Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway… In 193 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has scored 10 wins, led by Dale Earnhardt’s five victories (1985 – spring, both races in 1987, 1990 – fall, and 1991 – spring). Kevin Harvick won three times (2006 – fall, 2011 – fall, and 2013 – spring), while Clint Bowyer scored his first short track victory in the Cup Series at the Virginia facility (2008 – spring). Austin Dillon pulled off a dominating performance one year ago to claim his first Richmond win and fifth career victory in the Cup Series. Teammate Kyle Busch, a six-time Richmond winner, finished 12th. The team owns 40 top-five and 77 top-10 finishes in Cup Series competition at the .75-mile oval.
Deep Roots… Richard Childress made 19 starts as a driver at Richmond Raceway between 1971-1981, earning four top-10 finishes and leading a total of 38 laps.
The Cowboy Way… The Carolina Cowboys, a professional bull riding team in the PBR Teams league, an elite league featuring the world’s top bull riders competing in games throughout the country, return home on September 12-14 for their fourth annual Cowboy Days homestand at First Horizon Coliseum. Tickets for the event are on sale now, and start at $20, taxes and fees not included. They can be purchased online at TicketMaster.com and PBR.com, at the First Horizon Coliseum Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at (800) 732-1727.
For more information on Carolina Cowboys, and for updates on the upcoming PBR Cowboy Days, visit https://pbr.com/teams/carolina-cowboys, Carolina Cowboys on Facebook, @carolinacowboyspbr on Instagram, or @CARCowboysPBR on Twitter.
Catch the Action… The Cook Out 400 will be televised live on Saturday, August 16 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying sessions on Friday will be broadcast on truTV. 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 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Deer Season XP® Chevrolet at Richmond Raceway… Austin Dillon enters this weekend’s Cook Out 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway as the defending race winner, having posted a dominating performance in the 2024 event to clinch his fifth Cup Series win and first at the Virginia short track. Dillon, who has made 21 total starts in Cup Series competition at Richmond, owns two top-five and seven top-10 finishes at the track, with 91 laps led. The North Carolina native has 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond Raceway, acquiring two top-five finishes, seven top-10 finishes, and one pole award.
Memorable Moments… Dillon’s career-first Xfinity Series start came at Richmond Raceway in 2008 driving the No. 21 Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma Chevrolet for RCR with crew chief Shane Wilson calling the shots. Dillon, who finished 26th in the race, went on to earn an Xfinity Series championship for the storied organization in 2012.
About Bass Pro Shops… Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations, and more. In 2017, Bass Pro Shops united with Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations, and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with RCR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit basspro.com.
Winchester Deer Season XP®… Winchester Deer Season XP® is celebrating 10 years as the most accurate and lethal bullet for deer hunting. For a decade, Deer Season XP® has been the choice of deer hunters looking to fill their tags. Deer hunters everywhere rely on the Extreme Point® bullet’s oversized impact diameter. The larger impact diameter means more impact trauma, better energy transfer, and larger wound cavities for faster knockdown. Until November 30, 2025, earn $5 per box when you purchase Deer Season XP®. Learn more here.
Meet Dillon… Dillon is scheduled to make several public-facing appearances this weekend, beginning with a stop at Bass Pro Shops (111550 Lakeridge Pkwy, Ashland, VA 23005) on Friday, August 15 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET for an autograph session with fans. The driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet is also scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Richmond Raceway Fan Midway on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. ET. Stop by to meet the defending Richmond Raceway race winner and get new RCR gear.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
You and your teammate, Kyle Busch, had fast cars at Richmond Raceway last year. What do you think you have for them going back to Richmond?
“I’m pumped to get to Richmond Raceway. I’ve been excited about that one all year. I just want to get there and see if we can be as successful as last year. We had a two second lead with however many laps remaining in the race, drove past Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, and the car was just really solid. Unfortunately, an untimely caution put us in a difficult position. We worked a little bit this week in the simulator just to see how it correlated, and I thought it correlated very well. We will go there and give it our best shot. We feel like it could be a good opportunity to put us into the NASCAR Playoffs with just two races remaining until the cutoff.”
Is there a damper when you look back at Richmond Raceway knowing that you were penalized?
“It was still a big day and I’ll always remember it as one of my favorite wins. We got the trophy, just not the NASCAR Playoffs spot. That part was a struggle, and I hate it for RCR, but this year going back I definitely want to go out there and try to win again, but this time lock ourselves into the Playoffs. We had a dominant car last year and really came on strong at the end. We had a multiple-second lead and passed two of the best to do it, so that’s pretty cool.”
Have some of your recent performances, particularly strong runs at Iowa Speedway and Watkins Glen International, given you confidence heading back into the site of your most recent win?
“I’m really excited about Richmond Raceway. That is a good track for the No. 3 team. Iowa Speedway was a good chance for us to get to run around some of the guys at the front, and make decisions, and have a pit crew making competitive stops around the front because when we get to Richmond, I feel like we should be able to compete in the top five and have another shot to win.”
