Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa Speedway… The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Iowa Speedway this weekend for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, marking the Cup Series’ third appearance to the 0.875-mile, D-shaped oval designed by Rusty Wallace. Last year, Austin Dillon led the RCR brigade with a 10th-place result at the Newton, Iowa racetrack, which is also RCR’s best finish in four starts at the track.
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Iowa Speedway… Although the Cup Series’ history at Iowa Speedway is relatively short, RCR has been a staple at the track in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, with 60 total starts since 2009. RCR boasts one win among 16 top-five finishes, 30 top-10 finishes and five pole awards at the Midwest oval. In 2012, Elliott Sadler started from the pole and led 60 laps enroute to Victory Lane for the Welcome, N.C.-based organization.
Short Track Prowess… In addition to the organization’s Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competition record, RCR has a winning history in the NASCAR Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series at Iowa Speedway. Austin Dillon secured his career-first Truck Series win in his rookie season at the track in 2010, notably winning the pole and leading 187 of 205 laps in the race. Ty Dillon led 193 of 200 laps to earn RCR an ARCA victory at the track in 2011, also from the pole.
Catch Saturday’s Action… The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Hy-Vee Perks 250 will be televised live on Saturday, August 8 at 5 p.m. ET on The CW and stream live on the ESPN App with ESPN Unlimited. The live radio broadcast can be heard on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Saturday morning’s practice and qualifying session will be shown on The CW App and stream live on the ESPN App with ESPN Unlimited beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Watch Us on USA Network… The Cup Series’ Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, August 9, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Saturday’s practice and qualifying session will be broadcast live on truTV beginning at 2 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.
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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway… Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol will mark Austin Dillon’s third career NASCAR Cup Series start at Iowa Speedway. Last year, Dillon qualified 18th and ran consistently inside the top-15, before coming home with a 10th-place finish. This effort marked the 36-year-old’s best Cup Series result at the Newton, Iowa track.
Beyond the Cup Series… Dillon has seven NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts to his credit at Iowa Speedway, earning three top-five and four top-10 finishes, and leading a total of 376 laps. In three NASCAR Truck Series starts at the 0,875-mile oval, Dillon boasts one win (2010) and two top-five results. The North Carolina native also earned a top-five finish in his lone ARCA Menards Series start at the track in 2009.
A Memorable First… Dillon earned his career-first NASCAR national series win at Iowa Speedway in 2010 during his rookie year of competition in the Truck Series. The racer bested Johnny Sauter during a green-white-checkered finish to claim his career-first Truck Series victory in just his 12th Series start. At only 20 years, 2 months, 37 days old, Dillon became the Series’ second-youngest winner at the time, just shy of record-holder Kyle Busch (20 years, 18 days old).
Pole Award Winner x2… Dillon has earned pole awards in both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2013) and the Truck Series (2011) at Iowa Speedway.
Powered by American Innovation… Dillon will race the Get Bioethanol Chevrolet in the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol this weekend, featuring a patriotic paint scheme that celebrates the farmers, innovators, and communities that help power America every day. On the track, NASCAR’s high-performance race fuel contains American-made bioethanol, delivering the high-octane performance drivers rely on every race weekend. NASCAR drivers have raced over 25 million miles on Sunoco Race Fuel with Zero Carbon Bioethanol, proving that American-grown energy can power peak performance at the highest level of motorsports. Learn more about bioethanol at www.getbiofuel.com.
Beyond the Track… Did you know that in addition to motorsports, one of Dillon’s passions is the Western lifestyle? He grew up watching Western movies with his family, visiting his family’s ranch in Montana, and considers John Wayne a hero. Dillon had the opportunity to visit the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum in Winterset, Iowa, as part of a media tour to promote Iowa Speedway in 2010. Those early life experiences helped prepare and shape the 2018 Daytona 500 winner for his current role as general manager of the Carolina Cowboys, a professional bull riding team in the PBR Teams League owned by Richard Childress and Jeff Broin. The Cowboys boast a talented roster with several high-profile and talented bull riders that Dillon hand selected for the team, including 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year and 2025 Challenger Series Champion Keyshawn Whitehorse, and standout Brazilians Elizmar Jeremias and Thiago Salgado. The Cowboys are in the midst of defending their 2025 championship and preparing for their 2026 “Cowboy Days” home stand September 18-20 at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Tickets are on sale at PBR.com and Ticketmaster.com.
Meet Dillon… Fans will have two opportunities to meet Dillon this weekend at Iowa Speedway. On Sunday, August 9 at 10 a.m. Local Time, Dillon is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Midway at Iowa Speedway. At 10:35 a.m. ET, the six-time Cup Series winner is scheduled to appear at the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway for a question-and-answer session. The display features a variety of vehicles, including Chevy’s Silverado 2500 LTZ, Tahoe High Country, Silverado 1500 LTZ, Equinox EV RS, Traverse RS, Corvette Z06, Blazer EV SS, Colorado ZR2, and NASCAR Cup Series Camaro ZL1 show car.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Do you consider Iowa Speedway a short track? It’s a unique size compared to some of the other tracks we race at in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“Iowa Speedway to me felt like a mini mile-and-a-half, but now it has a lot of character and it’s pretty rough. It does have that short track feel to it, truthfully, as rough as it is. When it was freshly paved it was like a mini mile-and-a-half, but now it feels like a short track.”
