Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Martinsville Speedway … In 162 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned four pole awards and posted seven victories with drivers Dale Earnhardt (five times), Ricky Rudd (1983) and Kevin Harvick (2011). RCR Chevrolet teams have earned 30 top-five and 62 top-10 finishes at Martinsville dating back to the team’s first start there on April 10, 1972. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed four of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978.
RCR in the MENCS … In 2,834 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards, 107 wins, 486 top-five finishes and 1,049 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 16.1. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR XFINITY Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.
Pediatric Trauma Caucus … Richard Childress and Bob Gfeller helped launch the U.S. Congress’ bipartisan pediatric trauma caucus in May 2016 and have participated in three congressional briefings. Thanks to Representatives Richard Hudson and G.K. Butterfield, our advocacy initiatives continue on Oct. 24 when pediatric trauma leaders from across the U.S. hit Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress about how they can help save injured kids https://saveinjuredkids.org/.
Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3 and @RyanJNewman. Information about the 15-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages – http://www.facebook.com/austindillon3, www.facebook.com/PaulMenard27 and www.facebook.com/RyanNewmanNASCAR.
Catch the Action … The First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled to be televised live on Sunday, October 29 on NBC beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
This Week’s No. 3 Dow Chevrolet SS at Martinsville Speedway … In seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Dillon earned his best finish of fourth in April 2016 at the half-mile short track after starting deep in the field from the 29th spot. He earned a fifth-place finish in his most recent appearance at the track in April. The track is located less than an hour from his Welcome, North Carolina, home and Dillon has finished outside of the top-20 just once. He has made four appearances at the track in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, earning his best finish of third in October 2011.
Dow Delivers Solutions at the Intersection of Science and Markets … Working closely with their customers, Dow delivers products and solutions that create value and competitive advantage while positively impacting the world we live in. Collectively, Dow’s efforts have lasting results, creating higher performance for their customers and reshaping the world around us to build a better future for everyone.
Meet Dillon … Dillon is among the drivers scheduled to take part in the Martinsville Speedway FanFest, a free event giving fans an up-close look at some of the sport’s biggest stars, off the track. FanFest is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 29 and will run until 8:30 p.m. Cup Series drivers, including Dillon, are scheduled to participate in the event throughout the evening with on-stage activities planned with heavy fan involvement.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
You earned a top-five finish at Martinsville Speedway in April. How do you like running at what is considered the equivalent of a bullring?
“I love Martinsville Speedway. It’s always a fun track to go to. I’ve ran well there in the past, even though I haven’t qualified great. There’s always a little bit of beating and banging going on there. “Handling is key but you’ve got to be able to move a guy out of the bottom if they’re holding you up. It still happens quite a bit.”
This Week’s No. 27 Libman / Menards Chevrolet SS at Martinsville Speedway … Menard has made 20 starts at Martinsville Speedway since his first event at the short track in 2007. During that time, he has recorded two top-10 finishes, with 10 laps led. He has completed 97.4 percent of the laps that he has attempted.
About Libman … For over 110 years, the Libman family has made quality their utmost priority. William Libman started ‘The Libman Company’ in 1896 with one mission, to make the finest, most durable wire-wound corn brooms. William’s sons, grandsons and great grandchildren have since expanded that mission to include the finest mops, brooms, brushes and cleaning tools. For more information on Libman, please visit www.libman.com.
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
What is the key to success at Martinsville Speedway?
“To have a good day at Martinsville you have to have good track position all day, but also be aggressive and make the moves needed to go forward without giving up too much to the guys behind you. You really have to time the moves right or you could find yourself hung out and going the wrong way. With it being a short track, you can lean on the other guys, rub fenders, race hard and if your car gets beat up it doesn’t matter a whole lot.”
#B31ieve … Newman made his eighth appearance in what is now known as the NASCAR Playoffs. At Dover, the driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet missed making the Round of 12 by just two points. He now sits 16th in the standings after being involved in a multi-car accident at Kansas Speedway resulting in a 33rd-place finish. His highest finish in the championship standings is second place while driving in his first season for RCR and crew chief Luke Lambert.
Age of Smart Iron … Caterpillar has spent over 90 years committed to innovation and technology that helps customers succeed. What was important then is even more important now, in an age when advancements come faster and more frequently than ever before. An age where connectivity drives productivity and industry evolves. This is the Age of Smart Iron. For more information about Caterpillar, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.
Chevrolet Corn Maze … Back by popular demand is the nine-acre Chevrolet corn maze at Rescue Ranch in Statesville, North Carolina. It is open Friday and Saturday night’s in October. Families can weave their way through a custom designed corn maze featuring a Chevy Silverado and a Corvette. For more information, visit: RescueRanch.com.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
What is your biggest challenge at Martinsville Speedway?
“The biggest challenge is keeping your fenders on your car and secondly, keeping the brake pedal pumped up and not over using your brakes. You always have at least one long run here so you need to make sure you have the car underneath you on the long run to make sure you stay on the lead lap so that you are in contention at the end. That seems to be one of the biggest keys at just keeping yourself in the game because there are a lot of repetitive cycles here with 500 laps.”
