Richard Childress Racing in the Bluegrass State … In 24 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kentucky Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes, completing 6,403 of the contested 6,429 laps (99.6 percent).
RCR in the MENCS … In 2,957 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 50 pole awards,108 wins, 489 top-five finishes and 1,072 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.7 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 Menards Series 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, @TylerReddick and @DanielHemric. 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/DanielHemric.
Catch the Action … The Kentucky 400 at Kentucky Speedway will be televised live Saturday, July 13 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This Week’s AAA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Kentucky Speedway … Dillon has six previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kentucky Speedway, earning his best finish of 16th in 2016 and 2014 and best starting position of 11th in 2015.
Dillon in the Bluegrass State … Kentucky Speedway is the site of Dillon’s career-first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The 2013 Xfinity Series Champion earned back-to-back Xfinity Series wins at the 1.5-mile track in 2012, sweeping both races and earning the pole award for both the June and September events.
Don’t Drive Intoxicated. Don’t Drive Intexticated … In America, over 1,000 people per day are injured as a result of distracted driving. As an advocate for drivers and safety, AAA is working to bring attention to the importance of keeping your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. AAA invites you to spread the word and to take the pledge to not drive distracted. Help make our roadways safer for friends, family and fellow drivers. Visit AAA.com/DontDriveDistracted to take the pledge today.
Meet Austin Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to participate in a Q&A Session on behalf of AAA at the Trackside Live! Stage in the Kentucky Speedway fan midway area on Friday, July 12 at 3:45 p.m. ET.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts going into Kentucky?
“Kentucky is one of those places I’ve always been pretty decent at, going back to the NASCAR Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series days. We were able to win there, and any time that you head into a track that you’ve been successful at in the past you go in with some confidence. The repave is a few years old now so it should be fun to see how that’s shaping up. We will look forward to Kentucky as one of those places that we feel like we can run well at. At this point, we need a win in order to make it into the Playoffs and that is our goal.”
Daniel Hemric and the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Kentucky Speedway … Hemric will be making his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Kentucky Speedway during this weekend’s 400-mile event. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has three previous starts at the 1.5-mile speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, recording an average start of 7.3 and an average finish of 6.0, with a best finish of second coming in 2018.
About Whayne Supply Company … With over 100 years in business, Whayne Supply Company is one of the oldest and largest Caterpillar dealers in the U.S., based in Louisville, Kentucky. Whayne Supply Company has 17 locations across Kentucky and Southern Indiana serving the construction, mining, highway, ag and power industries.
About Walker Machinery … With over 60 years in the construction and mining industries, Walker Machinery is the best choice when you are looking to purchase or rent equipment. Not only are we the authorized Caterpillar Dealership in western West Virginia and southeastern Ohio, we also sell and service several other lines of equipment. From backhoes and dozers, to continuous miners and on-highway trucks, we are your number one choice for all of your equipment and service needs.
Meet the Driver … Hemric is scheduled to be on NASCAR Trackside Live! in the Kentucky Speedway fan midway area on Friday, July 12, starting at 3:30 p.m. local time. He is slated to sign autographs at the RCR merchandise hauler in the fan zone on Saturday, July 13, starting at 3:20 p.m. local time. Hemric is also scheduled to take part in a fan question and answer session in the Kentucky Speedway infield fan zone tent on Saturday, July 13, starting at 4:35 p.m. local time.
DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:
Kentucky Speedway is a unique mile-and-a-half track, but it seems to be the style of track that puts on the best racing with the current rules package. What do you expect going there this weekend for your first Cup Series start there?
“There’s a possibility to have some pretty good options and some really good runs at Kentucky Speedway. I was able to do the race advance preview last month and I was told for sure they were dragging tires all the way across the racetrack, which should widen the groove and make for exciting racing. Kentucky Speedway has a lot of characteristics that could lend itself to a great race. That’s what we need as drivers, we need to have options, and as Kentucky has been aging and it is getting more and more characteristics, more of those options are developing for us. That’s a great place, regardless of the package you’re using. From the ton of throttle that you carry through Turns 1 and 2, all the way through the flat entry into Turn 3, it is a huge challenge.”
Kentucky Speedway is always a big weekend for Caterpillar as well. What does it mean to have so much support from them heading into the weekend?
