RCR Event Preview – Kansas Speedway

Richard Childress Racing at Kansas Speedway … In 94 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has one win with Kevin Harvick in 2013 along with five top-five and 26 top-10 finishes. The victory was Harvick’s first at Kansas and it came in dominating fashion with Harvick winning the pole and leading the most laps in the race. In 2021, Austin Dillon claimed a pair of 10th-place finishes at Kansas while Tyler Reddick scored a seventh-place finish in the spring event at the 1.5-mile speedway.  

Back in the Playoffs … Richard Childress Racing enters Kansas with three victories in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series during the 2022 season. The Welcome, N.C., based company has two entries in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time since 2017 (Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman).

Xfinity Series Stats at Kansas … RCR has one NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Kansas: Kevin Harvick in 2006. Harvick, who led twice for 18 laps, would go on to win the 2006 series title with RCR, the second of his career. The Welcome, N.C., based organization has three poles at Kansas by three different drivers: Austin Dillon (2013), Ty Dillon (2014) and Daniel Hemric (2018).

Introducing the Carolina Cowboys … Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the PBR Team Series, an elite new league featuring the world’s top bull riders in games that began in July 2022. The team is operated by Richard Childress Racing with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Austin Dillon serving as General Manager.  

Don’t miss the Carolina Cowboys inaugural “Cowboy Days” Home Stand September 9-11 at Wake Forest’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Friends of RCR have the opportunity to save 15% on tickets by entering code RCR15. To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/pbr-professional-bull-riders-tickets/artist/2859854?venueId=369555

Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway will be televised live Saturday, September 10, beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

Follow Sunday’s Action at Kansas … The NASCAR Cup Series Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, September 11 beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

This Week’s Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Kansas Speedway … Dillon made his career-first start in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway in 2011 and has made a total of 17 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile track, earning his best finish of sixth in May and October 2016. He earned a pair of 10th-place finishes at the track in 2021. He has also made five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, earning one pole award (2013) and a best finish of second (2012). In three NASCAR Truck Series races, Dillon has earned one pole award (2011) and a best finish of fourth (2014).

Delivering Performance On the Track and For the Planet … Austin Dillon will race the Get Bioethanol Chevy at Kansas Speedway, showcasing the performance benefits of racing with earth kind and engine smart bioethanol blended fuel, Sunoco Green E15. Whether it’s delivering cleaner and cooler high octane on the racetrack or a more affordable option for summer road trips, plant-based bioethanol makes a positive impact on our planet. NASCAR drivers have raced more than 20 million NASCAR miles driven on Sunoco Green E15, a notable milestone for the environment as NASCAR’s partnership with Get Bioethanol has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent across its three national touring series while also increasing horsepower on the track. Learn more about  bioethanol at getbioethanol.com.

The Round Of 16 … Austin Dillion is currently ranked 14th in the NASCAR Playoff standings,12 points out of 10th. 

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

How is Kansas unique compared to some of the other 1.5-mile tracks?

“Kansas Speedway has done a really good job with their banking. There’s a line right up by the fence that has a little extra grip. There’s an angle up there that I don’t think many tracks have figured out yet, but Kansas got it right. You can run from top to bottom there. The bottom groove is the preferred groove at the beginning, but it becomes too tight to try and run around there in turns one and two sometimes depending on what the balance of your race car is. I’ve enjoyed that track a lot ever since they repaved it. I wish every track could do as good as a job as Kansas has with repaves.”

Can this team win the trophy from where it starts in the NASCAR Playoffs?

“Why not? I’m confident at the tracks in the playoffs. RCR has shown speed at every type of track with Tyler Reddick winning the road courses, and the No. 3 team winning the speedway. At Martinsville Speedway, I finished third but was probably the second-best car there, and we probably should have won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I was really close there. I’m happy to be in this spot and I think we’re the underdog. Some people are already putting us out, which is just fine with me because it takes pressure off and we’ll go have fun and try to upset some of these guys. We’re taking it as survive and advance mode from here on out.”

Is there any problem flipping the switch for the NASCAR Playoffs?

“If anything, I’ve learned with 15 winners that you need to stay aggressive. I talked to the guys about it the other day. Some of the strategy calls we made over the last couple of weeks we probably wouldn’t have done it if we were racing for points. We maximize more points by being aggressive on strategy and putting ourselves in better position. So, I don’t think a whole lot is going to change. We’ll monitor where everybody is running during the race and go from there. I believe we should stay on the same strategy path that we’ve been on.”

How does your previous NASCAR Playoffs experience help you?

“Just knowing how every position matters. Looking back at a couple of times when you’re outside looking in and it came down to a point or two points, knowing that you have to get it at all cost.”

This Week’s Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Kansas Speedway …Tyler Reddick will be making his seventh NASCAR Cup Series start at Kansas Speedway this weekend. Reddick has two top-10 finishes in six prior starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, with a best finish of seventh in 2021. The driver of the Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet led 24 laps in the May race at Kansas earlier this season. Reddick has three top-five finishes in three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Kansas, highlighted by a pair of second-place finishes.

The NASCAR Playoffs Picture … Reddick’s third-place finish at Darlington Raceway marked his his ninth top-five finish of the 2022 season and his third consecutive top-10 effort. Reddick enters Kansas fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings, 23 points above the 12th-place cutline.

