RCR Race Preview: Charlotte Motor Speedway

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway… Richard Childress Racing has earned eight NASCAR Cup Series victories on the oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The team has six 600-mile wins to their credit (Dale Earnhardt – 1986, 1992, 1993, Kevin Harvick – 2011, 2013, and Austin Dillon – 2017).

 

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway… RCR has also found success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway with five victories, most recently when Tyler Reddick captured the checkered flag in 2019. Dillon swept both spring and fall races on the 1.5-mile layout in 2015. Jeff Green gave the Welcome, N.C., based company its first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in 2002 (spring).

 

Catch the Action… The Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, May 27 beginning at 12:00 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 at Charlotte… The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, May 28 beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Austin Dillon and No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Charlotte Motor Speedway… Austin Dillon earned his career-first win in the NASCAR Cup Series with a victory in the Coca-Cola 600 in May 2017. A native of North Carolina, Dillon has competed in 14 NASCAR Cup Series races at his hometown track, earning four top-10 finishes. Dillon has completed 95.7% of the laps on the 1.5-mile race track. He is a two-time winner at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Dillon grew up watching races at Charlotte Motor Speedway from his grandfather’s condo, which overlooks the racetrack.

 

About 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.

 

About 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/.

 

600 Miles of Remembrance… Dillon will participate in 600 Miles of Remembrance on Memorial Day Weekend. Dillon’s name on his front windshield header will be replaced with the name of a fallen military service member. The No. 3 team will feature United States Navy (SEAL) Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) Mark Crampton.

 

Honoring Our Fallen… This weekend’s Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet features a memorial decal in honor of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, who was among nine soldiers who died in a nighttime training accident in April.

 

Meet Dillon…  Dillon is scheduled to make an appearance at Walmart (2420 Supercenter Drive, Kannapolis, NC 28083) on Saturday, May 27 at 11 a.m. ET on behalf of Coca-Cola. The first 150 fans in line will receive a wristband for an autograph from the Coca-Cola Racing Family driver. On Sunday, May 28th, Dillon is scheduled to participate in a question and answer session with John Roberts and Kenny Wallace as part of the Race Day Revival show in the Circle K Speed Street Fan Zone Stage at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He’s also scheduled to greet race fans at the RCR Merchandise Trailer in the fan zone beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Come meet the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet and get new RCR gear.

 

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

The Coca-Cola 600 is traditionally a pretty special race on the NASCAR schedule. Where does it rank for you personally?

“My two favorite races of the year are the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600. The Charlotte race is a body killer. It’s a rough track. 600 miles is a grind, but I love a challenge so I really love that race. I was able to win the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017 and we were very close last year to getting another win. Hopefully, Charlotte Motor Speedway owes us one more and we can go and get it done.”

 

How do you prepare for 600 miles and what is your expectation?

“You just know after years of being in the 600 and being able to win that race you are in for the long haul. It’s a grind because it’s so long, and mentally you must stay in it to have a chance to win. It all comes down to that last 100 miles. It’s probably the most challenging 100 miles we race all year. Leading up to 600 miles you have to be flawless. It’s a mental and physical task. The Coca-Cola 600 is a great race to be a part of.”

 

You think about the cool trophies NASCAR has, how does the Coca-Cola machine you won in 2017 rank up there?

“It’s an awesome trophy. It’s a throwback with that fridge. Coca-Cola does such a great job of bringing something unique for drivers to win. I’m proud that I have one and I want to win another.”

 

What does it mean to you to be able to do things with Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway and to be a winner of the Coca-Cola 600? 

“It’s a special weekend for the Coca-Cola racing family. I’m always carrying the red label and Coca-Cola. It’s a fight to see who wins it from the Coke family and hopefully the No. 3 Chevrolet takes it home for them.”

 

You’ve found success at Charlotte Motor Speedway. What is it about that track that suits your driving style?

“I had a test one year there and I felt good about my arch in turn 3. I think the biggest thing is that as a kid I always sat in my grandfather’s condo in Turn 1 and watched Jimmie Johnson win a lot of races there. I know where the car needs to be, and car placement is key.”

 

What does it mean to carry a name of a soldier for the weekend with so much American Pride?

