TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
TOYOTA OWNERS 400
RICHMOND RACEWAY
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
APRIL 18, 2021

RACE #9 – RICHMOND RACEWAY
For the third consecutive race, NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) drivers will compete on a short track. Richmond Raceway, a .75-mile D-shaped oval, will host the Toyota Owners 400 at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 18.

Chevrolet has amassed 38 victories on the racetrack to lead all manufacturers. In the September 2020 race, Austin Dillon finished fourth and Chase Elliott advanced seven positions from his starting spot to place fifth in his Camaro ZL1 1LE. Elliott, the reigning NCS champion, will start third in the 400-lap/300-mile race.

The past two outings – on the .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway dirt oval and the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway oval – Chevrolet drivers have scored runner-up finishes (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Bristol and Elliott at Martinsville). Overall, Chevrolet registered five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.

After a couple of weeks off, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) returns to action with the 250-lap/187-mile ToyotaCare 250 on Saturday, April 17. Reigning NCWTS champion Sheldon Creed, No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado, is third in the Driver Standings heading into the Series’ sixth race of the 2021 season.

STEADY CLIMB FOR BUSCH
Chevrolet driver Kurt Busch, competing in his 22nd Cup season overall, is 22 starts from 750. The driver of the No. 1 Tubi TV Camaro ZL1 1LE for Chip Ganassi Racing will tie Bobby Labonte (729) for 13th on the all-time list by taking the green flag at Richmond Raceway. Sterling Marlin currently sits 12th on the list with 748 starts. Career statistics of note for Busch:

First start – 9/24/2000 Dover
First pole – 9/2/2001 Darlington
First win – 3/24/2002 Bristol
Wins – 32, most recently in September 2020 at Las Vegas

Busch has won at Richmond in 2015 and 2005.

LARSON REMAINS FOURTH IN STANDINGS
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE, is fourth in the NCS Driver Standings for the second consecutive week. With his fifth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway, Larson has recorded six top-10 finishes in the eight races. He won at Richmond Raceway in September 2017 in a Camaro.

William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 LE, is sixth and Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, moved from ninth to seventh with the runner-up finish at Martinsville. Byron has scored six top-eight finishes in a row.

ON THE WAY TO THE GREEN
With no practice or qualifying for the race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results.

Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:
3rd Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE
4th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE
6th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE
11th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
13th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Camaro ZL1 1LE
14th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Nature Valley Camaro ZL1 1LE
17th Kurt Busch, No. 1 Tubi TV Camaro ZL1 1LE
18th Ross Chastain, No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1 1LE
20th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE

CHEVY SWEEP AND FIRST WIN
Chevrolet NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers Josh Berry and Noah Gragson finished 1-2 in the 250-lap race April 10 at Martinsville Speedway. It was the inaugural win in just 13 starts in the series for the Late Model star. Driving the No. 8 Camaro SS for JR Motorsports, Berry led a field-high 95 laps on the .526-mile oval and held off teammate Gragson by .590 of a second.

Chevrolet leads the NXS Manufacturer standings. Talladega Superspeedway will host the next race for the Series on April 24.

BOWTIE BULLETS.
· Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 36 top-10 finishes.

· Chevrolet has 797 NASCAR Cup Series wins to lead all manufacturers.

· In addition to its 38 NCS wins at Richmond Raceway, Chevrolet has amassed 236 top-five and 487 top-10 finishes. Chevrolet drivers have led 15,382 laps.

· Kyle Larson leads all drivers with 518 quality passes – five more than Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in second – and in fastest laps run with 258.

· Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have completed all but two of the 2,194 laps.

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads all drivers with 799 green flag passes.

· Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway 2) have stage wins.

TUNE IN
FOX will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 18. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ToyotaCare 250 at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, April 17.

