GoBowling.com 400
Pocono Raceway
August 3, 2014
RCR at Pocono Raceway ... In 135 starts at Pocono Raceway, RCR team owner Richard Childress has two wins, both with Dale Earnhardt, who won on July 19, 1987 and July 18, 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole award, 16 top-five and 53 top-10 finishes with 599 laps led at the uniquely-shaped, three-turn track. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, contributed two of those top-10 finishes under the RCR banner.
RCR in the NSCS ... In 2,452 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 46 pole awards, 105 wins, 455 top-five finishes and 966 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 15.8. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, '87, '90, '91, '93 and '94, six NASCAR Nationwide 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 ... Throughout the season's first 20 races, RCR's Sprint Cup Series entries have earned one pole award with Austin Dillon at Daytona International Speedway in February. Collectively, the organization has notched six top-five and 19 top-10 finishes with drivers Dillon, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard. RCR's three full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers rank seventh (Newman), 14th (Dillon) and 16th (Menard) in the driver championship point standings.
RCR Indianapolis Motor Speedway Rewind ... RCR teammates Dillon, Newman and Menard finished 10th, 11th and 34th respectively, in the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard.
Save Kids' Lives by Joining the Childress Champions ... Help support the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma by selecting your favorite driver when making a bronze level donation of $33 (Austin Dillon), $27 (Paul Menard) or $31 (Ryan Newman) to CIPT. To make a tax deductable donation, visit: https://www.wakehealth.edu/OnlineGift.htm?fid=45. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma invests resources in research, education and awareness to improve the treatment for critically injured children in the U.S. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center was established through the generosity of Richard and Judy Childress. For more information, please visit www.InjuredKids.org.
Interactive RCR ... For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR's Twitter page - @RCRracing - along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages - @RCR3ADillon, @RCR27PMenard, @RCR31RNewman, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3 and @RyanJNewman. Information about the 15-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages - www.facebook.com/austindillon3 , www.facebook.com/PaulMenard27 and www.facebook.com/RyanNewmanNASCAR.
Catch the Action ... The GoBowling.com 400 will be televised live Sunday, August 3 beginning at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
This Week's American Ethanol Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway ... Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 475 in the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway. This is the same Chevrolet SS Dillon raced at Michigan International Speedway in June, where he ran in the top 10 for a majority of the event before making two unscheduled pit stops in the closing laps of the event, resulting in a 30th-place finish.
Dillon at Pocono Raceway ... Dillon made his first Sprint Cup Series start at Pocono Raceway in June, posting a 17th-place finish after starting 11th. He has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the triangle-shaped track, finishing seventh in 2010 and fifth in 2011.
Think Green ... RCR's No. 3 Chevrolet team will sport the black and green colors of American Ethanol this weekend at Pocono Raceway. 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. Since the program launch for the 2011 season, NASCAR® drivers have run more than 6 million miles on renewable Sunoco Green E15.
Get to the Points ... Dillon ranks 14th in the championship point standings heading into the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway.
Season-to-Date ...According to NASCAR's Loop Data Season-to-Date Statistics, Dillon leads the Sprint Cup Series in Laps Completed (5,660) and Green Flag Passes (2,334). He ranks eighth in the Closers category, advancing an average of 1.5 spots during the last 10 percent of each race.
Busy Week ... Dillon tested at Watkins Glen International on Monday and is scheduled to race his dirt late model for Team Dillon Racing at Boyd's Speedway in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Tuesday. On Thursday, Dillon is scheduled to participate in a media advance on behalf of Michigan International Speedway with Olympic Gold Medal-winning ice dancing pair Meryl Davis and Charlie White before visiting the General Motors Orion Assembly Plant in Orion Township, Michigan.
Double Duty ... In addition to driving the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series, Dillon is scheduled to compete in the No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager Silverado for RCR in the Camping World Truck Series' Pocono Mountains 150 on Saturday at Pocono Raceway. Watch the 2011 Camping World Truck Series Champion live on Saturday, August 2 at 1 p.m. Eastern on FOX Sports 1.
