffee event in conjunction with Veterans Bridge Home on Wednesday, April 8 beginning at 9 a.m. ET. The full morning of programming is open to all, with a special focus on Vietnam era Veterans this month.
Catch Saturday’s Action… The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, April 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET on The CW. The live radio broadcast can be heard on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Friday afternoon’s practice and qualifying sessions will be shown for free on The CW App beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.
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Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway… Jesse Love will make his second career start at Rockingham Speedway in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. In addition to last year’s event at “The Rock”, the young gun has participated in two pre-season test sessions at the North Carolina track, most recently in January 2026.
Revenge for Last Year… In the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ return to Rockingham Speedway last season, Love delivered a standout performance, leading six times for 53 laps and earning points in Stage 2. In the final segment, the Menlo Park, California native lined up third in an overtime restart and surged his way to the lead in just two corners to take home the checkered flag. During post-race technical inspection, the No. 2 team was disqualified, resulting in a 37th-place finish.
Last Week… During last Saturday’s event at Martinsville Speedway, Love started from eighth-place and captured points in Stage 1. The 21-year-old remained in position for a top-10 effort until the No. 2 Chevrolet received contact from a fellow competitor on the final restart and crossed the finish line 12th.
Strong Start… Love has posted a strong start to the season. Through seven races, he has led 208 laps and recorded three top-five and five top-10 results, with a best finish of second coming at Phoenix Raceway.
Consistency Continues… Love’s average finish of 7.0 is best among full time drivers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Still Streaking… Love currently holds the longest active streak of running at the finish of races, as the defending series champion has 20 straight events without a DNF.
Get to the Points… Love remains second in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver championship point standings, 52 points behind current leader Justin Allgaier and 24 points ahead of third-place Sheldon Creed.
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Meet Love… On Saturday, April 3 at 11:40 a.m. Local Time, Love is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Midway at Rockingham Speedway. Stop by to meet Love and purchase No. 2 gear.
JESSE LOVE QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on Rockingham Speedway?
“Rockingham Speedway should be fun. It’ll be cool having Cleetus McFarland racing with us as well. I’m looking forward to seeing how the track changes a little bit from last year. We hope to get back on track after two rough weekends.”
Austin Hill and the No. 21 1-800-PACK-RAT Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway… Austin Hill will make his second career start at Rockingham Speedway in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. During last season’s return to the historic North Carolina track, the Winston, Georgia native secured a top-10 starting position and a sixth-place result. In addition, Hill has participated in two preseason test sessions at the 0.94-mile oval, most recently in January 2026.
Last Week… After qualifying was rained out, Hill began last Saturday’s event at Martinsville Speedway from the 26th starting position. Near the end of Stage 2, Crew Chief Chad Haney opted for Hill to stay out as the field split pit strategy. The 31-year-old capitalized to win Stage 2, his fourth stage win of the season. Driving back through the field in the final segment, Hill crossed the finish line sixth, his fourth top-10 result of the 2026 campaign.
Strong Start… Hill kicked off the season opener in familiar fashion. For the fourth time in five years, he celebrated in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway. Through seven races, the veteran racer has recorded one win, led 125 laps, and registered two top-five and four top-10 finishes.
Get to the Points… With a sixth-place finish and stage win last week, Hill advanced one position to fourth-place in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver championship point standings. The 15-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series winner is 122 points behind leader Justin Allgaier and only six points behind third-place Sheldon Creed.
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Meet Hill… On Saturday, April 4 at 12:00 p.m. Local Time, Hill is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Fan Midway at Rockingham Speedway. Stop by to purchase No. 21 gear before the green flag waves.
AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:
What can you expect from Saturday’s race at Rockingham Speedway?
“One of the biggest things you can expect from this weekend at Rockingham Speedway is the pace difference from last season. I think the pace is going to be slowed down a lot more than what it was in the past. We now have one year of notes under our belt – and honestly the entire field does – to protect the race cars. The race itself should be a little better than it was last year. I’m looking forward to it though. It’s still going to be a very fast racetrack, but I do think power fall off is going to be more of an issue this go around, which is going to be great for the fans.”
Cleetus McFarland and the No. 33 Tommy’s Express Car Wash Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway… Saturday’s race will mark Cleetus McFarland’s debut in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Last month, the 30-year-old took part in a test session at the North Carolina facility in preparation for his inaugural start.
Top of the Box… Longtime RCR team member Robert “Bug” Strmiska will serve as crew chief for McFarland. Strmiska, a veteran car chief and mechanic, began his career with the Welcome, North Carolina organization in 2010 and has played a pivotal role in helping capture two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championships with Austin Dillon (2013) and Love (2025) and the Truck Series championship with Dillon (2011). Strmiska also earned a Daytona 500 win and a Coca-Cola 600 win in the NASCAR Cup Series, both with Dillon.
Career on Ovals… Since February 2025, McFarland has competed in five ARCA Menards Series events and one NASCAR Truck Series race. In his two starts on non-drafting tracks, the Omaha, Nebraska native claimed a 10th-place effort at Charlotte Motor Speedway and a 17th-place result at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Double Duty… Prior to his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut, McFarland will drive the No. 30 Rette Jones Racing entry in the ARCA Menards Series East at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday.
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Meet McFarland… On Friday, April 3 at 11:30 a.m. Local Time, McFarland is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Midway at Rockingham Speedway. Stop by to meet McFarland and purchase new No. 33 gear.
CLEETUS MCFARLAND QUOTES:
Give us an overview of the opportunity you have this weekend with RCR and what you’re looking forward to the most…
“What I’m looking forward to the most is getting past the first 10 laps, getting comfortable and leaning on support from the RCR guys. Obviously, there’s a lot of pressure coming into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for the first time. I’ve been giving so much data, so I’m excited to apply that, see where my improvements stand and how competitive I am. I had a lot of fun driving the car during the test and I hope to make the Tommy’s Express Car Wash team happy by doing a good job, staying out of the way and enjoy racing.”
Do you listen to the outside noise of whether you should be allowed to race? Do you want to hear what people are saying, or do you feel like it’s better for you to ignore that?
“I see it a lot through social media. When I had the big screw up in the NASCAR Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway, I was feeling a little down on myself about that. At this point, the record is so broken of people still talking about it, I don’t care as much. At the end of the day, all these guys can say whatever they want about me, but if Richard Childress called them and said, ‘Hey, you want to come drive our car?’ All of them would have taken that opportunity too and if NASCAR is letting me do it, I’m in. They can complain as much as they’d like, but it’s happening. So, they better buckle up.”
Who has helped you prepare for this weekend?
“I would say that collectively a lot of the team has been helping me. Obviously, at the test, I had Danny Lawrence, Danny Stockman, Bug (Robert Strmiska), and Ty Dillon. The team has really been helpful, and this RCR opportunity is so different than everything else I’ve been a part of. I was talking to Dale Jr. about this RCR opportunity, and he was like, ‘this is exactly what you need because this team’s going to help you develop.’ We have spent far more time working on just me and the things that I’m going to do out there versus thinking about the car and the setup. I feel like as a driver, I’ve made leaps and bounds already just in simulator time and data going back and forth with them on everything.”
