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.

Big Power on the Drafting Tracks… ECR has dominated all three drafting tracks in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway). ECR has won and swept the pole position in all three events. How strong has ECR been on those tracks? ECR teams have led 315 of 413 possible laps (76.27 percent) and 640.14 of 890.10 miles (71.91 percent).

Catch Saturday’s Action… The Dover 200 will be televised live on Saturday, April 27 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 28 beginning at 2 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Facebook X Instagram

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Dover Motor Speedway… Austin Dillon has made 18 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, earning one pole award and a best finish of fourth. He has made two NASCAR Truck Series starts at the track with a best finish of fourth. He also has one ARCA Menards Series East race under his belt at the one-mile concrete oval.

BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Team Up with Dillon… Dillon and the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team will be supported by BREZTRI AEROSPHERE®, an AstraZeneca product, at Dover Motor Speedway. This partnership is about more than just racing. You can learn more about Austin Dillon and his family’s personal connection to the brand at Breztri.com. AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and Biopharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

Meet Austin Dillon… Fans traveling to Dover Motor Speedway this weekend will have the chance to meet the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet. Dillon is scheduled to appear at the RCR Merchandise Hauler on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to greet race fans and sign RCR gear.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

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. It’s a hard concrete track. We have to make sure our shock package is good, and hopefully, the No. 3 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 a Monster, but my team is up for the challenge.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 FICO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Dover Motor Speedway… Kyle Busch will make his 36th 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 third best among active drivers. In 2008, Busch led 158 of 400 laps and finished with an average running position of 1.913. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has 21 top-10 finishes, giving him a top-10 in 60 percent of his Cup starts at Dover. He won the pole in 2017 and started first in 2018 and 2023 after qualifying was canceled. Busch has led 1,341 laps in 20 Dover races, the second-best among active Cup drivers.

Welcome FICO… FICO, Richard Childress Racing and Kyle Busch are teaming up to raise awareness about the need for financial education. For the millions of NASCAR fans across the country, knowledge about money, financial planning, how credit works and the importance of building good financial habit are critical life skills. FICO, RCR and Kyle Busch want to share information and resources so that everyone in the NASCAR community can achieve their financial goals, such as paying for education, buying a home, or running a business.

FICO is a leading analytics software firm best known for its gold standard FICO® Score. Learn more about the FICO, RCR and Kyle Busch partnership, here: https://www.fico.com/en/newsroom/fico-and-richard-childress-racing-kick-financial-and-credit-education-partnership-nascar.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

Last year rain cut Cup Series practice short at Dover Motor Speedway and you started the race on a green track. How big of a challenge is that?

“Track conditions at Dover are challenging because they’re always changing. When you’re on a green racetrack, you really fight tire wear and you’re wearing out the tires quite rapidly. As the weekend progresses and as the race progresses, rubber gets put down on the track and that makes tire life better.”

Is racing at Dover Motor Speedway physically demanding for a driver?

“Racing at Dover is physically demanding. You’re in the corner around that track longer than you are going straight on the straightaways which means the time in which you’re doing the most work is the longest. It’s also very physically taxing just because of the roughness of the concrete surface and the constant beating that the driver takes in the seat from going over all the joints in the track.”

How easy is it for a driver to get into trouble at Dover Motor Speedway?

“I would say it’s pretty easy for drivers to find trouble at Dover. Typically, the looser you are, the faster you are, but when you get too loose, it’s really easy to spin. If you spin it at Dover, more than likely you are going to hit both the outside and inside walls. As crashes happen, you’re going so fast that sometimes you can’t get checked up fast enough.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro SS at Dover Motor Speedway… Jesse Love has made two career starts at Dover Motor Speedway, both in ARCA Menards Series East competition in 2021 and 2022. During the 2022 event, the Menlo Park, California native qualified in the fourth position, led a total of nine laps, and finished in second place. Love will make his inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the Monster Mile this Saturday.

First Career Victory… In just his ninth start, Love secured his first career Xfinity Series win last Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. The victory locked Love into the Playoffs and extended the 19-year-old’s lead to 122 points in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.

Stacking the Top-10s… The top-10 streak for Love and the No. 2 Whelen Camaro currently sits at six consecutive weeks, dating back to their second-place result at Phoenix Raceway on March 9.

Did You Know? Love’s win at Talladega Superspeedway was not only his first career Xfinity Series victory, but it also marked Whelen Engineering’s first win as a primary partner in the series. Whelen Engineering has been a loyal partner in the Xfinity Series for 28 years.

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.

Dashing 4 Cash… After capturing the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway, Love enters Dover Motor Speedway with a chance to win an extra $100,000 through the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash program. Love will battle Ryan Sieg, Riley Herbst, and Anthony Alfredo on Saturday afternoon, with the highest finisher earning the Dash 4 Cash title. This marks Love’s second career attempt at competing for the bonus.

Meet Love… On Saturday, April 27 at 9:45 a.m. ET, Love is scheduled to sign autographs with fellow Xfinity Series drivers in the Fan Zone at Dover Motor Speedway. Directly after at 10:40 a.m. ET, Love and his RCR teammate Austin Hill are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Zone at Dover Motor Speedway. A limited-edition, new t-shirt highlighting Love’s win at Talladega Superspeedway will be available for purchase.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

Why is Dover Motor Speedway one of your favorite tracks? What will it take to have a good race on Saturday?

“I feel like Dover suits my driving style well. I like the sensation of speed, the high banks, and the concrete surface. I personally prefer concrete surfaces over asphalt. Coming off our first win though, the No. 2 Whelen team is looking to keep that momentum rolling. It will take a good car to be able to lead laps and run consistently up front at Dover, but I know that Danny Stockman and all the guys have worked hard this week to make sure we are in the best position possible once we unload. The goal is to maximize points, but thankfully the pressure is now off with having locked ourselves into the Playoffs.”

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

Points Check… Hill currently holds the third position in the Xfinity Series driver championship point standings, 16 points behind leader Chandler Smith.

Did You Know? With his laps pacing the field at Talladega Superspeedway, Hill has led in 14 straight superspeedway races, tying Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the all-time record in the Xfinity Series.

About Nuthin Fancy Co… Nuthin Fancy Co. is an outdoor lifestyle clothing brand founded in the foothills of Maryland. Serving as the ultimate destination for outdoor enthusiasts, we cater to individuals who truly embrace an active lifestyle. Whether it is hunting, fishing, golfing, relaxing by the lake, or attending race days, our brand is dedicated to offering top-quality clothing that will elevate those experiences. For more information and to purchase Nuthin Fancy Co. gear, please visit nuthinfancyco.com.

Meet Hill… On Saturday, April 27 at 10:40 a.m. ET, Hill and his RCR teammate Jesse Love are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Zone at Dover Motor Speedway. A limited-edition Nuthin Fancy Co. hat will be available for purchase.

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.”

RCR PR