RCR Race Preview: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… In 80 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing boasts 11 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes. RCR had two top-10 finishes in the most recent Cup race at Las Vegas this past October (Tyler Reddick sixth, Austin Dillon 10th).

 

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… RCR has four wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series: Kevin Harvick (2004), Jeff Burton (2007), Austin Dillon (2015) and Tyler Reddick (2019). The organization has four poles at the 1.5-mile speedway with Kevin Harvick (2007), Ty Dillon (2014), Austin Dillon (2015) and Myatt Snider (2020).

 

Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, March 4, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

 

Follow Sunday’s Action at Las Vegas… The NASCAR Cup Series Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, March 5, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Austin Dillon is entering this weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with 15 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile track. He earned a best finish of fourth in 2020. In his most recent NASCAR Cup Series appearance at the track in the fall of 2022, Dillon finished 10th. 

 

Former Winner… Dillon is a two-time winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion went to Victory Lane in Xfinity Series competition at the track in March 2015, leading 183 of the scheduled 200 laps. Dillon has a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at the track in September 2010.  

 

BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Sponsors the No. 3 at Las Vegas… BREZTRI is an AstraZeneca product and the sponsor of the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Austin Dillon. You can learn more at breztri.com. AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

 

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

“Las Vegas Motor Speedway has always been one of my favorite tracks, so I’m looking forward to going there in the BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet this weekend. Being able to turn through the bumps in Turn 1 is very important. In Turn 3, you can’t miss the entry. The track has gotten a lot of character over the last couple of years, making it fun to drive on. You have to challenge yourself to be disciplined with your marks. We learned a lot at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022 with the Next Gen car, so I’m curious to see how much it has changed since then.”

 

Are the bumps and challenges at Las Vegas Motor Speedway similar to the bumps in Turns 3 and 4 at Auto Club Speedway?

“Turns one and two at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are high speed corners and the bumps have always been something that you work on your car to get through to make speed. The faster your car can go through there without having to unload and get the feel back in the front tires has always been an issue. The person that can skip through them the best usually runs really well. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway it’s an entry issue, unlike last week at Auto Club Speedway where it was an exit issue. At Auto Club Speedway, you’re leaving the corner with wheel in the car. I think the bumps at Las Vegas will be challenging this weekend, just as they always are. Although truthfully, from the simulator work I’ve done to prepare for the race, the bumps were not as upsetting as they were at Auto Club Speedway. The Auto Club Speedway bumps were pretty accurate to our sim. We were busting loose across those bumps. So, I’m hoping that it’s accurate again, as far as the bumps in Las Vegas not being as much of a problem as they were in Fontana.”

 

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet Camaro ZL1… Kyle Busch made his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2004. He won the 2009 spring event and has racked up 11 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile Nevada speedway. He has reeled off four consecutive top-five finishes at Las Vegas dating back to 2021 (his average finish in those events is an impressive 3.25) and most recently finished third this past October at Las Vegas. Busch has won three pole positions (2008, 2009 and 2020).

 

Triple Duty… Busch is scheduled to compete in all three NASCAR national series events this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Friday, the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday. He enters the weekend with two victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2016 and 2019) and three victories in the Trucks (2018, 2019 and 2020).  

 

Historic Victory at Auto Club Speedway… Busch’s victory at Auto Club Speedway set numerous records. He became the first driver in NASCAR history to win a race in 19 consecutive seasons, surpassing Richard Petty’s previous mark of 18 seasons with a victory. Kyle and brother Kurt are now the all-time winningest brother combination in NASCAR history with 95 Cup victories, moving past Bobby and Donnie Allison. Busch also moved into sole possession of ninth-place on NASCAR’s all-time wins list with 61 victories, breaking a tie with Kevin Harvick. 

 

About Alsco Uniforms… Alsco is a fifth-generation family-owned and operated uniform company founded in 1889 and recognized by the prestigious Hohenstein Institute for having invented the uniform rental industry. Celebrating over 130 years of business, Alsco provides uniform laundry services and other products that keep businesses clean and safe to all kinds of customers in the healthcare, automotive, industrial and hospitality industries. With more than 180 locations and 20,000 employees, Alsco provides laundry rental services to more than 355,000 customers in 14 countries, which makes Alsco Uniforms the largest uniform company in the world. Visit www.alsco.com to learn more about how Alsco Uniforms is the industry’s best kept secret.     

