Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway… In 197 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, RCR has seven victories, including five by Dale Earnhardt (1985-fall, 1987-spring, 1988-spring, 1991-spring, and 1995-fall). Ricky Rudd won the fall race at Martinsville in 1983, which was RCR’s first Cup Series win on an oval. Kevin Harvick won the 2011 spring race at Martinsville, his first victory at the .526-mile paved speedway. Along with their wins, RCR has earned 31 top-five and 66 top-10 finishes entering Sunday afternoon’s race.
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Martinsville Speedway… RCR has two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories at Martinsville Speedway, most recently with Austin Hill claiming the organization’s 100th series win during last season’s spring race. Kevin Harvick won the 2006 race in dominating fashion, leading 149 of 250 laps. Clint Bowyer, Harvick’s teammate, finished a close second, crossing the finish line .271 seconds behind. Harvick and Bowyer combined to lead 207 of the race’s 250 laps enroute to a 1-2 finish. In 21 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at the Virginia short track, the Welcome, N.C., based team has two wins, one pole, six top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
Three Times the Fun… This weekend at Martinsville Speedway, RCR will field three Cup Series teams for the third time this season. Austin Hill returns to the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet, led by crew chief Andy Street, for his second Cup Series start of the season and the 17th of his career. Hill’s first start of the 2026 campaign came earlier this month at Phoenix Raceway, where the Georgia native finished in the 21st position.
Giving Back to the Community… On Monday, Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch participated in the 13th annual Gen. Tom Sadler Memorial Golf Tournament benefiting Speedway Children’s Charities in Mooresville, North Carolina. The tournament has helped raise over $180,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities whose mission is to ensure that children in need have the support, care, and opportunities to build brighter futures.
Catch Saturday’s Action… The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ NFPA 250 at Martinsville Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, March 28 at 3:30 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 4:30 p.m. ET.
Catch Us On FS1… The Cup Series’ Cook Out 400 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, March 29 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The live radio broadcast can be heard on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Saturday afternoon’s practice and qualifying sessions will air live on Prime Video beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. Ride shotgun all season long with live, in-car camera feeds and scanner audio with a paid subscription to Max as part of their NASCAR driver cam experience during the race.
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Coatings Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… In 24 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Austin Dillon boasts three top-five and four top-10 finishes. The North Carolina native’s best Cup Series result at the Virginia short track came in April 2022, finishing in third-place after starting from the 23rd position. Dillon’s most recent top-10 effort was during the fall 2024 event, crossing the finish line in seventh-place.
Beyond Cup… The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series Champion has made five starts at Martinsville Speedway in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of third in October 2011.
Last Season on Short Tracks… Across six short track races in the Cup Series last year, Dillon posted one win and two top-10 finishes. The veteran racer went to Victory Lane at Richmond Raceway for the second consecutive year, leading five times for a total of 107 laps. In addition to his win, Dillon claimed a pair of 10th-place efforts at Bristol Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway.
Celebrating and Giving Back with Coca-Cola… On Wednesday morning, Dillon and his entire No. 3 pit crew served others by volunteering at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a community meal packing event in support of America 250. Alongside 150 volunteers, the group helped pack 4,500 meal boxes for local families in need. The event was spearheaded by Coca-Cola Racing.
Dow & Behr Paint… Dow is a materials science company whose ambition is to be the most innovative, customer-focused, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world. Central to that vision is coatings. Dow’s Coatings Materials business is pioneering technical and low-carbon breakthroughs in architectural and industrial construction — harnessing the power of materials science, cutting-edge technology, and world-class manufacturing to shape the built environment of tomorrow. At the forefront of that mission is Behr Paint, one of the largest manufacturers of paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains, surface preparation, and application products across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Behr is dedicated to meeting the project needs of DIYers, designers, and professional paint contractors with an unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and value. Together, Dow and Behr work hand-in-hand to formulate durable, high-quality paints — a collaboration that optimizes performance of Behr products while in turn strengthening Dow’s coatings knowledge and expertise. For more information on Dow Coatings Materials, please visit www.dow.com/en-us/industries/consumer/paints-and-coatings. To learn more about Behr Paint, please visit www.behr.com.
Meet Dillon… Fans will have two opportunities to get up close with Dillon this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. On Saturday, March 28 at 3:35 p.m. Local Time, Dillon is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Martinsville Speedway. On Sunday, March 29 at 12 p.m. Local Time, the 35-year-old is scheduled once more to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler alongside his RCR teammate Austin Hill. Stop by to meet Dillon and purchase new No. 3 gear.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on Martinsville Speedway?
“I’m looking forward to Martinsville Speedway. I think we made some ground there at the end of the race last time we were there. I felt like our car was pretty good, so we can build off of that. Martinsville’s a fun track. I can’t wait to get there and try to chase after the grandfather clock.”
