Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Auto Club Speedway … In 80 overall NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, RCR Chevrolet teams have earned one win (Kevin Harvick – 2011), one pole award (Mike Skinner – April 2000), 12 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. RCR has a 20.4 average starting position and a 16.4 average finishing position at the moderately-banked D-shaped race track.
RCR in the NSCS … In 2,640 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 46 pole awards,105 wins, 469 top-five finishes and 1,007 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16th. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR XFINITY Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.
The Collective RCR … RCR’s three full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers rank eighth (Dillon), 25th (Newman) and 26th (Menard) in the driver championship point standings.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month … Meredith Cross is a traumatic brain injury survivor. When she was 15 years old, Meredith was riding her horse without a helmet when she fell off, hitting the back of her head on concrete. She sustained a life-threatening head injury that required multiple surgeries by highly-skilled pediatric specialists that were available at a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. Learn more about Meredith’s survivor story at https://saveinjuredkids.org.
Catch the Action … The Auto Club 400 will be televised live Sunday, March 20 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This Week’s American Ethanol Chevrolet SS at Auto Club Speedway … Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 504 in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Dillon’s teammate Ryan Newman drove this No. 31 entry to a fifth-place finish at Auto Club Speedway in 2015 before this Chevrolet SS was branded with Dow colors and prepared for the 2016 season as a No. 3 entry.
Dillon at Auto Club Speedway … Dillon has two previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts to his credit at Auto Club Speedway, earning finishes of 16th and 11th in 2015 and 2014, respectively. He has made three previous starts at the two-mile track in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, earning a pair of fifth-place finishes (2012 and 2013) and one DNF (2015).
Think Green … American Ethanol, a renewable source of cleaner burning energy from the bounty of America’s farmers, helps create new green jobs and a renewed sense of pride for the American worker, while helping to achieve greater energy security for our country. Launched by Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association, along with the support of other partners, American Ethanol is a breakthrough brand that seeks to expand consumer awareness of the benefits of ethanol and E15, and takes the NASCAR Green initiative to the next level. NASCAR® drivers have run more than eight million miles on renewable Sunoco Green E15. At its core, American Ethanol is a green fuel for an increasingly environmentally-conscious America, and pairs perfectly with the naturally beautiful state of California.
Meet Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to participate in a Q&A session on behalf of Coca-Cola at Auto Club Speedway’s Fan Fest event on Thursday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. Local Time. Dillon will be at the Coca-Cola Race Day Ready mobile unit.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
Is Auto Club Speedway a place where you get a real sensation of speed or is it just a lot like the other intermediate tracks?
“You definitely have a sensation of speed at Auto Club Speedway. You’re rolling at Fontana because the straightaways are so long you have to get going at some point. It will be fun, especially with the low downforce package and no grip already. You’ll be fighting some side-force throughout the corner.”
Talk about the seams at Auto Club Speedway. How do they affect your line around the track?
“The seams can really make or break a corner if you get caught on one. You have to really focus on your entry and how you straddle them because you’re looking at that seam all the way around the track and you can kind of get lost in it so you don’t want to put your right front against it or right under it. It’s one of those places that you want to center it up and try to skip it.”
This Week’s FVP / Menards Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway … Chassis No. 507 was chosen for this weekend’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway. This Chevrolet SS is new to the No. 27 team and Paul Menard will be behind the wheel for the first time during Friday’s practice session.
Menard in Fontana … Menard has 13 Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway. His best start of 11th and best finish of fourth both came in 2015. Menard has three top-10 finishes and one top-five finish. He has completed 2,856 of 2,894 laps (98.7%).
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PAUL MENARD QUOTES:
What do you think about Auto Club Speedway? Is it as fun as everyone says it is because you have so many different options when you race there?
“It is fun. The track is hard on tires so grip falls off a lot during the race which allows us to move around and search. It’s high speed with the low-downforce package so we’ll be going maybe 205 or 210 miles per hour into Turn 1 then really have to slow the car down. It almost drives like a short track in the corner because there is such a lack of grip the cars slide around quite a bit depending on how fast you’re going. It’s definitely a driver-friendly track.”
How on edge will you be?
“More so than Vegas for sure, probably not as much as we were in Atlanta. It all depends on your balance, whether the handling is tight or loose. There’s just a total lack of grip in Fontana, so we will definitely be seeing drivers sawing on the wheel trying to make it work.”
Lack of grip. How difficult is that when you hit the seams there?
“The seams are pretty bad. They add another element of character to the track. It’s something you have to be aware of. If you get into the seams early in the corner then it pretty much messes up your entire corner. But if you can get your car pointed and drive across them then you’re doing what works best. How you attack the seams really depends on what your car is doing.”
