RCR Race Preview: Circuit Of The Americas

Richard Childress Racing at Circuit of The Americas… RCR has six starts at the 3.410-mile, 20-turn road course in Austin, Texas with two top-five and four top-10 finishes led by Kyle Busch’s second-place finish in 2023. RCR has one pole position at COTA, with Tyler Reddick at the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race in 2021.

RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Circuit of The Americas… RCR has five starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Circuit of The Americas led by Austin Hill’s second-place finish in 2022. The Welcome, N.C., company has collected three other top-10 finishes.

Catch Saturday’s Action… The Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas will be televised live on Saturday, March 23 at 5 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 in Austin… The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will be televised live on Sunday, March 24 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. The race will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Circuit of The Americas… Austin Dillon has made three previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Circuit of The Americas, finishing 10th in 2022 and earning a 12th-place finish in 2021. Dillon showed speed, gained stage points, and had a strong race before a late-race incident in 2023.

Delivering Performance on the Track and For the Planet… Dillon will race the Get Bioethanol Chevy at the Circuit of The Americas, showcasing the performance benefits of racing with earth kind and engine-smart bioethanol blended fuel, Sunoco Green E15. Whether it’s delivering cleaner and cooler high-octane on the racetrack or a more affordable option for summer road trips, plant-based bioethanol makes a positive impact on our planet. NASCAR drivers have now officially raced 23 million NASCAR miles driven on Sunoco Green E15, a notable milestone for the environment as NASCAR’s partnership with Get Bioethanol has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent across its three national touring series while also increasing horsepower on the track. Learn more about bioethanol at getbioethanol.com.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

What are your thoughts on Circuit of The Americas?

“COTA is an exciting and technically challenging track to race on. There is a lot of havoc created in Turn One. The new restart rule should resolve some of these issues. At the end of the race last year, we were wiped out in Turn One after running very well inside the top 10. In several areas, there is new pavement, and several spots on the track have been patched. I feel like the key to the race will be having good pit stops and keeping our Get Bioethanol Chevy clean.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Mark III Employee Benefits Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Circuit of The Americas… Kyle Busch scored a second-place finish one year ago at Circuit of The Americas, his best finish in three starts at the 3.410-mile road course and first top-five effort. The driver of the Mark III Employee Benefits Chevrolet has two top 10s and has completed all 198 possible laps. His best starting position entering this weekend is fourth-place, which came in the first-ever Cup event at the track located in Austin, Texas. Busch won from the pole position in his only NASCAR Xfinity Series race at COTA in 2021, leading 35 of 46 laps. The Las Vegas, Nev., native has two NASCAR Truck Series starts at Circuit of The Americas, highlighted by a second-place finish in 2023.

Road Course Prowess… In 2023, Busch racked up three top-five finishes and finished with the fourth most points scored in road course races in the Cup Series. Busch has 52 career road course starts at NASCAR’s highest level and has racked up four wins (two at Sonoma Raceway and two at Watkins Glen International) plus 19 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes.

About Mark III Employee Benefits… Mark III Employee Benefits is a family owned, operated, and licensed brokerage and consulting firm since 1973 and is the benefits provider for Richard Childress Racing. The company serves over 150 public sector clients and insure over 300,000 employees throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Mark III Employee Benefits is qualified to evaluate, design, implement, manage, and enhance overall benefits program. Services and areas of expertise for the company include medical consulting, benefit administration, compliance updates, wellness programs and online enrollment platforms. For more information, log on to https://markiiieb.com/.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

Have you seen where the track at Circuit of The Americas has been repaved and patched? How will that impact the race?

“I don’t think it’s going to impact the race any. I think they got rid of a bump on the exit of turn one, and I think they did a little bit into the backstretch straightaway through 12 or 13, and then out of the carousel and into 19. I don’t foresee it changing a whole lot. Like you’ll have lack of grip probably through the carousel, and then you’ll pick up the grip on the exit and be able to go much faster through 19. But then out of 19, it’s back to the old asphalt and Turn 20 is very slow with old asphalt being as slick as it is. I don’t know that it really opens up any more opportunities of passing or anything like that, just smoother surface I would imagine.”

Last year at Circuit of The Americas there were four cautions in the last 15 laps of the race. How mentally challenging is that for a driver?

