RCR Race Preview: Dover Motor Speedway

Richard Childress Racing at Dover Motor Speedway… Richard Childress Racing has four NASCAR Cup Series victories at Dover Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt won three times, including a sweep of both races in 1989 and the 1993 spring event. Jeff Burton won the 2006 fall event to claim his first win at Dover and first victory of the season. The Welcome, N.C. based organization has 24 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes at the Monster Mile.  

Xfinity Series Stats at the Monster Mile… RCR owns three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at Dover Motor Speedway, two of which belong to Clint Bowyer (fall races in 2006 and 2009). Jeff Burton won the spring event in 2006, rallying from the 36th-place starting position and giving RCR a sweep of the Xfinity Series races. 

Catch Saturday’s Action… The A-Game 200 will be televised live on Saturday, April 29 at 1:30 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 Dover… The Wurth 400 will be televised live on Sunday, April 30 beginning at 2 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Dover Motor Speedway… Austin Dillon has made 17 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover Motor Speedway, earning a best finish of seventh in October 2018. The Welcome, N.C. native has eight NASCAR Xfinity Series starts (one pole, best finish of fourth), two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events (best finish of fourth), and one ARCA Menards Series East race under his belt at the one-mile concrete oval.

FOX Booth Appearance… Dillon is scheduled to join the FOX broadcast booth for the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, April 29. Tune in to FS1 at 1:30 p.m. ET to hear the 33-year-old’s play-by-play and race commentary during the 200-lap event.

Meet Dillon… On Sunday, April 30 at 11 a.m. ET, Dillon is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Zone at Dover Motor Speedway. Stop by to purchase new gear and get those items signed.

Another Year Older… Earlier this week on Thursday, April 27, Dillon celebrated his 33rd birthday.

Delivering Performance on the Track and For the Planet… Dillon will race the Get Bioethanol Chevrolet at Dover Motor 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.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What does the sensation of speed at Dover Motor Speedway feel like?

“Racing at Dover Motor Speedway is like a rollercoaster ride with no tracks. There isn’t another track like it. You carry a lot of pace there. When you drive down into the corner to get to the bottom of the track, it feels like you’re coming off a four-story building with the banking. You just try to catch your breath and get back on the gas to drive off the corner. We do that for 400 laps. Once you get into the race, you get into a rhythm and you start to feel comfortable. The first couple of laps are always hard on you though.”

What is the most challenging part about racing at Dover Motor Speedway?

“It’s a hard concrete track. We have to make sure our shock package is good, and hopefully the Get Bioethanol Chevrolet handles well. Maybe the line will move around, but it’s usually right around the bottom. As the rubber lays down, it gets harder to do more with the car. Dover is definitely a Monster, but my No. 3 team is up for the challenge.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Dover Motor Speedway… Kyle Busch will make his 35th start at Dover Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend. Busch enters Sunday’s race with three wins at the one-mile Delaware speedway (2008, 2010 and 2017), which is tied for second most among active drivers. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has 21 top-10 finishes, giving him a top-10 in 61.76 percent of the races. He won the pole in 2017 and started first in 2018 after qualifying was cancelled. Busch led the most laps (103 of 400) on the way to a seventh-place finish in the 2022 race at Dover. He has led 1,316 laps in 19 Dover races. 

Talladega Victory Nuggets… Last Sunday, Busch scored his second victory of the 2023 Cup Series season and his second career win at Talladega Superspeedway. The victory was the 62nd of Busch’s career, placing the veteran driver ninth on the all-time premier series win list. The Busch brothers (Kyle and brother Kurt) are the winningest brother combination in NASCAR history with 96 Cup wins.

Movin’ On Up… Busch gained three positions in the Cup Series driver championship standings with his victory at Talladega Superspeedway. The No. 8 driver currently holds the fifth position, 41 points behind the leader.

Lucky 13… Busch has now won multiple Cup Series victories in a season for the 13th time in his career.

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KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

You have had a lot of success at Dover Motor Speedway. How does that track fit your driving style so well?

“I’ve always enjoyed Dover. I feel like it’s a big Bristol so I think going there is kind of fun. It’s really a unique track with the elevation change from the straightaways to the corners, the drop down, and the jump back out of the hole that you have going from straightaway to corner and back to straightaway. It’s definitely gotten more character over the years being rougher into Turn 3. That’s the tricky part of the track is trying to figure out Turn 3 and how you get through the bumps over there.”  

How demanding is qualifying at Dover Motor Speedway?

“Qualifying at Dover is sometimes demanding just because the speeds are so high. You’re in the corner longer than the straightaways so that track is definitely a challenge. A couple of years ago when we went to the higher downforce package, it was wide-open qualifying which was crazy. These cars are a little bit different but still super-fast considering the size of the track at Dover. Qualifying is also important because of pit selection. Pit road there is really, really tight and you definitely want to have a good stall, somewhere with an opening, preferably, to get in okay and get out clean.”