The Team Red, White & Blue on the No.8 Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway … The Team Red, White & Blue logo will be on the decklid of the No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet this weekend at Kansas Speedway. This aligns with Guaranteed Rate’s #1 core value: “We Grow for Good” as well as its mission to support the financial health of everyone including those who serve. Guaranteed Rate is committed to helping guide and support Veterans and their families through the homebuying process. In the military, service members push the limits of their well-being to support the mission. As they move into civilian life, many veterans carry that mission-first mindset with them, neglecting their own health in the process. Team Red, White & Blue exists to guide them through that journey with real-life and virtual opportunities to build a healthier lifestyle, because a strong focus on mental and physical health is critical to ensuring veterans’ best days are ahead. 

About Guaranteed Rate … Guaranteed Rate is a leader in mortgage lending and digital financial services. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has more than 8,000 employees in 500 offices across the U.S., and is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its launch in 2000, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, funding more than $95 billion in total loan volume in 2021 alone. Powered by its belief in positivity, the company has become one of the largest retail lenders in the nation. Guaranteed Rate delivers innovative technology, including the world’s first Digital Mortgage, low rates and unparalleled customer service. Visit https://www.rate.com/mortgage-rates for more information.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:

What are your thoughts entering Kansas this weekend?

“I like Kansas Speedway a lot. When we were at Kansas in the spring, we were really fast and just had some weird stuff happen to us. We’re just going to go in there and do our job and hopefully it’s a good day. I would love to be up front and running for the win. We were good enough to do that the last time we were there. We were just close enough to wide open there around the top where the bottom and middle weren’t that great but I think the gains that everyone has been making on these cars might open up the middle and bottom some more. That should be exciting and that should be a good thing.”

You enter Kansas Speedway 23 points above the cutline and after Darlington Raceway, a minimum of 10 drivers will advance to the next round based on points. Does that change your approach entering this weekend?

“No, not for me. I mean, we can’t let up. I was adamant about how I was going to approach the Playoffs this year and it was going to be one race at a time. We’re going to treat it like we’ve been treating all the races this season. We’re going to go out and do our job to the best of our ability and make the most of it. Certainly, if we’re having a tough day and we’re fighting really hard for one spot with somebody who doesn’t want to give it up I think at that point you’ve got to be smart. But for how we approach race weekend and the race, nothing changes. We just keep doing what we’ve been doing all year long. We’ve had good speed and a lot of things have been really close for us.”  

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Kansas Speedway …  Sheldon Creed will head to Kansas Speedway this weekend for the first time of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. Creed has made five starts at the track in the NASCAR Truck Series, tallying one top five, two top 10s and 132 laps led. Creed finished runner-up in the Fall Kansas race in 2020, his best finish at the track. Creed is coming off an incredibly strong run last weekend at Darlington Raceway. He led 47 laps en route to a runner-up finish after a hard-fought battle in the final laps. Creed is currently 13th in the Playoff standings, the first driver below the cutline. There are two more races left for Creed to punch his ticket to the post-season.

Whelen Celebrates 70 Years … From a small garage workshop in Connecticut in 1952 to a worldwide leader in emergency warning equipment today, Whelen Engineering continues to push the boundaries of innovation. As we mark our 70th anniversary, we’re proud to continue our founder’s mission of making it safer for those who serve and protect. Whelen has been manufacturing in America for 70 years—we never left, and we’re here to stay.

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 QUOTE:

You had a really strong showing at Darlington Raceway last weekend. Will that momentum help you at Kansas Speedway this weekend?

“Last weekend’s race was what our team needed. We stayed in that thing the entire day, we led laps, we showed how strong our team is and we brought a really fast racecar. I wish I got the win but to still finish second after a all the craziness in the final laps is an accomplishment. We can take that momentum with us this weekend to Kansas, another track that I really enjoy. We’ve been preparing and are ready to do exactly what we did at Darlington but finish one spot better. This will be my first start at Kansas in an Xfinity car but I feel confident in myself and the cars my team brings to the track. Practice and qualifying will be important this weekend because we want to start up front and stay there and see how our car stacks up.”

This Week’s United Rentals Chevrolet Camaro SS at Kansas Speedway … Austin Hill will make his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Kansas Speedway, his first as a full-time driver in the series with RCR. He made his first start at the track in 2020 and started 29th and finished fifth. Hill has a lot of experience at the track from his time competing in the NASCAR Truck Series. He made a total of six starts in his Truck Series career and had one win (2020), four top fives and five top 10s. He led total of 98 laps in those starts and had an average finish of 4.8. Hill grabbed his 15th top-10 finish of his rookie season last weekend at Darlington Raceway. He is currently holding onto sixth-place in the Playoff standings with only two more races before the post-season begins.

About United Rentals … United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. The company has an integrated network of 1,278 rental locations in North America, 11 in Europe, 28 in Australia and 18 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province. The company’s approximately 20,100 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and others. The company offers approximately 4,300 classes of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $15.72 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 3000 Index® and is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at www.unitedrentals.com.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

You’re heading to Kansas Speedway this weekend. You’ve seen success there in the Truck Series. Are you looking forward to Saturday’s race?

“Yeah, I really like Kansas Speedway. I enjoyed going there in the Trucks and finished fifth in my first NASCAR Xfinity Series start there. Our team had a few rough finishes and bounced back with a top-10 finish at Darlington last week. With that momentum and heading to a track that I feel really comfortable at, I think it will be a good weekend for us. I’m looking forward to practice and qualifying and looking at the speed in our car. Cup raced at Kansas earlier this season, but the Xfinity Series didn’t so I’m definitely going to do my research and see how the track ran and what changed so I’m ready. We’ve got two more races until the Playoffs begin and we want to take advantage of all the points we can and get another win.”