“NASCAR does a good job with the 600 Miles of Remembrance program. I’m proud to be a part of NASCAR because of how patriotic this sport is. This weekend, the windshield headers of every car are replaced with the name of a fallen soldier. We’re honoring a Navy SEAL, Mark Crampton. We also have a special decal on our car honoring Rusten Smith, a soldier who died in April in a Blackhawk training accident. This weekend is about remembering those who gave everything for our country. It’s great to see the impact the 600 Miles of Remembrance program has on the servicemembers’ families. There’s nothing like the National Anthem during the Coca-Cola 600. It’s a real freedom feel, American flag flying-type weekend.”

 

Kyle Busch and No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Charlotte Motor Speedway… Kyle Busch will make his 35th NASCAR Cup Series start on the 1.5-oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch won the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 in one of the most dominating performances of his career. The driver of the Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet won the pole and led 377 of 400 laps on the way to his first win at Charlotte. His average running position in the race was a staggering 1.21 and was the only driver to run all 400 laps inside the top-10. Busch has 21 top-10 finishes in 34 previous starts, scoring a top-10 finish in 61.76 percent of his races on the Concord, N.C. speedway. He has third and second-place finishes in his two most recent starts at Charlotte.

 

Stat Check… Busch claimed his sixth top-10 of the 2023 Cup Series season two weeks ago at Darlington Raceway and moved up one position in the championship driver standings. He enters the Coca-Cola 600 in 11th position, 76 points behind the leader. 

 

Stat of the Week… Busch leads all active Cup Series drivers with 16 top-five finishes on the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

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:

Your victory in the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 was one of the most dominating performances of your career. How special is that win? 

“To me the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 is one of the most dominant performances of my career and I think it’s a very special one. I say that because we led so much of that race and had such a fast car, a dominating car, and our team did everything perfectly. During that race they had PJ-1 sprayed down and a lot of guys were running in the PJ-1 to make time. Our stuff was good and we were so fast that we didn’t even have to use it and run in it. We could beat everybody outside of it and that really helped our tire life and our long run speed where people would wear their tires out in the glue and just take life out of their tires by having to run up there. That was a really cool win and that was the final track that I needed to get a points-paying win at that was still on the schedule. I accomplished winning at every single venue on the schedule at that point and time and it was really cool to have that honor.”

 

Since there is only one race each season on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, does that make it extra special when you perform well?

“With only going to the oval once I think it just makes it extra special and because it’s the Coca-Cola 600. You still look at that race as one of the bucket list races of the season, one of the crown jewels, and so you definitely want to win that one. I think that race really means a lot, especially on Memorial Day weekend.”

 

You will recognize fallen service member Jack William Roper at the Coca-Cola 600. Mr. Roper is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah and during World War II he served as a radio technician second class aboard the USS Mahan (DD 364), a destroyer that played a pivotal role in the Pacific theater. What does it mean to you to honor men like Mr. Roper each year?

“I enjoy the fallen service member program that NASCAR does by putting the name to recognize a fallen service member on the windshield. I feel as though when you win that’s extra special to the families that are there. You get a chance to honor them and celebrate with them and have them be in victory lane with you. That’s really, really fun. We did that in 2018 and it was super cool. It’s not that easy to win, so you’d love to be able to reward those families, but you also tell them how appreciative you are. This year we get a chance to work with Jack William Roper family who is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s going to be really cool to honor him and his family.”

 

Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Charlotte Motor Speedway… Sheldon Creed has made one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, earning an eighth-place finish last season behind the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet. The Alpine, California native also has competed in three NASCAR Truck Series events (best finish of fifth) and two ARCA Menards Series races (two top-three results) at the 1.5-mile speedway.

 

Honoring Fallen Officers… For Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, Creed and Whelen Engineering have teamed up with the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) for the second consecutive season to honor fallen law enforcement officers. The No. 2 Chevrolet will feature the NLEOMF logo predominately on the hood and sides, while the decklid will carry the names of 556 officers killed in the line-of-duty, all of whom were recently added to the walls of the national law enforcement officers memorial earlier this month. At the memorial monument in Washington, D.C., there are currently 23,785 names of fallen officers engraved, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, federal law enforcement, and campus and military police agencies.

 

Move Over… The NLEOMF special design also highlights the Move Over Law, which requires motorists to slow down and change lanes when approaching an emergency vehicle that is parked on a roadway to give safe clearance to law enforcement officers. 