What contributed to your strong finish at Iowa Speedway, a track that shares similar characteristics to Richmond Raceway, that you can translate to this Richmond?
“As a team, we did a really good job prepping for that race from a simulation standpoint. I think when we have really good SIM weeks, we run better at the track. Some days I can tell you ‘oh I don’t know,’ because it didn’t feel good at the SIM – it just didn’t feel realistic, or the things we were doing don’t correlate to at-track so you have to go back to history. That was probably the biggest thing – a good SIM session. We were good there the year before as well, we just didn’t get to show it. We were the first car out and it was super hard to pass. We actually ran the second or third-fastest lap of the race last year, so we had a base line that we could work off of, just like we have for Richmond Raceway this year.”
You’ve won at both of the last two races left in the regular season. What would it mean for the way the season has gone to get a victory and lock yourself into the NASCAR Playoffs?
“It’s nice that Richmond Raceway and Daytona International Speedway are the two tracks that we have left. I’m pretty confident at both of them. We’re going to give it our all and try to build momentum and keep building it. Truthfully, we want to win to get into the NASCAR Playoffs, but also we need to move ourselves into a better place in the point standings because we’ve had a lot of unfortunate events go on that kept moving us down in the point standings. We want to be a top-20 team no matter what, so we have to work our way to the front with the remaining races.”
Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet at Richmond Raceway… Kyle Busch enters this weekend’s race with six NASCAR Cup Series victories at Richmond Raceway in 38 previous starts – the most by any active driver – and is tied for third on the all-time win list at the .75-mile oval. Busch has led an impressive 1,530 laps at the Virginia short track, the third-most among all active drivers. The veteran racer owns 19 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes at the facility. In addition to his Cup Series success, Busch has collected six NASCAR Xfinity Series wins in 23 starts at Richmond.
The Stats… According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Busch leads the Cup Series in green flag passes at Richmond Raceway with 2,272 passes made since 2005 and has made more quality passes than any other driver with 1,278. The Las Vegas, Nevada native ranks second amongst all drivers in the categories of average running position (8.481), green flag speed (113.972 mph), fastest on restarts (116.619 mph) and fastest laps run (962). Busch has the fourth-fastest average speed early in a run (105.630 mph) and the fourth-fastest speed late in a run (105.624 mph).
All But One… Busch has been running at the finish in all 38 of his previous Cup Series races at Richmond. In fact, Busch has completed all but one lap in those events, completing 15,243 of a possible 15,244 laps.
Get to the Points… With just two points-paying races remaining until the NASCAR Playoffs, Busch is 15th in the Cup Series point standings and 18th in the Playoff standings, 102 points outside the cutoff line. A win in Saturday’s event would lock him into this year’s postseason.
Introducing KB 108… Earlier this year, Rebel Bourbon announced the limited-edition release of Kyle Busch 108 Single Barrel Bourbon. Every barrel was selected by the two-time Cup Series Champion and bottled at 108 proof (54% ABV) in honor of Rebel’s partnership with RCR. Every bottle’s front label includes prominent placement of the unique barrel number selected by Busch, plus the bourbon’s proof and “aged since” date details. The distinctive label also includes Busch’s signature, number, and the RCR logo. Visit Rebelbourbon.com and use our product locator to find your bottle near you.
About Rebel Bourbon… Distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky, by Lux Row Distillers Master Distiller John Rempe, Rebel Bourbon features a wheated mash bill true to its original recipe dating back to 1849, when it was invented at the Stitzel-Weller distillery. Our defiantly smooth premium wheated bourbon celebrates those who embrace bold originality and a rebellious spirit. Our products have earned top spirits industry honors including Single Barrel American Whiskey of the Year for Rebel 10-Year Single Barrel at the 2025 Bartender Spirits Awards. Rebel 10-Year Single Barrel also won a double platinum medal at the 2025 ASCOT Awards, a double gold medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a double gold medal and Consumer’s Choice Award at the 2025 SIP Awards. To learn more, visit RebelBourbon.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
About Luxco… Founded in St. Louis in 1958 by the Lux family, Luxco is a leading producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products with a mission to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of consumers, associates and business partners. Luxco operates as MGP Ingredients Inc. (Nasdaq: MGPI) Branded Spirits division since its acquisition in 2021. The company’s extensive and award-winning premium portfolio includes brands from four distilleries: Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where Penelope and Remus bourbon are produced; Bardstown, Kentucky-based Lux Row Distillers, home of Rebel, Ezra Brooks, and Blood Oath bourbons; Lebanon, Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery, maker of Yellowstone Bourbon; and Arandas, Mexico-based Destiladora Gonzalez Lux, producer of 100% agave tequilas including Cortada, El Mayor, Escasa and Exotico. For more information, visit Luxco.com.