Kyle Busch and the No. 8 FICO Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… Sunday’s Cook Out 400 will mark Kyle Busch’s 42nd career NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway. Busch has two wins, two poles, 17 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s at the .526-mile oval. Additionally, the 40-year-old driver has led 1,429 laps, has an average starting position of 11.8, an average finishing position of 13.4, and has completed 98.2% (19,795 of 20,158) of the laps he’s contested there. Busch finished 13th in the fall race last year after starting seventh.
Twice a Cup Series Winner at Martinsville… Busch earned his first Cup Series victory at Martinsville in April 2016. He completed the first-ever sweep of a Martinsville race weekend, leading 352 laps on the way to claiming his first Cup win in his then 22 starts at the .526-mile oval. A day earlier, he won the Truck Series race to claim his first-ever grandfather clock trophy. In October 2017, he claimed the Cup Series victory in a wild overtime finish, beating Martin Truex Jr. to the stripe by .141 seconds.
Success Not Limited to the Cup Series… In addition to his Cup Series success at Martinsville, the veteran racer also has two NASCAR Truck Series wins at the Virginia paperclip, victorious at the Spring races in both 2016 and 2019.
Did You Know? Busch has both the most starts (41) and laps completed (19,795) among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway.
Short Track Prowess… Busch has 120 career short track starts at NASCAR’s highest level, racking up 16 wins (eight at Bristol Motor Speedway, six at Richmond Raceway and two at Martinsville Speedway), 50 top-five and 68 top-10 finishes, and six pole awards. The veteran racer has led 5,556 laps and a 12.1 average finish.
FICO and Kyle Busch: Racing Toward Financial Empowerment… Busch and FICO are teaming up for a second time to raise financial literacy awareness and credit education among NASCAR’s fanbase. Through this partnership, NASCAR’s passionate community can take advantage of FICO-hosted events, including FICO Score A Better Future® workshops, where attendees can hear from FICO credit experts on the importance of credit scores and how to strengthen them, as well as the resources available on myFICO.com at no cost. To check your FICO® Score for free, visit http://myfico.com/champions.
About FICO… FICO powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 200 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, insurance, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 80 countries do everything from protecting 4 billion payment cards from fraud, to improving financial inclusion, to increasing supply chain resiliency. The FICO® Score, used by 90% of top US lenders, is the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the US and has been made available in over 40 other countries, improving risk management, credit access and transparency.
Meet Busch… Fans will have two opportunities to get up close with Busch this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. On Sunday, March 29 at 12:25 p.m. Local Time, Busch is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Martinsville Speedway. Shortly afterwards, the Las Vegas native is scheduled to appear on the NASCAR Experience Stage for a question-and-answer session. Stop by and visit the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet before the green flag waves.
KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:
At Martinsville Speedway, how do you balance aggressiveness?
“Martinsville Speedway is a tricky track. It has concrete surface in the corners, so it changes a lot during the race. When you have these long runs, and you get these rubber build ups, especially when it’s over 70 degrees outside, you get the clumping of the rubber on the racetrack, so you have to start searching around and trying to find a groove that your car will really work in. Obviously, the shortest way around is always the fastest way around, because there’s not really much momentum that you can build up on the outside at Martinsville. It’s a paper clip and it’s very stop and go. But then when you have cautions, all that rubber gets cleaned off and you’ve got to start all over again. So, a lot of changes happening there at Martinsville.”
What makes Martinsville Speedway great?
“There’s always action at Martinsville. It’s a great racetrack with close quarters action. Fans are right on top of the speedway seeing the cars up close and personal. It’s always great going back to a short track atmosphere that we all grew up racing somewhere. I grew up in late models at the local short tracks that were half mile or smaller like Martinsville so it’s fun going there.”
Austin Hill and the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… Austin Hill will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. The Winston, Georgia native has competed in eight NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at the Virginia facility, earning one win, two top-five, and three top-10 results. Hill has also made 11 NASCAR Truck Series starts at Martinsville, posting a best finish of second in 2021.
Second Cup Series Start of 2026… This weekend marks Hill’s second of five starts aboard the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet during the 2026 Cup Series season. Earlier this month, Hill competed at Phoenix Raceway, where the racer overcame a flat tire in the final stage to finish in the 21st position.
Short Track History… Hill’s only prior short track appearance in the Cup Series came last season in the fall night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. With significant tire falloff playing a key strategy marker in the event, Hill unlapped himself under green flag conditions and crossed the finish line in the 23rd position.
Career Cup Series Stats… Hill has driven in a total of 16 Cup Series races, making at least one start in each season since 2022. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship contender posted a career-best finish of ninth last summer at the Chicago Street Race.
Double Duty… Hill joins Justin Allgaier as the only two drivers who will run in both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Cup Series races this weekend.
About United Rentals… United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. The company has an integrated network of 1,663 rental locations in North America, 41 in Europe, 45 in Australia and 19 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province. The company’s approximately 28,500 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and others. The company offers a fleet of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $22.48 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 3000 Index® and is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at unitedrentals.com.