Why is the pit road at Dover Motor Speedway so challenging?

“The biggest challenge of the pit road at Dover is because it’s so narrow. The speeds are low too, so if you have a green flag stop you tend to go a couple laps down. You don’t want to have a green flag stop.”

Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Dover Motor Speedway… Sheldon Creed has made one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Dover Motor Speedway, posting an eighth-place finish last season behind the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet. The Alpine, California native has two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts and one ARCA Menards Series East event (best finish of fourth) on his resume at the one-mile concrete oval.

Dashing 4 Cash… After his second-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway, Creed enters the Monster Mile with a chance to win an extra $100,000 through the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash program. Creed will battle Jeb Burton, Cole Custer, and Parker Kligerman on Saturday afternoon, with the highest finisher earning the Dash 4 Cash title. This marks Creed’s first time qualifying for the program.

Meet Creed… On Saturday, April 29 at 9:45 a.m. ET, Creed is scheduled to join his Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill and fellow Xfinity Series drivers for a full series autograph session at the A-GAME Display in the Dover Motor Speedway Fan Zone. The first 150 people in line will receive a wristband for entry. Wristbands will be available 30 minutes prior to the start of the session.

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 QUOTES:

What does it take to be successful at Dover Motor Speedway?

“To have success at Dover, you have to be able to get into the corner. You can get away with being tight for a short amount of time, but you really need to be a little free to be good on both the short and long run. Last year, we finished eighth and I was really loose throughout the entire race and had to manage that feeling inside the car.”

Do you feel the sensation of speed at Dover Motor Speedway when compared to other tracks?

“Yes, especially after qualifying. That’s when you really realize how fast you are going. When you drop down off the hill into the corner, it feels like you drop a story. It’s pretty crazy. At the end of the race, you are stuck in your seat leaning to the left after running that many laps.”

In addition to trying to win the race, you are also chasing $100K with Xfinity’s Dash 4 Cash program.

“This is my first time being qualified for Dash 4 Cash, so it’s pretty cool and exciting. If I hadn’t been spun at Circuit of the Americas, I was the highest finisher the following week at Richmond and would have won it there, so this is a second chance of sorts. Our Whelen team is just going to race ourselves like we always do and see where we end up at the end of the race. But the program is a great way to provide extra motivation for a bonus, not only for myself but for my team guys.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Dover Motor Speedway… Austin Hill has made one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Dover Motor Speedway, securing a 14th-place finish last season while driving the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The Winston, Ga. native has competed in six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races (best finish of seventh) and three ARCA Menards Series East events (two wins – 2013, 2014) at the high-banked, Delaware oval.

Love Country. Love Trucking… Hill’s Bennett Transportation and Logistics Camaro will feature a special design at Dover Motor Speedway, highlighting Bennett Family of Companies’ patriotism core value and representing the hundreds of United States Military Veteran truck drivers in their fleet. The scheme showcases various specialized trucks hauling military freight, with the motto “Love Country. Love Trucking.” and highlights Bennett’s strong commitment to support the missions of our government to protect our country and advance freedom. For over 20 years, Bennett has been a tier one supplier to the United States government, with their team of secure truck drivers safely moving military vehicles, aircraft parts in support of the F-35 program, arms, ammunition, and explosives to bases like the Dover Air Force Base.

Bennett will honor five active duty service members from the Dover Air Force Base – chosen by their leadership – as special guests of Hill and the No. 21 team on Saturday.

Meet Hill… On Saturday, April 29 at 9:45 a.m. ET, Creed is scheduled to join his Richard Childress Racing teammate Sheldon Creed and fellow Xfinity Series drivers for a full series autograph session at the A-GAME Display in the Dover Motor Speedway Fan Zone. The first 150 people in line will receive a wristband for entry. Wristbands will be available 30 minutes prior to the start of the session.

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 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit www.bennettig.com.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:

Do you get a sense of speed from inside the car at Dover Motor Speedway?

“You definitely get a very big sense of speed at Dover. The first laps that I always make there take your breath away until you get settled in. You feel like you’re running 200 miles per hour around that place.”

You had success at Dover Motor Speedway dating back to your first race there in 2013. What do you like about that track?

“I won the first time that I was there in the ARCA Menards Series East back in 2013 and then when we came back the following year, I won again. I didn’t win at the Truck Series level but it always seemed like we had speed and ran inside the top-five a lot. Dover is so fast and it’s so much fun to get around. From the first time I went there, I understood how you had to approach the entry of the corner to be good on exit. That’s one of the key elements that makes me pretty good around Dover.”