RCR Event Preview – Talladega Superspeedway

Richard Childress Racing at Talladega Superspeedway … Richard Childress began his driving career at Talladega Superspeedway in the inaugural Talladega 500 in 1969. Childress has won 12 NASCAR Cup Series victories as an owner at Talladega. Dale Earnhardt earned nine Talladega wins under the RCR banner, their first coming in 1984. Earnhardt scored his 76th and final Cup win in the 2000 fall race at Talladega which earned the team and a lucky fan each a $1 million bonus from the series sponsor. Other victories by Earnhardt include a sweep of both races in 1990 and 1999 plus 1991 (July), 1993 (July) and 1994 (spring). Clint Bowyer won twice for RCR (fall races in 2010 and 2011) while Kevin Harvick won the 2010 spring event. 

Xfinity Series at Talladega … Richard Childress Racing has also found success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with one win, 10 top-five, and 19 top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway. Two-time Xfinity Series Champion Tyler Reddick drove his No. 2 Chevrolet to Victory Lane in April 2019.

Catch Saturday’s Action … The Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway will be televised live on Saturday, April 23 at 4 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

Follow Sunday’s Action in Talladega … The GEICO 500 will be televised live on Sunday, April 24 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Talladega Superspeedway … In 17 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Dillon earned his best finish at the 2.66-mile track in April 2016 when he finished third. His best starting position at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series is first. His best finish in four NASCAR Xfinity Series Starts is third, and he has two starts in the NASCAR Truck Series, earning a best finish of seventh in October 2011.

Tracker Off Road … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.

Bass Pro Shops … Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/.

In The Booth … Dillon is scheduled to serve as a guest commentator in FOX’s Broadcast Booth for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. The race airs live on Saturday, April 23 at 4 p.m. ET on FOX.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What will it take to be successful at Talladega Superspeedway?

“Anything can happen at Talladega Superspeedway. It’s a little bit of a coin flip, but my No. 3 team will be doing everything we can to try and win. In order to succeed at Talladega, you have to have a little bit of luck, and use momentum at the very end to take advantage of positions. It’s speedway racing. It’s drafting. And it’s chaos, but we’re up for the challenge.”

This Week’s BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Talladega Superspeedway … Tyler Reddick heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the fifth time of his NASCAR Cup Series career this weekend. He made his first Cup start at the track in 2020. In those four starts, he has two top-10 finishes and led 23 total laps. During his Xfinity Series career, Reddick has one win, one top five and two top 10s to his name at the superspeedway. His win came in 2019 after he started second. Reddick is still on the hunt for his first career Cup Series win and has come increasingly close each race weekend. Reddick has the fifth-best driver rating among all active drivers with a rating of 93.7. He is 13th in the Cup Series driver Playoff outlook following last weekend at Bristol Dirt, 29 points above the cutline.

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NASCAR Night at the USFL Game … Come join Tyler Reddick at NASCAR Night at Protective Stadium on Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. ET when Birmingham and Houston take the field. Reddick will drive his No. 8 Chevrolet on the field for the coin toss to get the game started. He will also participate in the fun during half-time and do a jersey swap. Everyone will have the opportunity to get a Tyler Reddick hero card and check out the No. 8 Chevrolet on display.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:

How do you prepare for a racetrack like Talladega?

“Talladega is one of the racetracks that we go to and you’ve just got to expect the unexpected. You can be running second with three laps to go and finish 20th and you can be running 20th with three laps to go and end up winning. My No. 8 team and I go into each race weekend with the same mindset and that is to run up front and win. Last weekend, we were really close to that first win and instead of using that as a reason to be frustrated, we’re using it as more momentum. As the driver, I’m going to focus on listening to my spotter and crew chief, hitting all my marks and staying out of trouble. Staying out of trouble is hard at these superspeedways but those drivers end up being at the front when the white flag waves. The schedule is also different this weekend with no practice and straight to qualifying so we’ll see how that goes for us. I’m looking forward to a good weekend at Talladega.”

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Talladega Superspeedway … Creed will be making his first Talladega Superspeedway start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon. He was running inside the top 10 in the most recent Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway on April 8 before mechanical issues derailed his solid run. Creed has three Truck Series starts at Talladega with a best finish of ninth-place (2019) and led at least one lap in every race (36 laps total). He is 15th in the Xfinity Series driver’s standings, 54 points outside of the top 10.

CopsForKids … The No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet will carry a special decal this weekend at Talladega to honor CopsForKids. The purpose of the organization is to establish and maintain positive relationships between the police and families with children in our local community. CopsForKids achieves this through giving time, love, and knowledge to set a positive example that empowers kids to be safe, respectful, and law-abiding citizens.