QUOTABLE QUOTES
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS
LARSON ON POSTING GOOD FINISHES AT RICHMOND:
“Richmond is kind of a hit-or-miss track for me. Even though I have a victory and some good finishes, I haven’t had too many great runs there. It seems like there have been several times I have been average at Richmond but then come home with a top-five finish. I’m really looking forward to this weekend because we have had speed it seems like every week this year.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DANIELS ON CHALLENGES OF THE FIRST DAYTIME RACE AT RICHMOND IN SEVERAL YEARS:
“Even with cool temperatures expected Sunday that could compare to a night race, the sunlight exposure does change the way the track behaves – the way the rubber lays or doesn’t lay. The rubber typically doesn’t stack anywhere, it just smears across the track and becomes slimy and greasy. Even if the ambient temperature isn’t very high, the sunlight exposure on the track will do that. In 2015 and 2016 in the daylight, we had great runs with (former Hendrick Motorsports driver) Jimmie (Johnson) and finished top three in both of those races. So, we have a little bit of a feel for what the track does in those situations and what we need to look for to be in contention on Sunday.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF RICHMOND RACEWAY:
“I think Richmond is really its own beast. It’s similar to Atlanta with the surface but then you have aspects that are similar to Phoenix as well. It’s really just its own animal. It’s a very low grip track with even lower grip in the race car than it looks. Plus, it’s always a challenge to manage the throttle there. Sometimes you’re running half-throttle down the straightaway just to keep the tires under it later on in a run. It’s just a challenging place.”

BYRON ON THE RACING AT RICHMOND DURING THE DAY:
“I’m interested to see what this weekend’s race will be like. Normally, we run at Richmond at night, so it’s going to be a different challenge this year racing during the day. It’s already so low on grip that you’re going to be moving around no matter what. I feel like the track is going to change a lot as the race goes on as well. It’s going to be a learning curve as the run goes on to keep up with what your car needs.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 7th IN STANDINGS
“I don’t feel like Richmond is a very good track for us. It seemed like the last time we were there we were a little more solid than we have been. But like I said, it’s been a really tough track for me. It’s so hard to be great at that track. It’s really difficult to be different there because everyone is running the same line. Everyone knows how to drive the car to get around there properly. I think that’s why it’s produced good races over the years because it’s so hard to be different than the next guy and to be better. I say that and people are like, ‘Eh it’s not boring’ but just from a driver’s perspective, there’s just not a lot to it and you have to be perfect from a setup perspective and behind the wheel to be really good there.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RICHMOND RACEWAY?
“Richmond Raceway is one of the tracks the No. 3 team has circled as a definite place where we can gain maximum points and compete for a win. It’s funny because there was a time in my career when I did not run well at Richmond at all. It was a thorn in my side, but over the years that has changed. Richmond has become a much better place than it used to be for me. We ran really well there last year, and I’m excited to get back there and see what we can do this time around.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 TUBI TV CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 15th IN STANDINGS
“Richmond has a lot of different attitudes, about whether it’s a day race or a night race. The tires seem to be dropping-off more and more each year. The asphalt keeps aging and Goodyear keeps trying new and different combos, trying to find better side-by-side racing action. It has forced us all, it seems, to racing in the bottom groove and trying to get that drive off of the corners. The outside line just hasn’t come into play. So, each time you go there you don’t know what you’re gonna get and you have to learn, now with no practice, all that in Stage One. Lots of things to digest and analyze before we race at Richmond Raceway.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGS
“Obviously, Sunday’s race was great until it wasn’t. Things out of your control can ruin a really great day, but our team is extremely pumped about how well we were running at Martinsville before the incident on track. Going into another short-track this weekend, means we have some good momentum. We have struggled at Richmond before, but had a solid top 10 run last fall at the track. This Ally team has a good notebook going into the race and Greg (Ives) keeps reminding everyone to keep your focus set forward. We can’t get back the Martinsville race, so we are going to focus forward and have a solid day on Sunday in Richmond.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“We have carried some of the same philosophies from Martinsville to Richmond as far as tuning the car to Alex’s needs. You can spend so much time overhauling every set up every week and it gets exhausting. You definitely don’t learn what you need to if it doesn’t work out for the next time. I feel like the last time we were at Richmond we had a solid run, not a race winning run by any means. We were able to continuously fine tune on that. Definitely looking forward to getting there and our confidence is high on Alex’s side. I feel like we have a team capable of coming out of there with a solid day. Starting mid-20s doesn’t help and maybe not getting the best pit stop won’t help, we have to focus on the positives of what this team has been able to do. Two steps forward and four steps back, we are continuing to march forward and keep looking ahead.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT #WHATPOWERSYOU CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 21st IN STANDINGS
“For me, some of the things I was able to learn from Richmond last year I didn’t really apply to Martinsville later that season, but I did bring some of those learnings back into this past week’s Martinsville race and I think that helped make a difference. As much as the tracks are different, I have a similar approach to both. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, does a really good job of giving me a car at these short tracks that I can be aggressive with at times, which is nice. Generally, though, I try to save a little bit of my tires at these tracks. My team had a really good car at Richmond last year. We had a similar situation of having to start in the back and move our way forward but had a really promising run during the final stage of our race last year. We came out right behind the leaders and were able to drive away from the pack for a while, so if we can bring some of that back and be that good all day, it’s really promising and we’ll have a shot to contend for a top five in our No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Chevrolet.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGS
DO YOU LIKE RACING AT RICHMOND?
“I’ve always liked racing at Richmond. I feel it’s a good track for me and I have had some pretty good results there the last several years in Cup and Xfinity. It’s a track where you really have to work hard to take care of your car all through the run because you can use it up pretty quickly. That’s important pretty much everywhere we race, but it’s especially important at Richmond.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 MEDALLION BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 26th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE AT RICHMOND?
“Richmond (Raceway) has kind of been an up-and-down track for me as a driver. I have had some good runs there and ran towards the front. It is always a fun track. I do really enjoy Richmond. It is a unique place. When you look at it from the outside, you think it is a typical easy short track. And then you go out there and race, and it is challenging. Richmond Raceway is one of the tougher tracks that we go to all season – between the way tires fall-off and the grip level that it has. It is always hard to get your car to drive really well there.