Meet Busch… Fans in the Richmond area have several chances to meet the driver of the No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet this weekend. Busch is scheduled to sign bottles of Rebel Bourbon at Virginia ABC Headquarters (7450 Freight Way, Mechanicsville, VA 23116) at 12 Noon ET on Friday, August 15. Busch is also scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Richmond Raceway Fan Midway on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Stop by to meet the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and purchase new gear for race day.
KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:
Overall, how do you feel about these next two weeks and your chances of making it into the NASCAR Playoffs?
“Richmond Raceway is one of my best tracks, statistically, so I would like to think that we could be good there. My teammate Austin Dillon had a great race there last year, and I think we can use some of that success on the No. 8 team as well. Daytona International Speedway has always been great for us at RCR and ECR with the speed that we typically carry there.”
Does Austin Dillon’s speed at Richmond Raceway last year give you confidence for this weekend?
“That’s definitely something to look at, with as good as Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team were at Richmond Raceway last year. The No. 8 team has had some good speed there, both last year and in the year prior, but in the fall race last year Austin was much better than we ever were. We’ve got a couple of third-place finishes out of Richmond Raceway the past few years, but Austin, being as good as he was and driving to the front and being deserving of that victory, gives us a lot to look forward to and try to replicate.”
Richard Childress said over the radio a couple of weeks ago that he has to start giving you winning cars. You have to have cars that match your talent. Have you seen any changes in the quality of the equipment that you are driving?
“I think every week there is a chance of being able to go out there and be better, or go out there and be different than you were before. It’s not due to lack of effort, that’s for sure, so I appreciate everyone’s hard work and what’s going on and what we are able to do behind the scenes. I would say the cars are probably better than some of our results have indicated just due to issues we’ve had, the battles that you get into towards the later stages of the race and getting taken out or whatever. We’re trying to put those results to the racetrack and get some checkered flags from it.”
Jesse Love and the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet at Richmond Raceway… Although this weekend marks Jesse Love’s first NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond Raceway, the 20-year-old has experience at the Virginia oval. Last season, Love made his debut at the short track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where the young gun qualified in eighth-place and finished in the fifth position.
Last Cup Laps for Love in 2025… This weekend’s Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway will mark Love’s fifth and final race in the premier series for the 2025 season. Love has previously raced in the Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In his Cup Series debut at Bristol, Love qualified a career-best 19th before finishing 31st in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Most recently at Indianapolis, Love raced to his career-best Cup Series finish, bring home a 24th-place effort behind the wheel of the No. 62 Beard Motorsports entry.
Frost, Frost, Frost… Making its C4 Ultimate Energy® product line-up more delicious and even cooler, Nutrabolt recently introduced the Frost collection – a product extension available in three flavors that will also unveil a unique can technology that transitions from silver to blue when the can is cold and ready to drink. Love’s No. 33 machine will carry the Cherry Bomb Frost flavor at Richmond Raceway.
About Nutrabolt… Nutrabolt is a fast-growing, global active health and wellness company with a portfolio of market leading performance-oriented brands that energize and fuel active lifestyles. The company’s disruptive and innovative products compete in the Functional Beverage and Active Nutrition segments, under three consumer-loved brands: C4® (one of the fastest-growing energy drink brands in the United States and the #1 selling global pre-workout brand), XTEND® (America’s #1 BCAA brand), and Cellucor® (an award-winning sports nutrition brand created in 2002).
Since their founding 20 years ago, their goal has been to meet the discerning needs of performance athletes and fitness enthusiasts, while appealing beyond this core group to include consumers and communities around the globe who are making healthy, active living a daily priority.
Nutrabolt’s portfolio, which is distributed in over 125 countries, is sold through company-owned DTC platforms, Amazon, and other third-party marketplaces, and is available at leading retailers across the U.S., including Walmart, Target, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Kroger, H-E-B, Wawa, Publix, GNC, and the Vitamin Shoppe. For more information about Nutrabolt, please visit nutrabolt.com.
JESSE LOVE QUOTES:
Richmond Raceway is your last NASCAR Cup Series start of the year. What have you learned in the four Cup Series races you have competed in so far?
“I have learned how to be more aggressive with the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet. I am working on improving my restarts, learning about the grip pickup in qualifying, and what kind of balance I need in the car. That’s what I’ve really picked up on, what kind of balance I need as a driver to go fast. I feel like I’ve been able to narrow in on that and for me that is to be a little bit tighter. For someone else that might be different, but for me it is to have that heavy wheel feel.”
Is there any other track that we race that is like Richmond Raceway?
“It is a short, flat oval, so Martinsville Speedway, Phoenix Raceway, and Iowa Speedway are all similar and racetracks that I am pretty good at. But Richmond is its own beast because it is a D-shaped oval. It is shorter and flatter than most. It is low grip, with a lot of tire fall off.”
What are you expecting from the Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway?
“To not be able to pass, for everyone to be the same speed which will make restarts and qualifying important. You have to be smart and manage a good race.”