This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet SS at Auto Club Speedway … Ryan Newman will pilot car No. 508 at the two-mile oval. This is the first time this season, the car will be in action for Sprint Cup Series competition.
Newman at Cali … In 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Auto Club Speedway, Newman owns one pole and has earned five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. His best result of third place was in the May 2004 race. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of 14th and average finish of 17th. When calculating points earned over the last six races at Auto Club Speedway, Newman has collected the third most amount of points as a result of three top-five and five top-10 finishes.
Featured Caterpillar Dealer … Johnson Machinery will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS this weekend in the Auto Club 400.
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RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What are your thoughts racing at Auto Club Speedway this week?
“It’s really turned into a fun track. I like the fact that we can be four, five, and even six wide on the track. It makes it a lot of fun. When the tires fall off, the track is a lot of fun. It has a lot of character like the bumps in the back straightaway. I just really like racing there. When I first started in 2002, it wasn’t one of my favorites. Now, it’s turned into one that I really look forward to going to. I wish we could go there twice.”
What is the hardest thing to figure out about that place?
“I think it’s during practice. You have to figure out where you shake out in comparison to the other guys. One lap on your tires at a two-mile track that’s abrasive changes everything. It’s just getting an idea about how competitive you are according to how good your tires are is a key to figure out.”
Do the similar surfaces between Atlanta and California allow you to use anything from one track to the other?
“The setup for California is a lot different than Atlanta, but the way the car drives and the feel that you get as a driver are very similar because of the tire fall off.”
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Auto Club Speedway… In 47 Series starts at the two-mile speedway, RCR has captured one victory with driver Jeff Burton in 2007. The Welcome, N.C., organization has completed 6,831 laps of the 7,054 (96.8 percent) that they have competed. RCR has accumulated four pole awards, 16 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes, led 259 laps and averages a starting position of 10.5 and finishing position of 11.4.
Phoenix Review … Ty Dillon was the highest RCR finisher in sixth, Austin Dillon was seventh, Brandon Jones 11th and Brendan Gaughan 13th, respectively, in the XFINITY Series Phoenix 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.
The Points … All three RCR XFINITY Series full-time drivers remain in the top 10 of the driver point standings as the Series heads to Auto Club Speedway this weekend for the fourth event of the season. Ty Dillon is currently third, Brandon Jones is fifth and Brendan Gaughan is seventh. The No. 2 RCR team is fourth in the owner point standings. Brandon Jones is currently secondin the XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.
Catch the Action … Coverage of this weekend’s XFINITY Series 300 at Auto Club Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, March 19, beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX Sports 1. It will also be broadcast live on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.
This Week’s Rheem Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway … Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 177 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series 300 at Auto Club Speedway. This Chevrolet Camaro was built new for the 2016 season and will be put through its first competitive laps on Friday during practice.
Fontana Nuggets … In three previous XFINITY Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, Dillon has earned two top-five finishes. The RCR driver holds an average starting position of 7.3 coupled with an average finishing position of 16.0.
Happy 45th Anniversary! … The Rheem Fort Smith, Ark., plant recently celebrated its 45th year of operation. The plant manufactures the company’s award-winning line of commercial heating and cooling products. Fort Smith is also the headquarters of the Rheem Air Conditioning Division. The company’s Fort Smith operation plays a major role in making Rheem a world leader in technologically advanced heating, cooling and water heating products.
No. 2 Team by the Numbers … With four XFINITY Series events complete in 2016, the No. 2 team has three top-five and three top-10 finishes with five laps led to their credit. Dillon returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 2 Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
Lately, with the surface getting some age on it at Auto Club Speedway, it really seems like one of the better races. Do you feel that way?
“I love Auto Club Speedway. It’s a fun track. Just like Homestead-Miami Speedway, it’s worn out. There’s so many lines there that you can use to your advantage during the race. It’s definitely a fun place to race.”
This Week’s Bulwark / PAR Electrical Contractors Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway… Ty Dillon will pilot chassis No. 176 this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet Camaro is brand-new to the No. 3 team’s stable this season and will see its first track activity this Friday during practice.
Dillon at Auto Club Speedway… In two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at the two-mile speedway, Dillon has one top-10 finish, coming in March, 2014. Last season, Dillon finished 14th in the No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet Camaro.
Wishes for Warriors … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet will showcase “Wishes for Warriors” this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Wishes for Warriors is a veteran run, volunteer operated non-profit dedicated to returning hope and passion back into the lives of our combat wounded heroes, through therapeutic outdoor adventured, after experiencing a life altering injury. For more information, visit wishesforwarriorscorp.org.
TY DILLON QUOTES:
What do you like about Auto Club Speedway?
