Official Release

Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are two of Ford’s seven drivers competing in the Round of 12 opener this weekend at Dover. Both drivers came into the infield media center before practice to talk about advancing and their hopes for this weekend.

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, is battling for a spot in the Round of 8 this weekend at Dover. He was part of a press conference this morning to talk about what it’s going to take to advance.

For the better part of Thursday morning, Dover International Speedway was taken over by the No. 78 Toyota Camry modified by Falci Adaptive Motorsports, Furniture Row, and DireenTech Inc. A select group of spinal cord-injured guests had the opportunity to not only ride in the two-seat Toyota, but also drive the car using special technology. It was a morning filled with adrenaline, excitement, and tears. Regan Smith, NASCAR driver, gave rides to spinal cord-injured guests to start the day and pressed the pedal to the metal of the No. 78 Toyota Camry.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will be in action at Dover International Speedway while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off. The Monster Energy Series heads to the first race of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, while the Xfinity Series Playoffs enters the final race of the Round of 12.

Chevrolet leads all other manufacturers with 39 victories at Dover International Speedway. A win by a Team Chevy driver this weekend would add Dover to the elite list of tracks where Chevrolet has over 40 victories, a feat no other manufacturer competing in NASCAR’s top division can claim. Those tracks include: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Daytona International Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Richard Childress Racing at Dover International Speedway ... RCR has earned four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at Dover International Speedway, most recently in September 2006 when Jeff Burton drove the No. 31 Chevrolet to Victory Lane. Three additional victories came with Dale Earnhardt behind the wheel, including both events at the Monster Mile in 1989 as well as the spring race in 1993. RCR has also earned one pole award, 24 top-five and 56 top-10 finishes in 169 combined starts at the high-banked, one-mile oval. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, contributed three of those top 10s from 1976-1980.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month during October, the pink Chevrolet Camaro SS pace car will be on track at Talladega Superspeedway for the NASCAR Playoff 1000Bulbs.com 500 on Sunday, October 14, in efforts to raise money for the American Cancer Society in its work to save lives from breast cancer. Furthermore, the track will splash the start/finish line with a fresh coat of paint, changing the look of the black and white checkered pattern to give it a pink and black flair.

Carl Edwards, who won six times at TMS over the course of his NASCAR career, will be inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 3. Site of the final victory of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, Edwards will return to world-renowned motorsports facility on Saturday, Nov. 3 during the AAA Texas 500 NASCAR tripleheader playoff weekend, where he'll be inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame.

As Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menard/Tarkett team head into the homestretch of their first season together, the veteran driver likes the direction his team is heading.

SMITH BY THE NUMBERS: In 13 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career starts at Dover, Regan Smith has an average start of 26.4 and an average finish of 27.8 and has completed 4,613 of 5,206 (88.6 percent) career laps at the 1.0-mile “Monster Mile” track.