Meet Hill… On Sunday, March 29 at 12 p.m. Local Time, Hill is scheduled to sign autographs alongside his RCR teammate Austin Dillon at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Martinsville Speedway. Stop by to meet Hill and purchase new team gear.
AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:
What is the key to having a successful day on Sunday? What’s the biggest difference between the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR O’Reilly Series race?
“Getting into the corner hard is going to be important. Your entry speed needs to be fast to not give up under braking, but you also need to be able to put throttle down on exit. When I look at data, the guys who win the race have top entry speed and top exit speed, but their center speed isn’t great. Not worrying as much about the center has also made us pretty good on the O’Reilly side, so maybe that transfers over. Shifting will be the biggest difference because we won’t do that on Saturday. That will be a learning experience for everyone with the new 750hp package though.”
Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… Jesse Love has made four career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Martinsville Speedway. The Menlo Park, California native secured his best result of ninth in the spring 2024 race and his best qualifying effort of fourth twice in the fall 2024 and spring 2025 events.
Last Season on Short Tracks… In five short track races in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last season, Love posted two top-five results, where the young gun finished runner-up at Iowa Speedway and sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway (spring race).
Love also made two short track appearances in the Cup Series last year, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. In his premier series debut in the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Love qualified 19th – his career best to-date – before finishing 31st. The 21-year-old then competed at Richmond Raceway, driving to a 33rd-place effort.
Last Week… After starting from the 10th position in last week’s race at Darlington Raceway, Love and the No. 2 team gained three spots during Stage 1 to finish the segment seventh. However, under the stage caution, Love ran into trouble when he was spun on pit road while entering his pit box, forcing the team to make repairs. The reigning champion drove forward during the final two stages, before ultimately settling for a 11th-place result. This ended Love’s streak of top-10 finishes in each of the first five races this season.
Consistency Continues… Love’s average finish of 6.2 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 21-year-old has 19 straight events without a DNF.
Get to the Points… Love remains second in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship driver point standings, 52 points behind current leader Justin Allgaier and 32 points ahead of third-place Carson Kvapil.
About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, and we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.
Meet Love… On Saturday, March 28 at 12:35 p.m. Local Time, Love is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Martinsville Speedway. Stop by to meet Love and purchase new No. 2 gear.
JESSE LOVE QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on Martinsville Speedway?
“I’m pretty eager to get to Martinsville Speedway. It’s a place that I’ve struggled in the past, and I ran basically dead last there last year before the championship. That’s exciting for me as a driver because I’ve put a lot of work into it. I’m excited to see how I feel going back now with a new technique for that track, a new mindset, and a new setup. I’m surprised by how confident and excited I feel going into it. We’ll see how it goes; it might go great, might not go great, but regardless, I’m proud of the work that I’ve put in to be better there.”
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… Austin Hill has made eight career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, posting one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes while driving the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The Winston, Georgia native earned his victory last spring with a last-corner pass to claim RCR’s 100th series victory, the famous grandfather clock trophy, and the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus. Hill also has 11 NASCAR Truck Series starts at the Ridgeway, Virginia facility, earning one top-five (second in 2021) and three top-10 finishes.
Milestone Victory… One year ago, Hill secured RCR’s 100th O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at Martinsville Speedway, making the storied organization only the second team in series history to accomplish the milestone feat. Hill earned 12 of RCR’s 100 wins, second-most behind Kevin Harvick. The winning No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet is currently on display in the RCR Museum, along with Hill’s grandfather clock.
Rearview Mirror… Last week at Darlington Raceway saw Hill and the No. 21 team start from the 11th position and quickly move forward in the opening laps. Early in Stage 1, Hill made contact with the outside wall after racing side by side with a fellow competitor. Despite the right side damage, the veteran racer showed speed and regained track position before a flat tire in the final laps of the opening segment forced a green flag pit stop, putting the team laps down. A second flat tire in Stage 2 and multi-car incident in Stage 3 compounded their struggles, resulting in a 35th-place finish.
Get to the Points… With six races complete, Hill currently sits in the fifth position in the driver championship point standings. The veteran racer is 96 points behind leader Justin Allgaier and only eight points behind fourth-place Sheldon Creed.
About Bennett Family of Companies… McDonough-Ga. based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit bennettig.com.
AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:
What makes the racing at Martinsville Speedway exciting and action packed?
“It’s a half-mile racetrack with flat corners. You are heavy on the brakes when you get into the corner, so if you are faster than the guy in front of you, you get into their back bumper a little bit. Next thing you know, you are doing that for 250 laps. Tempers flare at the end of these races, simply because of how tight the corners are and how hard it is to pass there. It’s nice going back to the track now that we have a win under our belt, because it hasn’t been our best track historically. We ran solid in the spring race last season though and were going to finish top-five easily. We found ourselves in position to capitalize on the opportunity in the last corner and it’s one of my most favorite wins with it being RCR’s 100th O’Reilly Series victory.”