“You have to stay with it all night. I think that is the biggest thing – to try and keep up with the race track and the adjustments that you have to make, and figure out how to get your car to just drive the best that it can.”

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SCHLUTER SYSTEMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 30th IN STANDINGS
“Looking forward to getting the Schluter Systems’ Chevy Camaro on track for the first time this year. They’ve been amazing for my career over the years and I’m proud our partnership has continued over to Spire Motorsports this season. We’re headed to our third short track in a row. Judging by our performance at Martinsville last weekend, I’m confident we can put together a good day.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 32
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most Recent: Chase Elliott (2020)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020

Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2021 STATISTICS:
Wins: 2
Poles: 1
Laps Led: 707
Top-five finishes: 15
Top-10 finishes: 36

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 797 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 718
Laps led to date: 237,412
Top-five finishes to date: 4,080
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,438
Stage wins: 5 Chase Elliott (Daytona RC), William Byron (Homestead), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Kyle Larson (Atlanta x2)

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

       General Motors: 1,131
       Chevrolet: 797
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 807                                                         
       Ford: 707
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
       Dodge: 217
       Plymouth: 191
       Chrysler: 59

       Toyota: 155

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found www.chevrolet.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
RICHMOND RACEWAY
TOYOTA OWNERS 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 15, 2021

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Press Conference Transcript:

JUST MOMENTS AGO, YOU UNVEILED YOUR PAINT SCHEME FOR THE NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY; SPONSORED BY ANDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD. AUSTIN, IT’S A COOL LOOKING CAR. ALSO, YOU HAVE A COOKIE DOUGH FLAVOR THAT INCLUDES BANANA AND PEANUT BUTTER, AS WELL. WALK US THROUGH ALL THAT.
“Our relationship with Andy’s Frozen Custard goes all the way back to 2015, where I met Andy. We’ve created an awesome relationship. Their family loves racing and I knew that Terry Phillips, he always had Andy’s on his dirt car. We started talking and we were able to strike up a conversation; and eventually led to putting Andy’s on my gloves. We went to Daytona; had an in-car camera and it was a great deal for not only myself, but for Andy’s. We’ve just grown this relationship. It’s what you want to do – you want to start from the ground up and build it together. I think both companies have really worked well together. Now, we’re getting the first paint scheme in a Cup race. It’s cool to bring them from my gloves all the way to a Cup race. And being the All-Star Race, we’re racing for a million dollars; I think that’s awesome. And a place where Andy’s also wanted to be at; Texas Motor Speedway, around the Texas area.”
“It’s exciting. And my “3-Crete”, obviously you already called me cookie dough. You heard the story. I loved cookie dough as a kid. My couch called me that because he knew I loved it and I think it was a motivational thing to get me to work harder or something. But the banana and the peanut butter comes from my grandmother because when I’d go to my grandma’s house, it was either a banana peanut butter sandwich or the tomato. And I didn’t feel like tomatoes would go good in custard, so we just stuck with the banana peanut butter that she used to make me.”

