Austin Dillon Drives “Evil Fast” Rheem Chevrolet to Third-Place Finish in Season-Opener at Daytona

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“It was wild for sure. I got into that first little scuffle. I saved it, but the right-rear quarter panel of the Rheem Chevrolet incurred damage. The team did a great job fixing it in under five minutes. After that the Rheem Chevrolet was pretty fast, but evil to drive. We had to get four tires at the end, which turned out to be a good thing because the right rear tire had started to separate. All-in-all it was a good run. I wanted to get a Chevy in Victory Lane but it didn’t happen. When the No. 3 car ran out of gas, I thought my only option was to push the No. 16 car out front. We had a big lead going and then Kasey Kahne came with a big run. It just didn’t work out. We’ll take a third-place finish. Everyone is safe and that’s all we could ask for.”

– Austin Dillon

Fuel Shortage Spoils Top-Five Finish at Daytona for Ty Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet

“We had a really fast No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro all weekend. The high line was definitely the fastest, and we kept getting stuck on the bottom on the restarts. We were always able to work the draft and get up to the front. We were one of the strongest cars in the final stage, and I really thought we had a shot at winning. I was running up in the top six for the last 30 laps, and was third at the green-white-checkered. Unfortunately, my fuel gauge dropped and the car started shaking without fuel. I had to drop to the bottom to get it to re-fire and lost my position. The bright side is that this has been a great start to the year for the No. 3 team with how strong we were, and I’m looking forward to continue working with this team.”
– Ty Dillon

On-Track Contact Cuts Brandon Jones’ Sophomore Season Opener Short

“I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I just know I got turned from behind and it went out from there. It was definitely the hardest hit I’ve ever had, but I’ll be alright. It’s a bummer. Our No. 33 Nexteer Chevrolet Camaro was really fast all weekend, and I had just earned the first pole award of my career. The car was handling great and we were working well with our teammates up front. Unfortunately, this is what happens at Daytona, you never know what’s going to happen out there. I’m looking forward to getting to Atlanta next weekend to get back on track.”
 
– Brandon Jones

Teamwork Pays Off in a Fifth-Place Finish for Brendan Gaughan at Daytona International Speedway

“Listen, every single wreck happened around the South Point Chevy. We were a magnet tonight, but we made it through. I can’t believe how clean our Chevy is considering the amazing incidents around us. It came out looking really, really good. Everyone talks about teammates at Daytona and working together. Austin (Dillon) and I worked all day long, one behind the other. We really had a plan and the RCR team stuck to it. What a great job by teammates, we kicked tail together. It was awesome to see and I love being at Richard Childress Racing. I think tonight was a product of stage racing, where guys went for more than I thought they would. The fans sure got a show, a long show but a great show.”
 
– Brendan Gaughan

Early Incident Ends XFINITY Series Debut for Daniel Hemric and No. 21 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Team

“That was tough. They put down all of that oil and speedy dry during the red flag right before we went back racing. I felt like we were just trying to bide our time to that first segment. We got down into Turn 3 at speed and as soon as I turned the corner the car felt like it was on ice and just went straight. I got into the 7 (Justin Allgaier) and after that happened it was just a matter of trying to gather it back up. I hate it for everyone that got caught up with us. Huge thanks to everyone at Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff for coming on board with us and helping us out here at Daytona. We have them on the car a few more races this year and hopefully we can give them the run they deserve.” 

– Daniel Hemric

RCR PR

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