RCR Event Preview – COTA

By:
On:
In: NASCAR Cup Series News
Richard Childress Racing at Circuit of the Americas … RCR has one previous start at the 3.41-mile, 20-turn road course in Austin, Texas. Tyler Reddick won the pole for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas, his first-ever Cup Series pole award. The pole award came in his 52nd career start and he backed up his strong qualifying run with a ninth-place finish in the race. Austin Dillon qualified 16th and finished the race in 12th place.
 
Introducing the Next Gen … NASCAR’s Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which officially debuted in 2022, is a collaboration of the brightest engineering minds in racing. With technology at the forefront, Richard Childress Racing has played a unique and critical role in helping to bring this new on-track identity to life, working closely with OEMs, other teams and NASCAR to build and test the initial prototype. 
 
RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series … RCR has one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Circuit of the Americas. Myatt Snider was credited with a 21st-place finish in 2021, completing all 46 laps of the event. 
 
Catch Saturday’s Action … The Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the Americas will be televised live on Saturday, March 26 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 
 
Follow Sunday’s Action in Austin … The Echopark Automotive Grand Prix will be televised live on Sunday, March 27 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
 
 
This Week’s Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Circuit of the Americas … Dillon has one previous NASCAR Cup Series start at Circuit of the Americas, finishing 12th in last year’s rain-shortened event. He also has experience at the track competing in World Racing League endurance races in December 2020 and most recently, in December 2021, winning both days of the two-day event. He has enjoyed COTA as a fan at a Moto GP race.
 
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 12 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. The company will use race experiences to recruit and retain hundreds of truck drivers for their organization in 2022. For more information, visit www.Drive4Bennett.com.
 
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Last year, you jumped into the unknown at Circuit of the Americas down in Austin, Texas. What did you learn last year that you can carry over to this year?
“I would love to have a race at Circuit of the Americas in better conditions because last year was a monsoon. We want to see the track in regular racing conditions because if it does rain, it definitely changes the line a bit. There’s a wet line and a dry line. It was good to experience that, but I wouldn’t want to do it all the time. I think the new Next Gen car is built for much better racing in the rain, but I don’t think there’s supposed to be any kind of race in that kind of condition. That was a bit aggressive, as we learned. I’m just excited to get back to the track. Tyler Reddick and I put in some time there in the offseason, which has us pumped for this weekend. We won an endurance race there this year, which was awesome.”
 
You did some road course racing at COTA during the off season with Tyler Reddick and Kaz Grala. What was that experience like?
“It was pretty awesome. We won both days. There were 98 cars there, and 40 were in our class. I felt like we went down there and needed to win. We had the best driver lineup, and we were able to get the job done. It was a great experience for when we go to COTA, and just learning more about road course racing. We did a lot of passing during the race, so it was good. I think we all started to gain some different knowledge about the track, and different areas you can run to try and find speed. Laps are laps. You can’t beat getting that experience.”
 
 
This Week’s 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Circuit of the Americas … Tyler Reddick will return to Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, the home of his first ever NASCAR Cup Series pole award. Reddick’s first ever pole award came at the 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit’s inaugural Cup Series race last season. In the end, Reddick finished ninth. Reddick has shown a lot of improvement on road courses throughout his career. Last season, he tied a career-best finish of second at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (ROVAL).
 
Eyes on the Prize … Tyler Reddick grabbed the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet team’s first top-five finish of the season at Phoenix Raceway two weeks ago. He finished third and battled for the win at the end of the race and came up just short of his first career NASCAR Cup Series win. In five races so far this season, Reddick has one top five and two top 10s and has led 95 laps. Reddick also jumped to the No. 1 spot in the NASCAR Power Rankings after his performance at Phoenix and has managed to hold onto the spot heading into this weekend’s race at COTA. Unfortunately, last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway didn’t go the way the team had hoped. Reddick was victim of a tire issue while running up front and after the damage sustained, the car was not able to keep up with the rest of the field. After a second tire issue, the No. 8 team’s day was done. COTA was good to Reddick last season so there is some momentum on his side this weekend.
 
Visit the 3CHI Display at COTA … 3CHI invites everyone to come visit their display this weekend at COTA for samples, swag and the opportunity to win prizes. Tyler Reddick is also scheduled to visit the 3CHI display on Sunday before the start of the race at 11:35 a.m. CT. Come join the fun!
 
3CHI Blazes the Trail for Another Industry First… 3CHI and Richard Childress Racing created another first with their partnership for the 2022 NASCAR season. 3CHI began with roots as a CBD producer and quickly became a pioneer in science-based hemp and cannabis innovation. The company was the first to commercially develop and market Delta 8 THC, and today, 3CHI is an industry leader with unsurpassed product quality and purity as verified by top independent labs and benchmark organizations. 3CHI products are sold in a majority of the United States, and the company produces and markets a variety of gummies, tinctures, lotions, edibles and vape products. All 3CHI products meet federal requirements for full legal compliance, with a commitment to promoting responsible adult use. See 3CHI.com for more information. 
 
TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:
COTA is the place where you won your first Cup Series career pole award and it was the first-ever race at the Austin, Texas track. Can you implement anything from last season’s race to this weekend and do you feel like you have momentum on your side?
“COTA is a huge weekend for all of us on the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro team. With a road course as diverse as COTA, you really have to bring your a-game. It’s exciting to come back to the place where I won my first pole, you don’t forget that and it’s definitely special. Especially with not having practice and qualifying most weekends last season, it was cool to be one of the guys that went out there and won the pole. I’m looking forward to this weekend’s race and adding another one for our team. Last year’s race was rough with the rain and it’s looking like we’re going to have good weather this weekend so that’s a gamechanger. I think with the new car and no rain, you’re going to see different racing. I’m pumped for it. We’ve spent a lot of time working on our road course program and this is our chance to put it all to the test with the Next Gen car. With only having 20 minutes to acclimate to the new Next Gen car on the racetrack, every minute on track will be crucial. I feel very good about where we are as a team and how well the performance of our cars have been. This will certainly be a race that will test every aspect of the team and the driver. With that, we have a lot of excitement, and we are ready to take on the challenge head on. I’m excited for it, we could use a good result after last weekend at Atlanta.”
 
During the offseason, you visited COTA with Austin Dillon and Kaz Grala for a race. What was that like and will it help you at all this weekend?
“Racing at COTA during the offseason was really cool. We were running an endurance race and there were almost 100 cars there and 40 were in our class. We ended up winning both days. That’s exactly what we went down there to do; to win. With the lineup that we had of myself, my teammate Austin and Kaz, we knew we could compete and go for the win. It was awesome to be a part of and a great way of having extra experience at COTA. It was a way to learn more about the track and road-course racing in general. It was a completely different experience than when we were there for the race because of weather, and I was able to take some good notes home with me.”
 
 
This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Circuit of the Americas … Creed will be making his first Circuit of the Americas start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He has five top-five finishes in five NASCAR Truck Series road course starts, including a fifth-place in 2021 at Austin. The Alpine, Calif., native has one Truck Series victory in road course competition, a win on the Daytona Road Course in 2020 where he led 19 of 46 laps (his average running position in that event was 3.78). Creed has three top-10 finishes in five Xfinity Series starts this season. He gained two positions in the series driver standings after his ninth-place finish this past weekend in Atlanta, moving up to 12th place. 
 
About Whelen … 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, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.
 
SHELDON CREED QUOTES:
What’s your mindset heading into this weekend’s race at COTA?
“I love road course racing but I really didn’t do a whole lot of it growing up other than Stadium Trucks and some TA-2 racing in Trans Am. I liked it right away and I think I was pretty good at it right away. I think my worst finish in the Trucks on a road course is fifth. I enjoy the fact that you don’t have to be overly aggressive on road courses to go fast. You don’t have to worry about the aero part of racing like on the ovals. I enjoy it a lot and I look forward to going to road courses and I feel like I put a lot of effort into it.”
 
How difficult is Circuit of the Americas in Austin compared to other road courses that you’ve been on?
“All road courses have their difficulties for sure. COTA is big and has really big braking zones which makes it a little more difficult than Watkins Glen, where the harder you drive the faster you go. The braking is really hard to manage at COTA and I feel like whoever can do that the best and not burn up their stuff early in runs is who is going to be fast at the end of the race.”
 
 
This Week’s Global Industrial Chevrolet Camaro SS at Circuit of the Americas … Hill will be making his first Circuit of the Americas NASCAR Xfinity Series start on Saturday afternoon. He has three previous starts on road courses in the series; two starts at the Charlotte ROVAL (2020 and 2021) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (2021). Hill led 27 laps on his way to a second-place finish this past weekend in Atlanta. He enters the COTA event eighth in the series driver standings, a gain of three positions. He has now led 63 laps this season (118.580 miles). Hill has six NASCAR Truck Series road course starts, highlighted by his victory at Watkins Glen International in 2021. He led 35 of 61 laps (his average running position was 3.23) in a race shortened by lightning. With his victory in the season-opening event at Daytona, Hill has clinched a spot in the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs.  
 
A First for Global Industrial… For the first time this season, Global Industrial will be the primary sponsor on the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro SS driven by Austin Hill. Global Industrial is a Fortune 1000 company based in Port Washington, New York. The company sells industrial products and office supplies through direct to business channels. Established in 1949 by Michael and Paul Leeds, the company now sells over 1 million products via their online sales and call center.
 
About Global Industrial Company:
Global Industrial Company (NYSE:GIC), through its operating subsidiaries, is a value-added industrial distributor. For more than 70 years, Global Industrial has gone the extra mile for its customers, and offers more than a million industrial and MRO products, including its own Global Industrial exclusive brands. With extensive product knowledge and a solutions-based approach, Global Industrial helps customers solve problems and be more successful. At Global Industrial, “We can supply that®.”
 
AUSTIN HILL QUOTES: 
You have two first-year partners with Global Industrial and Bennett Transportation and Logistics. How cool is that to introduce those people to the sport?
“It’s been a great season to have Global Industrial and all these different partners come on board. Everyone at Global has been great to work with and I’m very excited for the remainder of the 2022 season. Hopefully we can have a good showing this weekend and keep the ball rolling.”
 
How different is Circuit of the Americas compared to other road courses?
“COTA is definitely a different animal as far as the way the road course drives. When you go to a place like COTA there’s a lot of first gear corners so it’s more technical, but I have confidence that at any road course we go to, we can get the job done. I think that road-course racing suits my driving style. You’re up on the wheel and you’re hopping curbs and you’re driving the heck out of it each and every lap. With this being Global Industrial’s first race with us, hopefully we can do just like we did with Bennett Transportation and Logistics and United Rentals back at Daytona and go get the job done.”

RCR PR

Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 99