“Auto Club Speedway is probably one of my favorite tracks to race on the NASCAR circuit. It’s fast, it’s worn out, it’s challenging and the fans love it. I remember in 2014 when I made my first laps, actually in a Cup car during a test session, how much fun it was. There will be a lot of passing and a lot of hard-nosed racing. We’ve got our work cut out for us in practice on Friday to get this No. 3 Chevy right and set up for the race on Saturday.”
This Week’s Nexteer Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway … Brandon Jones will pilot Chassis No. 172 this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet Camaro was driven by Jones at Atlanta Motor Speedway last month where he finished 11th.
Rookie Out West …This weekend’s 300-mile event marks Jones’ first appearance at Auto Club Speedway. Jones has accumulated three starts on tracks larger than two miles in length across the NASCAR XFINITY Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards where he recorded two top-five finishes, one top-10 finish and seven laps led.
Welcome, Nexteer Automotive … Jones counts on Nexteer’s steering technology to deliver precise, high-performance under intense conditions. Mere seconds can mean the difference between winning and losing, so Richard Childress Racing chooses Nexteer – renowned for exceptional handling, performance and safety. Nexteer provides electric and hydraulic power steering systems, steering columns, driveline systems, advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and autonomous technologies to global manufactures. Nexteer Automotive, a Leader in Intuitive Motion Control. Visit nexteer.com for more information.
Rearview Mirror: Phoenix … Jones started the 200-lap race from the eighth position and remained a fixture inside the top 10 for most of the Phoenix 200. Crew chief Mike Hillman, Jr., utilized caution periods to service the No. 33 Chevrolet with four tires, fuel and chassis adjustment to keep the balance neutral as the track conditions changed in the heat of the afternoon. Jones was scored in the 10th position for the final restart but slipped to 11th before crossing the finish line.
Sign Here, Please … Jones is scheduled to sign autographs at the XFINITY Series autograph session on Friday, March 18 beginning at 4:15 p.m. Local Time in front of the main stage in the midway at Auto Club Speedway. Jones is also scheduled to make an appearance at the Team Chevy stage at 8:30 a.m. for a Q&A session on Saturday, March 19.
BRANDON JONES QUOTES:
What are your goals for the first practice session for the No. 33 Nexteer team at Auto Club Speedway?
“I’ll use the first practice to really get a feel for the track. I’ll sit with Mike (Hillman, Jr., crew chief) during the week and study notes and simulation runs to be able to get a grasp of what to expect when we get on track for the first time. The biggest thing is going out there and watching what my other RCR teammates are doing. There are some tricks to getting around that place, and I’ll lean on my teammates for help with those.”
The No. 33 Chevrolet will have a new look to it this weekend.
“Yes, we’ll have Nexteer on board with us this weekend at Auto Club (Speedway). It’s an honor to be able to represent Nexteer in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. I’ve been able to learn a lot about the company and all the technology they’ve developed with autonomous driving. I can’t wait to take the No. 33 Nexteer Chevrolet out on track for the first time and put on a show for all the Nexteer employees and customers.”
This Week’s South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway… Brendan Gaughan will pilot chassis No. 178 this weekend in the Auto Club 300 at Auto Club Speedway. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet Camaro is a new addition to the stable and will complete its first laps of competition during practice on Friday.
California Stats … In eight NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, Gaughan has accumulated one top-five and four top-10 finishes, earning his best finish of second at the track one year ago after starting eighth.
Did You Know … Gaughan holds the NASCAR West Series record on race time at Auto Club Speedway with 1:28:47 set in 2001 when he won the Widetrack Grand Prix 200.
This Week at the South Point … South Point Hotel & Casino will host the Silver Dollar Circuit Quarter Horse Show & Western Gift Expo March 15 – 20, 2016.The South Point Hotel and Casino is also home to the largest indoor equestrian center in the United States. The South Point Arena includes three competition venues and an indoor barn with more than 1200 stalls, which host 24 equestrian events each year. For more information, visit southpointcasino.com.
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading to Auto Club Speedway where you finished second last year?
“It is a fun race track, even though fans don’t like it as much due to the fact racing doesn’t stay as tight. California is one of the last tracks that we can still run on the apron with these splitters. The transition between the track and the apron is so subtle at Auto Club. We will cross the apron and run four tires flat in Turns three and four. As a driver, it’s so much fun with the seams at this track, they’re so difficult, and if you touch the seam the car is going to move. It is so cool there, we can go so wide because it’s so big. We can go three, four, even five-wide at some places.”
How much will you be in the outside lane for 300 miles?
“Unfortunately, everyone will be running the high line or outside lane. Early in my career, I just became comfortable driving that line and found ways to really make it work. So, I guess you can just say that it is my comfort zone.”