HOW DO YOU APPROACH A TRACK LIKE RICHMOND THAT ISN’T YOUR GREATEST TRACK, BUT YOU COME OUT OF MARTINSVILLE, YOU’RE PROBABLY EXCITED FOR IT. AND YOU WILL START ELEVENTH – WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
“Claire, Richmond is now like my favorite track in the world. I finished fourth last year and I’ve had three consecutive top-seven finishes. You know that’s like my best now. But it was my least favorite, I will give you that. You got that right; I sucked there at the beginning of my career. I dreaded going there. I said I wished Richmond would just not be a track anymore. And somehow, over the years, I’ve made it into a good place for us. We had a really strong run last year there and I sped on pit road in the Playoffs. So, it was what kind of locked us into that second round, was the solidifying after Darlington going to Richmond and having a good run. We really looked at everything we did last year and didn’t change a whole lot. But we went back over some things in the simulator and I think it should be a good one. Obviously, starting 11th helps. We have a good pit stall and we’re just going to go after it. We need to lock ourselves into the Playoffs or better ourselves in points this weekend.”

YOUR NUMBERS ARE GOING UP, AS FAR AS YOUR AVERAGES, BECAUSE YOU’VE HAD SOME GOOD FINISHES. HOW DO YOU TURN THAT AROUND AT A TRACK?
“It’s a tough place. I think at Richmond, you look at the people that run well that – there’s a lot of people that have been racing in NASCAR for a long time. A lot of the veterans do well there. I think the hardest part is learning how to adjust to that track; making the right adjustments throughout a run because it kind of just tricks you a little bit. It can because you start on a green track sometimes and rubber gets laid down. But I found something I felt like that worked for me along the line and I’ve just kind of stuck to it. Same with the setup – Justin (Alexander, Crew Chief) has done a good job of finding a setup that works for our RCR No. 3 Chevrolet. We’ll get after it.”

CHASE ELLIOTT SAID YESTERDAY THAT ONE THING ABOUT THAT TRACK IS THAT EVERYBODY RUNS THE SAME THERE. YOU CAN’T FIND DIFFERENT AREAS TO RUN LIKE YOU CAN AT MARTINSVILLE AND THAT MAKES IT HARDER. DO YOU FIND IT THAT WAY?
“Yeah, I think you see the middle and the top come in for a short period of time. But it kind of goes back to being the bottom being the dominate line. But I definitely think that there are things you can do to move around and find speed as the tires wear.”

LAST SEPTEMBER, WITH THE WAY THESE STAGES ARE, THERE’S TWO PRETTY LONG STAGES IN THE SECOND AND THIRD STAGE. IF THEY ARE LONG, GREEN FLAG RUNS, SOME TEAMS WERE DOING ONE PIT STOP; SOME WERE DOING TWO PIT STOPS. WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE WILL HAPPEN ON SUNDAY?
“Looking at that strategy, it worked out for some guys; short-pitting works out. I think it puts a little more pressure on the crew chief to make a call, whether your car is going to be able to hold on for a complete run or you need to come and get tires; split it up and come down pit road twice. I think it’s really kind of based off of how good your car is in that moment. I think it’s obviously easier to take a pit stop out and run long. It’s less chance of having a catastrophic mistake on pit road; a lot of things can go wrong there. And then a caution flies when you’re on pit road, it’s double-whammy. I personally like less pit stops. But if it’s something that we have to do for the ability of our car, then we have to do it.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO TALLADEGA – THE WHOLE DYANMIC OF NEEDING A TEAMMATE TO WORK WITH OR AT LEAST A MANUFACTURER TEAMMATE AND HOW THAT CAN GET ALL JUMBLED UP IF YOU GET TOWARDS THE END OR YOUR CAR HAPPENS TO WORK BETTER WITH A DRIVER OF A DIFFERENT TEAM OR MANUFACTURER. HOW DO YOU MANAGE ALL THAT?
“It’s definitely pretty tough to manage. The best thing about a speedway is taking a fast car and trying to keep it up front. When you get up there and keep up there, then everybody wants to work with you because they know you’ve got speed. The manufacturer stuff is really tough. I think for us, the Chevy’s have been working well together. Chase (Elliott) and I worked pretty good there at the Daytona 500. Had a chance to get up there and mixed up. But we’ve got to do a better job this time. I think the Ford’s had us covered late in that race and we’ve got to figure that out – which we lost some of our bullets early in a big wreck.”

