Richard Childress Racing at Martinsville Speedway … In 167 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 2,911 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,108 wins, 488 top-five finishes and 1,064 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.2. 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.
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 and www.facebook.com/RyanNewmanNASCAR.
Catch the Action … The First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway will be televised live Sunday, October 28 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This Week’s Dow Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Martinsville Speedway … In nine 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 also has a fifth-place finish at the track (April 2017). The track is located less than an hour from his Welcome, North Carolina, home and Dillon has finished outside of the top-20 just twice. He has made four appearances at the track in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, earning his best finish of third in October 2011.
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AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
How do you feel about short tracks like Martinsville Speedway?
“I love going to Martinsville Speedway. It’s an hour away from my house, so it feels like home. Anytime you can get to a short track and beat and bang and really work on those hard-braking corners you feel like you got a chance so I can’t wait to get there. Our short track program has been really good this year. We were fast at Richmond so I can’t wait to get to Martinsville. It’s a flat paperclip.”
Do you like to hang back at Martinsville Speedway or really try to go for it up front? What is your strategy?
“I love to be aggressive at short tracks. I don’t think anybody wants to hang back. You can save your tires there and your brakes. I love going to the front. Going towards the front there is a good thing.”
This Week’s E-Z-GO Camaro ZL1 at Martinsville Speedway … Ryan Newman will make his 617th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start when he competes in the final half-mile race of the season at Martinsville Speedway. In 33 Cup Series events, Newman visited Victory Lane at this event in 2012. The Rocket Man also owns three pole awards, all happening in the fall of 2002, ’04 and ’09. In total, he owns eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes, along with 196 laps led in competition. The South Bend, Indiana native has an average start of 9.7 and average finish of 14.9.
On Board with Newman …
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Rescue Ranch Corn Maze presented by Chevrolet … The nine-acre Chevy corn maze is back! The lighted maze is open Friday and Saturday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. ET. On Sundays, you can make a run in daylight from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 for ages 13 on up. It’s $5 for ages 2-12 and free for kids under 2. All proceeds benefits Rescue Ranch. rescueranch.com/
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
There is a lot of bumping and banging at Martinsville Speedway. Describe how this race is different than other races.
“Martinsville is a blast. I really enjoy it because it is a short track. There is a lot of heavy braking and it’s important to manage your rear tires. I like the fact that it is close to home. There are so many true short-track race fans that come out and support us there. They are huge longtime fans that appreciate what kind of a show that Martinsville Speedway puts on. Their enthusiasm makes us want to put on a good show for them as well.”
What kind of things can you get away with at that track that you can’t get away with at others?
“The only thing you can really get away with is being a little more violent. We’re able to do a little more beating and banging. We can move guys around, bump them in the corners and let them know that it’s time to get out of the way or I’m going to move you out of the way type of deal. You can’t necessarily do that at other tracks. Our cars are a lot more fragile than they used to be, so you don’t want to wrinkle the fender so-to-speak at a place like Charlotte, Daytona or Indianapolis because aero packages at those places are so important. Aero is important at Martinsville but sometimes it’s more important to use the chrome horn and knock them out of the way.”