 

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

Since Las Vegas is your “hometown” race, is that an event that you circle on your calendar?

“I don’t really put any extra emphasis on it. I’ve done that in years past and it’s always bit me because I’ve always tried too hard at the home track in order to win there and it gets me in trouble, so I just treat it like any other race. I let the race kind of come to me. We work on the car and make it better throughout the day in order to be there at the end to be fast. I enjoy Vegas and it’s been a fun place over the years. I liked it a lot more when it was flatter, but since it’s gotten some age on the banking it’s been pretty fun. You get to move around and you can run all the way up to the wall and run that high line.”

 

You have four top-five finishes in the last four races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. What will it take for you to finish a few positions better? 

“Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a place where I always feel like I’m close, but it sucks because it’s close but no cigar. It’s a little bit frustrating. I try to always run well and do a good job there, which we have been able to do. I just have been locked out of a few wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I feel like we had two wins there in the last two years, but the finishes turned into top-fives. It’s a little frustrating, but it’s nice to go to a track where you can run well and have confidence going into the race.”

 

Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Sheldon Creed has two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, both coming last season behind the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet. Creed’s best run came in the first race at the Nevada speedway, where the Alpine, California native started from the eighth position, led five laps, and captured a seventh-place finish. In addition, Creed has six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts under his belt, earning two top-five and four top-10 results.

 

Meet Creed… On Friday, March 3 at 2:10 p.m. PT, Creed is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Midway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Stop by to meet the California native and purchase new gear.

 

On Saturday, March 4 at 11:05 a.m. PT, Creed is scheduled to visit the South Point Casino booth in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Midway to sign autographs and greet fans.

 

About Whelen Engineering… 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 earned a top-10 finish in the first Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last season. What is the outlook heading there again?

“Last year’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was my first Xfinity Series race there, so my main goal was running all the laps. Our No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet was really fast and I took my time in the first stage. We got caught up in someone else’s mess, which was a frustrating start, but our car was so strong that we were able to rebound. I made a mistake in the final stage with getting a pit road speeding penalty, but to come from a lap down and still finish seventh, was an overall good day for our team. Going back to Vegas this year, I expect our Camaro will be just as fast and with our team having a full year under our belt with these Xfinity Series cars, the result should be even better.”

 

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet Camaro SS at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Austin Hill has made three career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, earning a best finish of sixth last season in the fall event while piloting the No. 21 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. In eight NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at the Nevada speedway, Hill has led a total of 80 laps and captured two wins (fall 2019, fall 2020), four top-five, and six top-10 results.

 

About Global Industrial Company… Global Industrial Company (NYSE:GIC), through its operating subsidiaries, is a value-added 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 to be more successful. At Global Industrial, “We can supply that®.”

 

Meet Hill… On Friday, March 3 at 2:10 p.m. PT, Hill and his RCR teammate, Sheldon Creed, are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Midway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Stop by to meet the three-time Xfinity Series winner and purchase new gear.

 

On Saturday, March 4 at 10:40 a.m. PT, Hill is scheduled to visit the South Point Casino booth in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Midway to sign autographs and greet fans.

 

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

All three of your Xfinity Series wins have come on superspeedway tracks. What do you need to do in order to make that happen?

“I felt like we came close a number of times last year to win a non-superspeedway race. Bristol sticks out in my head where we had a really strong car and were running in third or fourth, making ground up on the top, before getting damage from a situation not of our doing. Our No. 21 team had good runs last season, but when we found ourselves getting down to the end of races, we missed the final bit that is needed to go that half a tenth faster a lap. When the pay window opens, you need that little extra steam and speed. Our mile and a half program was pretty good, but there are areas that we can work on though. We had really good short run speed, but the long run speed wasn’t there at times. That is one area that we want to focus on heading into Las Vegas this weekend.”

RCR PR