“We love Talladega. I think we’re taking our same Daytona 500 car there and we’ll see how it lines up.”

YOU GUYS HAVE RACED MOST OF THE TIME AT NIGHT AT RICHMOND. HOW MUCH VALUE DO YOUR NOTES HAVE WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO RACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON?
“That’s a good question. We have some day-race experience and we can look back on that stuff. Each year, NASCAR has subtly changed packages. This is the first year where we’ve had the same package back-to-back. Heat factors into every race track; the temperature. So, we’ll definitely try to make the best adjustments we can to keep up with the track. Hopefully what we have in it right now is just a good starting place and we don’t have to do a whole lot.”

THERE’S TALK ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY ABOUT VACCINATIONS AND GETTING BACK TO NORMAL. IN NASCAR, ESPECIALLY WHERE YOU GUYS LIKE TO SPEND FACE-TIME WITH PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT YOU, HAVE YOU GUYS AS A TEAM COME UP WITH A STRATEGY OR IS IT ALL INDIVIDUAL? HOW ARE YOU GUYS GOING ABOUT THAT?
“I think it’s mostly individual. We all want to do the best to be the safest, but I think it’s our own opinion in the direction we go from here. I think it’s individually made, but definitely want to think about the future and be as safe as possible.”

GOING BACK TO RICHMOND, WHERE YOU’VE HAD SOME SUCCESS AS OF LATE. HOW DOES THAT TRACK IN PARTICULAR FIT WITH YOUR DRIVING STYLE?
“In the past, it clashed I thought (laughs). But now, we have longer runs; I feel like I’m a strong guy when it comes to long runs and taking care of my tires. I do a pretty good job of that. It was definitely tough early in my career; just trying to figure out what the car wanted. I don’t think I ever went the right direction on an adjustment. But now, as things have progressed, it’s kind of come to me in a good way. It’s one of those places that match what I think I’m good at.”

LEADING 55-LAPS AT RICHMOND LAST YEAR, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT RCR TOOK AWAY FROM THAT RACE HEADING INTO THIS WEEKEND?
“Well, it was a strong presence for RCR there. It was in the Playoffs; we needed to show up. We won that first stage; kind of drove off that first stage. The second stage, I finished second with a penalty. I think I got the penalty at the end of the first stage. So, we somehow drove from dead last back up to second and led. I think we just had to short-pit and that gained some of our track position back. Brad (Keselowski) caught me with probably 10-50 laps to go; I couldn’t hold him off to win both stages.”

“Hopefully, with the weather change being a day race, we make the right adjustments and are in the same position and I just don’t make a mistake like I did.”

BETMGM HAS YOUR ODDS THIS WEEKEND AT 40:1. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS AN UNDERDOG ENTERING THIS WEEKEND?
“I’m probably looked at as the underdog most of the time. I think in my wins, I’ve been the underdog. 40:1 is probably better than I usually get. I like sneaking up on the competition sometimes. So, when they’re sleeping on me, it’s a good thing.”