Special Guest at Talladega … Sgt. Jeremy March, Founder of CopsForKids, will be a special guest of the No. 2 team this weekend at Talladega. A native of Mobile, Ala., Sgt. March has been serving his community for the past 24 years. He was inspired to start CopsForKids four years ago to establish and maintain positive relationships between law enforcement and families with children in the local community and has impacted hundreds of children through his outreach efforts and is a beloved member of the community. Affectionately known around town as the “Dancing Cop,” from his enthusiastic participation in community events, March spreads joy and inspires connection between police officers and the youth of Mobile.

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:

Tell us about the CopsForKids organization that is on your car this weekend.

“It’s really cool to honor the CopsForKids organization this weekend at Talladega and I’m looking forward to meeting Sgt. March. I feel like I learned a lot of what not to do back in February at Daytona and I think out teammates did as well and how we can work better together. I’m looking forward to taking what we learned at Daytona and applying it at Talladega. We can be there be there at the end and have a chance to win or get a good finish with our Whelen Chevrolet.”

There is no practice before qualifying and then the race at Talladega. Is that a big factor? 

“I don’t think it really matters to not practice at Talladega. You could be a little free or a little tight your first run but you usually don’t change much anyways so it doesn’t really matter. It’s cool that Jeffrey Earnhardt is our teammate this weekend. More cars are only going to help us. It’s nothing but a positive to have another car out of our stable go to Talladega.”

This Week’s ForeverLawn Chevrolet Camaro SS at Talladega Superspeedway … Jeffrey Earnhardt has made 16 starts at Talladega Superspeedway spread out among NASCAR’s Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series. However, this weekend will mark the first time that the fourth-generation racer has competed under the Richard Childress Racing banner.

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JEFFREY EARNHARDT QUOTES:

What does it mean to you to compete at Talladega Superspeedway under the Richard Childress Racing banner?

“What a dream come true. The chance to be behind the wheel of the No. 3 car for RCR, that my pawpaw made famous, has long been a dream of mine and now it’s finally happening. I can’t thank ForeverLawn enough for making my dreams come to reality and for being such a big part of my career. I also want to thank Mr. Childress for making this possible. The No. 3 car is cherished by a lot of people, and I know how much it means to him. To give me this opportunity is something I’ll never forget. It’s going to be a lot of pressure, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Your crew chief for this weekend is Larry McReynolds. What does it mean to you to be able to work with him?

“It means a lot to be able to work with Larry McReynolds for this race. I’ve gotten to know Larry over the years, and I have tremendous respect for him. He’s an incredible man and is still very well informed on our sport and knowing what is going on even though it has been a while since he has been a crew chief. I know he’s excited for this opportunity as well. He called me and he said ‘morning, day, night. I don’t care what time it is. You call me if you need me.’ He’s just as thankful for this opportunity as I am to be doing it.”

This Week’s Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Richmond Raceway … Hill will be making his second Talladega Superspeedway start in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition on Saturday afternoon. He scored two top-10 finishes in five Truck Series starts at Talladega. Hill scored a fourth-place finish in the most recent Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway on April 8, his fourth top-five in eight starts this season. Hill has claimed top-five finishes on four different size tracks: Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville Speedway. Hill enters the Talladega event 10th in the series drivers standings. 

A look back at Daytona … Hill scored his first-career Xfinity Series victory in February at Daytona International Speedway. The win came in his 16th start in the series and in his second start in the series at Daytona. His average running position was 5.10 – the best of any driver. He was one of just two drivers to run every lap inside the top 15. Hill led once covering the final 23 laps and clinched a spot in the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs with his victory.  

Dash 4 Cash … Hill’s fourth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway qualified him for the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. This is the second time this season he has been eligible for the bonus. Should Hill win on Saturday afternoon, the Winston, Ga., driver will earn $100,000 from Xfinity.

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 HILL QUOTES:

Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway appear very similar. What are some differences that you notice between those two tracks?

“I think the one big difference between Daytona and Talladega is that Daytona is narrower. I feel like Talladega presents a lot more opportunities to see three and four-wide action whereas at Daytona you see a lot more two-wide. At Talladega you might see three and four-wide for a lot of laps. I also think Talladega is a little bit rougher right now than Daytona. There are more bumps at Talladega but Daytona is starting to get to that characteristic. I also think having a car at Talladega that can be more stable is important. You want to be trimmed out as much as you can but there’s also a price to pay if you’re trimmed out too much with the bumps and rough spots.”

You are also competing for the Dash4Cash bonus this weekend at Talladega.

“I think it’s going to be really cool to be able to run for the Dash4Cash. I think that brings more of an intensity level to the weekend so I think that’s going to be fun racing with those three guys and just try to position yourself in the right place at the end of the race to get the job done. The fact that we won at Daytona earlier this season in the Xfinity car and the Truck definitely gives me a lot of confidence going to Talladega. I feel like we have a chance at winning everywhere we go with our Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet, but when we go to a superspeedway it seems like we have that little extra piece that a lot of other teams don’t have.