What makes Iowa Speedway stand out?
“Iowa is a short track, it’s got a lot of character, hard winters, hot summers. It’s fun to go there. We’ll try to work on the balance of the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet to make sure we can get through the bumps and be sure to take care of our tires. I think this race is going to be one of the best ones because of how aged the track is.”
You have had such an amazing run at Richmond Raceway. What is it about that track, and how can you apply that to other tracks, such as Iowa Speedway?
“I would say Richmond Raceway was probably my worst track at one point in my career. I really struggled there. At one test I kind of figured out how to approach a particular groove or line around the track. I’ve kept that consistency ever since, and I’m also very decisive before we get there in the simulator. I have a feel for it there, as well. Of course I am trying to recreate that feeling at other places, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. I think another track we have shown promise at is Iowa Speedway. We ran well there last year, and I think there are similarities between the two aging surfaces. Any place that has high tire wear, I think I show up and have pretty good throttle control and that tends to help me. Just trying to be decisive on a line when I get to these tracks is pretty important.”
Austin Hill and the No. 33 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway… Austin Hill will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. In preparation for the Cup Series event, Hill has spent time in a simulator at the GM Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina and watched previous race footage.
Experienced Driver… Although new to Cup Series competition at Iowa Speedway, Hill does have nine starts at the Newton, Iowa track, spread amongst the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Truck Series starts, and the NASCAR Pro Series East.
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Meet Hill… On Sunday, August 9 at 11:15 a.m. Local Time, Hill is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Midway at Iowa Speedway. Stop by to meet the racer and purchase new gear before the green flag waves.
AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:
What is your mindset heading into Iowa Speedway?
“Iowa should be a good challenge for our Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen team. I’ve watched past races and spent time in the simulator to prep for this weekend. Austin (Dillon) and the No. 3 team were solid there last year and left with a top-10 finish, so we are going to use their notes to put us close at the start of practice. Getting a full 50-minute practice session now should be good for our team, because it allows me to have more laps to learn the track in the Cup car and also allows Andy (Street, crew chief) and the guys to make a few more adjustments. If we execute throughout the weekend, I think we can have a good finish.”
Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway… Jesse Love has made two career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Iowa Speedway. Last year, the Menlo Park, California native started on pole, led 31 laps and finished inside the top-10 in both stages enroute to a second-place finish. In addition, the young gun has competed in four ARCA Menards Series races at the 0.875-mile facility, posting one pole, one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
Get to the Points… Love is currently third in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver championship point standings, 269 points behind leader Justin Allgaier and only four points behind second-place Carson Kvapil.
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Meet Love… On Saturday, August 8 at 1:10 p.m. Local Time, Love is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Midway at Iowa Speedway. Stop by to meet Love and purchase new No. 2 gear.
JESSE LOVE QUOTE:
You had a strong outing at Iowa Speedway last year. What’s the approach this season?
“Our Whelen Chevrolet was fast at Iowa last year. We qualified on the pole and took home a second-place finish. Where we struggled was fire-off on the restarts. We were the fastest car on the track, but it took our Chevrolet five to 10 laps of a run to get there. Last year I remember the track freed up a ton during the race, and the team combated that by making big swings that kept us in the hunt. It would be great to put the No. 2 back in Victory Lane this weekend – it’s what we’ve been chasing all season and working towards week in and week out.”
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway… Austin Hill will make his second NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start at Iowa Speedway on Saturday. In his lone Series outing at the 0.875-mile oval during the 2024 season, Hill earned the pole and was in contention for a victory, before ultimately being involved in an on-track incident during the final stage.
Beyond the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series… Beyond the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Hill has plenty of experience at Iowa Speedway, having competed in two NASCAR Truck Series races (best finish of 12th) and six NASCAR Pro Series East (best finish of seventh) events. This weekend, Hill will continue his double-duty schedule and compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
Experienced Short Tracker… In 19 career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts on tracks shorter than one mile in length, Hill has earned one win, three top-five finishes and seven top-10 results.
Get to the Points… Hill currently sits seventh in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver championship standings and is mathematically locked into the Chase with two races remaining in the regular season. The 16-time Series winner is 328 points behind leader Justin Allgaier and only four points behind sixth-place Brandon Jones.
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AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:
What is the team’s mindset heading into Iowa Speedway?
“I thought we were pretty good at Iowa Speedway two years ago when I last raced there. We had a shot to win the race, then cut a left-front tire. I know the track has aged over these last two years, so I am sure the track is going to be a little bit different than it was the last time that we were there. However, we are prepared and have been spending a lot of time focusing on our Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet. I feel good about it.”