WE’RE COMING UP TO A BIT OF A LANDMARK IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE; A QUARTER OF THE WAY DONE THIS WEEK. WE’VE SEEN ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF TRACK, WHICH IS UNUSAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. HOW DO YOU ASSESS RCR’S PERFORMANCE AT THIS POINT IN THE YEAR, PARTICULARLY WITH YOUR NO. 3 TEAM?
“I think we’ve had some really good runs this year. Coming up to that mark in the season, we’re in a good place as far as points goes. I definitely wish I could have the finish back at the (Daytona) Road Course. But you have to move on from some of those things. It’s a long season; there’s no perfect season. I feel like we need to keep adjusting and making our stuff better. When the time comes where we need to be our best, we are the best. So, we just keep doing our thing. I think we’re moving in the right direction. Obviously, our car has had speed since last year and we’ve been able to maintain some of that. There are certain places where I feel like we can get better all around. But we’re in a good spot. We could be in a way worse spot. There are some guys back there in points that are looked at as favorites and are just in a bad position. We’re in a better position than what we have been at this point in the season before.”

“On the odds question, I think I was one of the best odds for the (Bristol) Dirt Race and we were absolutely terrible. So, I’m kind of glad we’re not the best odds at Richmond.”

YOU’RE IN A BIT OF AN UNUAL SPOT FOR YOU, IN THAT YOU’RE ALMOST AN ELDER STATESMAN OF SORTS AT RCR FOR A CHANGE. WHEN TYLER (REDDICK) WAS STRUGGLING, WAS THERE ANY SORT OF ADVICE YOU COULD OFFER TO HIM TO HELP HIM GET BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK?
“Yeah, I think the biggest thing is just when you’re young or younger – I feel like I’m still young – is getting everything outside of your life going in the right direction because everything bleeds over into that race car. When you get in there, you’ve got to have a clear mind and really focus on what you have going on. For Tyler (Reddick), he had so much success in his Xfinity career and as soon as he got into the Cup Series, he did a great job. In the Cup Series, you’re going to have lulls and it’s how you handle them and how you bounce back from them. Luckily, you get to race every weekend and you can kind of wipe out some of those bad days. But I think he’s doing a good job. Like you said, he’s back on track. He’s been tough and it’s good to see where he was at Martinsville. I think we can use some of that when we go back to Martinsville; some of the setups and stuff they used. It’s just better for all of us at RCR when he runs well and I do, too.”

YOU’VE RAN SOME OF THE BEST PAINT SCHEMES THIS SEASON. I’VE ENJOYED THE BETMGM, THE BASS PRO, AND I’VE NOTICED YOU’VE ONLY RAN THE DOW AT THE DAYTONA ROAD COURSE. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU CAN ELABORATE ON?
“Dow still has some races coming; they just kind of have races later in the season. And thank you for the shout-out on the paint schemes. I do think that RCR does the best paint schemes. As you can tell, the Andy’s Frozen Custard paint scheme looks great. We do a really good job at RCR on graphics and everybody working together to get the best we can out of our cars. I would be biased towards that, too. Bass Pro Shops – I see it on your hat there – they’re a big supporter of ours. We have the majority of our races with them (inaudible). We’re really thankful for all of our partners at RCR.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found www.chevrolet.com.

Richard Childress Racing at Richmond Raceway… In 177 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has scored nine wins, 38 top-five, and 72 top-10 finishes. The Welcome N.C. organization has also found success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Virginia short track, capturing six wins, 32 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes.

Catch the Action… The NASCAR Cup Series Richmond 400 will be televised live Sunday, April 18, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Richmond Raceway… Austin Dillon’s best NASCAR Cup Series finish at Richmond Raceway is a fourth place result he earned last fall in the NASCAR Playoffs. He also has a pair of consecutive sixth place finishes in April 2019 and September 2018. He has 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond Raceway, acquiring seven top-10 finishes and one pole award.

About Team Chevy… Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value.

Chevrolet is Richard Childress Racing’s longest-standing partner and has been directly involved in each of the racing organization’s more than 200 victories and 16 championships. Chevrolet is the winningest brand in motorsports.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on Richmond Raceway?
“Richmond Raceway is one of the tracks the No. 3 team has circled as a definite place where we can gain maximum points and compete for a win. It’s funny because there was a time in my career when I did not run well at Richmond at all. It was a thorn in my side, but over the years that has changed. Richmond has become a much better place than it used to be for me. We ran really well there last year, and I’m excited to get back there and see what we can do this time around.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Richmond Raceway… Tyler Reddick has one previous NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond Raceway, finishing 11th at the track last year. Reddick also has five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 0.75-mile track, collecting one top-five and four top-10 finishes there.