Meet Dillon ... Dillon is scheduled to participate in a question-and-answer session at Pocono Raceway from 9:30 to 9:45 a.m. at the Team Chevy Stage on Sunday, August 3.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
Do you feel like you learned a lot at Pocono Raceway in June that will help this time around?
"I learned a lot in June that I think we can apply to the August race. We're building a notebook we can apply to the second half of the season. All of our Richard Childress Racing cars are getting better each and every week, it's a work in progress. We're working hard at every level of our organization. I'm looking forward to going to tracks for the second time. Pocono Raceway is unique in that you have three different corners to set up for. One's flat, one's banked and one's just a weird corner. I'm up for the challenge."
This Week's CertainTeed / Menards Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway ... This weekend in the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway, Paul Menard and the No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet SS team will race chassis No. 463. This Chevrolet SS was previously raced at Darlington Raceway and Pocono Raceway where Menard finished 41st and 26th, respectively.
Menard at Pocono ... In 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, Menard has an average starting position of 19th and an average finish of 20.5. Menard has completed 96.4 percent of the laps around the 2.5-mile track. The Eau Claire, Wis., native also has two top-10 finishes in Pocono.
About CertainTeed ... CertainTeed Corporation is a leading North American manufacturer of building materials including roofing, vinyl and fiber cement siding, trim, fence, railing, decking, foundations, insulation, gypsum, ceilings, and pipe products. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, CertainTeed has approximately 6,000 employees and 65 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. CertainTeed is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the top 100 industrial companies in the world. Saint-Gobain employs approximately 19,000 people in North America and approximately 109,000 people in 64 countries world-wide. Saint-Gobain's North American companies operate 130 manufacturing facilities in industries as diverse as industrial ceramics and containers, reinforcements and flat glass, abrasives, and building materials. For more information, please visit www.certainteed.com.
Season-to-date ... Through the first 20 Sprint Cup Series races of the 2014 season, Menard has completed 5,544 of 5,671 laps contested (97.8 percent), led 45 laps and is currently 16th in the driver point standings.
What's Your Point ... After finishing 34th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Menard moved in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings and sits 16th, only eight markers out of 14th, heading into Pocono this weekend.
Looking Back ... Menard qualified 23rd for the spring Pocono event and raced his way in to the top 10 before mechanical issues relegated the team to a 26th-place finish.
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
They say that if you run well at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you run well at Pocono Raceway. Do you buy in to that?
"Not really. They are totally different race tracks. A lot of the same principles apply as far as they both have long straightaways and you need good horsepower. They're so different setup-wise that there's not a whole lot that translates. The way you drive and the shifting at Pocono isn't something you do at Indy. You just do a lot of different things with how you drive the race car."
What did you learn from the first Pocono race this year that you can use this time?
"It feels like we just left Pocono and now we're talking about going back so it's definitely spaced very close together. The rumble strips are really a non-issue. They wanted it to be an issue, but it's not a problem since we don't run down there anyways. We definitely learned some things last time that we will apply this time."
This Week's Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS at Pocono Raceway ... Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 462 in Sunday's GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway. This chassis was utilized in two Sprint Cup Series events so far in 2014 (California Speedway - 20th and Kansas Speedway - 11th).
Newman at the Tricky Triangle ... In 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Pocono Raceway, Newman drove to victory lane in the second summer event of 2003. The "Rocket Man" also owns two pole awards. In total, he's recorded nine top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. He has led 184 laps in competition. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of 10th and average finish of 12th. In the last six races at Pocono, the RCR driver ranks second in most points earned. Plus, Newman's first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards start came at Pocono Raceway in 2000 where he started on the outside pole and won the race.
Engineered to Amaze ... Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation's fourth largest retail home mortgage lender. The company closed a record $80 billion of volume across all 50 states in 2013. Quicken Loans generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Scottsdale, Arizona. The company also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among all home mortgage lenders in the United States by J.D. Power for four consecutive years in 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010.
Quicken Loans was named among the top-30 companies on FORTUNE magazine's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for the last 11 consecutive years, ranking #5 in 2014. It ranked in the top-15 of Computerworld magazine's "100 Best Places to Work In Technology" for the past nine years, ranking #1 in 2013. The company moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010, and now more than 8,500 of its 10,000-plus team members work in the city's urban core. For more information about Quicken Loans, please visit www.quickenloans.com, on Twitter at @QLnews, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/QuickenLoans.