“I would say that last year’s caution periods towards the end of the race were a challenge because you kept having to go through the restarts so thinking about what line you wanted to line up in and where you needed to be in order to position yourself for the restart all the dive bombs and the disrespect that keeps happening getting into Turn 1 is always an issue so you’ve got to be ready for that, mindful that you know that’s going to be happening so from there you hope for the best.”

Do you prefer stage cautions on road courses or had you rather the race stay green?

“I do not prefer stage cautions on road courses and don’t think that they should be there because of the fact that people jump the stages or they stay out in order to steal points from those that jumped the stages knowing when the cautions are going to fall. I definitely feel like it throws off the strategy of the race for a lot of people but when we were at Watkins Glen last fall, we needed those stage cautions so we could put ourselves back in position when we got behind on our pit road issues.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro SS at Circuit of The Americas… Jesse Love will make his inaugural Xfinity Series start at Circuit of The Americas this Saturday. Despite making his first road course start behind of the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet, the 19-year-old has experience at the Austin, Texas circuit. Love competed in three endurance racing events at the 3.41-mile course in 2023.

Career-Best Finish… With a second-place effort at Phoenix Raceway, Love not only captured his first top-five result but his career-best Xfinity Series finish.

ROTY Leader… Through four races, Love continues to lead the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings. After a top-five finish in Arizona, the Menlo Park, California native extended his lead to 44 points over second-place Shane van Gisbergen.

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.

Meet Love… On Saturday, March 23 at 12:50 p.m. local time, Love is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Zone at Circuit of The Americas. Stop by to meet the rookie driver and purchase new gear.

JESSE LOVE QUOTES:

What are your thoughts heading into your first road course race at Circuit of The Americas?

“I enjoy road course racing and I think I’m pretty good at it. I enjoy racing at COTA and it’s probably my best road course. I have a decent amount of laps there compared to other road courses we’ll go to this season. With those laps under my belt, I know the intricacies of the place, so I know what needs to be done behind the wheel instead of guessing. Leading into this weekend, I’ve done a lot of sim time and work with Josh Wise and Scott Speed. I feel like it’s an easy way to set yourself apart when you know more than the guy next to you. It matters more on a road course compared to an oval.”

Four races into the season. Assess how the year has started for the No. 2 team.

“Up and down. With the exception of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, I feel like we have had a shot to run really well – whether that be competing for the win, or a top-five finish. At Phoenix Raceway, I tried to run 90-95% and have a smooth day without issues. Going into COTA, I’m going to be aggressive and drive hard. Now that we’ve had a good run, I want to go win and lock ourselves into the Playoffs.”

Do you prefer stage cautions on road courses or had you rather the race stay green?

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Circuit of The Americas… Austin Hill has two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Circuit of The Americas, posting a best finish of second in 2022. Last season, Hill faced a mechanical problem that retired the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet early on lap 13. The Winston, Georgia native also has one NASCAR Truck Series start at the Austin, Texas facility, earning a ninth-place finish in 2021.

Bennett in the Lone Star State… McDonough, Georgia-based Bennett Transportation and Logistics is two-stepping into Texas with the support of three of their local companies. BOSS, RoadMasters, and American Eagle logos will adorn the decklid of the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro, representing Bennett Family of Companies’ Texas footprint in the transportation and logistics industry. A quarter of the company’s employees live in the great state of Texas, handling freight with truckers coming in and out of the state every day, and over 30 Texas-based employees, drivers, customers, and freight agents will be on property to cheer on Hill.

Did You Know? Hill is one of only two drivers who have finished inside the top-five in each of the first four Xfinity Series events. The 29-year-old has opened the 2024 campaign with two consecutive wins and two consecutive fourth-place results.

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 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit www.bennettig.com.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

How are you feeling heading into the first road course race of the season?

“I feel confident in our road course package. Over the last two years, our No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team has continued to build a notebook of info for our road course package, and I think it’s in a good place. Last year at COTA, we had a shifting issue during the race, and we were only able to race a total of 13 laps. That issue was resolved quickly, so we should be able to have another strong run like our rookie season together. Our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet has been consistent the first four races this season, so the top-five streak has a good chance of continuing. It’s not going to be easy though with the depth of good road course racers in the field.”

-RCR-