WhatPowersYou… We’ve all been there, especially this year. Our batteries are running low, and we need a little more power to get the job done – whatever that job is. Everyone has someone or something that helps them recharge, get into gear and do the thing. A hike. Your pump-up song. Winning that bid. Quality time in the dirt. Caterpillar wants to know… What Powers You? Share your story on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with #WhatPowersYou and tag @CaterpillarInc. You’ll have a chance to win a $200 gift card for Cat merchandise.

About Caterpillar… Since 1925, Caterpillar Inc. has been helping our customers build a better world – making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. With 2020 sales and revenues of $41.7 billion, Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Services offered throughout the product life cycle, cutting-edge technology and decades of product expertise set Caterpillar apart, providing exceptional value to help our customers succeed. The company principally operates through three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation – and provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
Last year we only raced at Richmond once in the Cup Series due to COVID-19 schedule adjustments, but your team came home with an 11th-place finish that weekend. Does that help your confidence while also coming off top-10 finish at another short track the weekend before? And are the two tracks at all similar to each other?
“For me, some of the things I was able to learn from Richmond last year I didn’t really apply to Martinsville later that season, but I did bring some of those learnings back into this past week’s Martinsville race and I think that helped make a difference. As much as the tracks are different, I have a similar approach to both. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, does a really good job of giving me a car at these short tracks that I can be aggressive with at times, which is nice. Generally, though, I try to save a little bit of my tires at these tracks. My team had a really good car at Richmond last year. We had a similar situation of having to start in the back and move our way forward but had a really promising run during the final stage of our race last year. We came out right behind the leaders and were able to drive away from the pack for a while, so if we can bring some of that back and be that good all day, it’s really promising and we’ll have a shot to contend for a top five in our No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Chevrolet.”

McDowell and Alfredo Know Today’s FRM is Different Than Past
“We’re Moving in the Right Direction” as Team Prepares for Richmond

As Front Row Motorsports (FRM) continues to evolve and grow, it creates opportunities for Michael McDowell and Anthony Alfredo to write new history for its Cup program. Their next shot comes at the Richmond (Va.) Raceway this Sunday afternoon.

McDowell and Alfredo are ready to add to the FRM total of one win and three top-10 finishes in the first eight races of the season. They are also ready to better the best finish of 19th at the Virginia short track.

McDowell will race the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang and Alfredo returns with the No. 38 MDS Transportation colors.

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race begins at 3:00 p.m. ET with the live broadcast on FOX.

“Yeah, today’s FRM is a long way from where we’ve been,” said McDowell. “The commitment from Love’s Travel Stops, Speedco, Fr8 Auctions, CarParts.com and Speedy Cash, specifically into the our No. 34 program, and the dedication of Bob (owner Bob Jenkins) has made us not only a winning team, but a team capable of running with these large four-car teams each week.

“Now, we’re still not where we need to be, and still need one more partner to help us fill out our season, but we’re moving in the right direction. We’ve made big strides with the help of our current partners, and when we come to a track like Richmond, where we haven’t had a lot of success in the past, now we can have a great finish if we do everything right.

“It takes everyone on the team to have a flawless race, but I love our 34 team. These guys are scrappy and we’re finding ways to be successful. That’s why I look at Richmond and get excited because I know that we can have a great race.”

Alfredo, although new to FRM, agrees with the assessment by McDowell:

“It’s a little bit harder for me to speak about where FRM has been in the past, since this is my first year with the organization, but I do see that the 38 team has a very solid foundation.

“It starts with Seth (crew chief Seth Barbour) and his experience here. He knows what we have and how to work all our resources. Then, the rest of the team, they are as good as anyone. So, I’ve felt like I’ve had a lot of confidence here at FRM and they’ve helped me grow as a driver early in this season.

“And, I do agree with Michael, I know that we’re capable of running with any team, weekly. It takes a lot for us to do that, but we do have the cars and capabilities when everything falls into place. So, we work hard on not making mistakes. I enjoy that challenge and I feel that we’re very capable of having great finishes- especially as I get more experience.”
ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.