Paint Your Way To Dover ... Quicken Loans has launched an exciting contest for fans to design a paint scheme for the No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet to run at the Monster Mile on September 28. One lucky winner will win a trip to Dover International Speedway and see their car design in action on the high-banked oval. Fans can go to QLRacing.com to register and design their car. The deadline to submit a paint scheme is August 3.
Where's Ryan? ... On Sunday, Newman is scheduled to participate in a question and answer session at the Chevy Stage located in the Pocono Raceway midway at 9:55 a.m. ET.
Point of Interest ... Newman ranks seventh in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings entering this weekend's the GoBowling.com 400 at the Pocono Raceway.
Pocono Rewind ... In the closing laps of the June 8 event, a multi-car crash occurred behind Newman who was in the 11th position. The caution set up a 12-lap shootout to the finish. Newman drove Richard Childress Racing's No. 31 WIX Filters Chevrolet SS to a seventh-place finish.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
What are your expectations upon returning to Pocono Raceway?
"I am looking forward to returning to Pocono Raceway. I expect it to be even better to race on the second time around because it should have held and retained some of the rubber we pushed down in the asphalt back in June. Plus, I think we learned a lot from Indy this past weekend that should help us for this weekend's race. Based on how we ran in June and what we did this past Sunday, we should have a shot at contending for the win this weekend."
How is your team now in comparison to where you were almost two month ago when you raced at Pocono?
"I think we are better. We now have two top-fives in the last four races and should have had at least a top-10 at Indy, but just got a little behind on track position at midway. Our performances are definitely better heading into this race in comparison to last time. Our goal at the halfway point is to make sure we are putting ourselves into contention to win and that means being in the top five and not in the top 10. I think this team is definitely hitting our stride at the right time, especially considering how tough the competition is. We've progressed as a team. I think we still have some improvement when I look at how good this team is and where it can be. Collectively, the No. 31 team is doing a really good job at giving me competitive Chevrolets everywhere. We just need to bring winning Chevrolets everywhere. Come Chase time, we are going to have to be there."
Event: U.S. Cellular 250 presented by New Holland
Date: Saturday, August 2, 2014
Location: Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa
Richard Childress Racing at Iowa ... With 19 starts at the 7/8-mile oval, Richard Childress Racing returns with Nationwide Series drivers Brian Scott, Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan after all three finished in the top-12 in May. RCR has led 438 laps, visited victory lane once with Elliott Sadler in 2012 and earned five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. Austin Dillon started from the pole in the June 2013 race and drove to a second-place finish.
Kissing the Bricks ... After qualifying third for the Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team's strong performance throughout the day earned Ty Dillon his first NASCAR Nationwide Series Sunoco Checkered Flag.
#Dash4Cash ... Ty Dillon recorded his first career Series win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, earning him the Nationwide Series Dash4Cash $100,000 bonus. Heading into the fourth and final round of the program, Ty Dillon and Brian Scott are eligible for $100,000 bonus at Iowa Speedway.
Recap of Brickyard... Ty Dillon, Paul Menard, Brian Scott and Brendan Gaughan posted first, sixth, seventh and 19th-place finishes, respectively, in the Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Getting to the Points ... Ty Dillon is currently fourth in the Nationwide Series driver point standings, only 15 points from the leader, Brian Scott is fifth, and Brendan Gaughan is eighth as the Series heads to Iowa Speedway.
Social Media ... To stay on track with the latest news, information and to view exclusive, behind the scenes content visit RCR's Twitter page - @RCRracing, RCR's NASCAR Nationwide Series team Twitter pages - @RCR2BScott, @RCR3TDillon and @RCR62BGaughan. RCR's Nationwide Series driver Twitter pages - @bscottracing, @tydillon and @Brendan62. For additional photos, news and video log on to rcrracing.com.
Iowa Coverage... Coverage of this weekend's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, August 2, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. It will also be broadcasted live on MRN and SiriusXM channel 90.