“It is a huge, huge race for Caterpillar – probably one of their biggest of the year for our group. We know going to Kentucky that we need to run well with all of the Caterpillar guests in attendance. They have a ton of vendors and customers in the Kentucky and Ohio area, and because of that we want to give them a good show. It’s going to be a fun weekend. My schedule is jam-packed with hospitality visits and suite visits to spend as much time with these partners as possible. Word on the street is that I will get to drive one of Caterpillar’s UTVs throughout the weekend, so I am really looking forward to that as well.”
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Kentucky Speedway … In 68 Series starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, RCR has captured four victories with drivers Kevin Harvick (2001), Austin Dillon (2012 sweep) and Brendan Gaughan (2014). The Welcome, North Carolina, organization has accumulated four pole awards, 24 top-five finishes, 42 top-10 finishes, led 981 laps and averages a starting position of 10.2 and finishing position of 10.4. RCR has completed 12,903 laps of the 13,518 (95.5 percent) that they have competed.
Daytona Review … Tyler Reddick and the No. 2 team captured their third pole of the season at Daytona International Speedway, but a late-race incident relegated the team to a 17th-place finish. Joe Graf Jr. qualified the No. 21 Camaro in the sixth spot, but a late-race wreck pushed him back to a 24th-place finish.
The Points …Tyler Reddick remains the current Xfinity Series points leader.
Social Media … To keep up with the latest updates from RCR’s Xfinity Series teams, follow @RCRracing and @RCRNXS on Twitter. Updates can also be found via RCR’s Facebook Page and Instagram (@RCRracing).
Catch the Action … Coverage of this week’s Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway will be televised live on Friday, July 12, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBCSN. It will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Tyler Reddick and the No. 2 Alsco Camaro at Kentucky Speedway … In three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Kentucky Speedway, Tyler Reddick has one win (2017) and three top-10 finishes. Reddick also has two NASCAR Truck Series starts and two top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile speedway. The current points leader has never started outside the top-10 for any of his five races at Kentucky Speedway and has a 100 percent lap completion rate at the track.
About Alsco … Alsco is a fourth-generation family owned and operated business, founded in 1889, that was recognized by the prestigious Hohenstein Institute for having invented the linen and uniform rental industry. Celebrating 130 years of business, Alsco provides linen and workwear rental services to customers that include restaurants, healthcare, automotive industry and industrial facilities. With over 180 locations and more than 20,000 employees, Alsco provides world-class service to over 355,000 customers in 14 countries. Learn more at www.alsco.com.
Meet Reddick … Campers at Kentucky Speedway can meet Reddick when he visits the track’s Camper Welcome Party for a Q&A on Wednesday, July 10, at 7 p.m. local time. Later that weekend, Reddick will also stop by the RCR merchandise hauler beginning at 1:30 p.m. local time on Friday, July 12. Reddick will also take part in the Xfinity Series autograph session located in the fan midway that afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m. local time.
TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:
We just came from a hot, slick Daytona and now head to what will likely be a hot and slick Kentucky Speedway. What do you think about the racing there?
“Well, the racing at Kentucky Speedway has changed over the last couple years. Obviously, the biggest thing to change has been the track surface with the repave a few years ago, but we’re starting to see the racing widen back out. Kentucky Speedway is a very tough track where we are on the edge of having any grip all day long. It’s going to be one of those weekends where it will be tough to get our No. 2 Alsco Chevrolet Camaro dialed in exactly how we want it with the change in track temperatures from when we practice to when we race. I’ve had success at Kentucky Speedway before, so hopefully that’ll be helpful in figuring out exactly what we want in our car for the race.”
You won the Alsco 300 in Charlotte with the longtime RCR partner on the Camaro as an associate earlier this season. Is there added pressure this weekend with you driving the No. 2 Alsco Chevrolet during the Alsco 300 at Kentucky?
“Now that we’ve won the Alsco 300 in Charlotte, we definitely are going to be doing everything we can to win the Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway in the No. 2 Alsco Chevrolet Camaro. I joked a little bit about it before, but it felt great winning that race with all the pressure I was feeling after visiting the Alsco suite earlier that day and having everyone there tell me that they hadn’t won a race they’ve sponsored with one of their drivers before but that the Charlotte weekend felt like the best chance they had at it. I expect the pressure to be back this weekend, but I know my team will give it everything they’ve got to repeat for them this weekend.”