 

Meet Creed… On Saturday, May 27 at 9:45 a.m. ET, Creed is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Zone at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Stop by to get your gear and have Creed sign the items purchased.

 

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.

 

About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund… Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the fallen, telling the story of American law enforcement, and making it safer for those who serve. The first pillar of this mission, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., honors the names of all of the 23,785 officers who have died in the line of duty to date throughout U.S. history. Additionally, NLEOMF maintains and publishes comprehensive details on the circumstances surrounding official line-of-duty deaths. The Officer Safety and Wellness pillar uses that data, coupled with best-practice program models, to produce programming directed at solutions to improve survivability and enhance wellness. NLEOMF’s third pillar, the National Law Enforcement Museum (LawEnforcementMuseum.org) is committed to preserving the history of American law enforcement and sharing the experiences of service and sacrifice for generations to come.

 

SHELDON CREED QUOTES:

This weekend, you are honoring fallen law enforcement officers with a special scheme for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Talk about how special this cause is.

“We’re proud to support NLEOMF and help honor those who’ve lost their lives in the line of duty. Carrying the names of the 556 fallen officers on the decklid of our Whelen Chevrolet will be a special tribute, and our team will make them proud this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Law enforcement officers are key members of our community. They put their lives on the line each time they wear the uniform, and we owe them much gratitude for our safety and order.”

 

Have you found that Charlotte Motor Speedway is temperature sensitive and changes a lot?

“Charlotte is probably the worst for temperature changes and it’s a completely different racetrack throughout the day. Sometimes you can feel really good about your car and there are other times when you’ll have the same setup and not feel good about it at all.”

 

Is there a particular area of the track where the car has to perform well?

“The most important thing is if you can get into Turn 3 over the bumps and get to the line on the bottom. Staying on that line through Turns 3 and 4 is also super important. A good way to pass is to be able to run the bottom late in a run through Turns 1 and 2. That’s pretty important when the spray comes in.” 

 

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet Camaro SS at Charlotte Motor Speedway… Austin Hill has made two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, posting a 14th-place result one year ago while driving the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The Winston, Ga. native has also competed in two NASCAR Truck Series races and one ARCA Menards Series event at the 1.5-mile speedway.

 

Welcome, Alsco Uniforms… For the first time this season, Hill will carry the primary colors of Alsco Uniforms in the Alsco Uniforms 300. The green and black scheme showcases the brand’s bold design while also honoring fallen heroes with two red poppies on the rear of the Camaro.

 

Did You Know? Hill has won two Alsco Uniforms entitled races and is currently chasing RCR teammate Busch, who holds the record with four victories.

 

Meet Hill… On Saturday, May 27 at 9:20 a.m. ET, Hill is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Zone at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Stop by to get your No. 21 gear and have Hill sign the items purchased.

 

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.   

 

AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:

Talk about your Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway one year ago.

“Last year, we should have finished inside the top-six. We started towards the back because I personally didn’t do a good job and we were struggling with the overall balance. Our Chevrolet Camaro was free on entry for the majority of the day, but towards the end of the race, we got the car to a decent spot. Unfortunately on the last green flag pit stop, I sped on pit road. We never got another caution which ruined the top-10 day we were going to have. I’m hoping that with the testing we did earlier this year at Charlotte will help us and get us closer on the overall handling.”

 

You were able to test at Charlotte Motor Speedway back in January with the new package. Will anything you learned during that session transfer to this weekend?

“I thought we found a lot of positives during the test earlier this year. We didn’t know if a lot would transfer given that it’s normally really hot in May, but after looking at the weather forecast and it being cooler than we expected, more may correlate. If our car this weekend drives somewhat like it did at the test and we can just work on it a little bit during the practice session, we should have a shot at it.”

 

“There were a lot of things that we tried that we’ve used throughout this season that have worked pretty well. We are coming with a different package this year with the skew change, so we had to go down a different path for our overall set-up. The one thing that we will have to play by ear, is that the resin is supposed to be sprayed down this weekend. If I’m not mistaken, this will be the first race of the year that we’ve had that sprayed, so we don’t know how the car is going to react to that with the new package. We expect it to be tight when you get in the resin, so whoever can do the best job running in that will most likely be the guy to beat.”

RCR PR