Catchfence

Austin Dillon

Event: CARFAX 250 – August 15, 2009

Venue: Michigan International Speedway – Brooklyn, Mich.

· This weekend’s Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Impala SS at Michigan International Speedway… Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 080 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable in this Saturday’s CARFAX 250. Built new in 2009, this Impala SS will be put through its first paces this weekend.

· Fifth NASCAR Nationwide Series Start … Dillon, a Lewisville, N.C., native, is attempting to qualify for his fifth career NNS race. In his four previous NNS starts, Dillon has one top-five result, which came at Memphis last season, and an average finishing position of 22nd.

· Dillon’s Collective 2009 Stats … In nine stock car races this season, including races in the NASCAR Camping World Series, ARCA RE/MAX Series and NNS competition, Dillon has earned seven top-20 finishes, including three second-place finishes. He boasts a solid 15th-place average finish and has completed 95.3 percent (1495 of 1569) of the laps contested.

· Second Time Around … Dillon is attempting to make his second career start at the two-mile Irish Hills oval. Dillon finished second, after starting 36th, in the ARCA Series race at MIS this past June.

· College Bound … Next Wednesday, Dillon will report to High Point University for freshman orientation. The soon-to-be Panther is studying at the Nido R. Quebin School of Communications at the North Carolina institution Dillon will balance a full-time college schedule with his selected starts, the next of which will come in two weeks at Chicagoland Speedway in the ARCA Series.

· RCR at Michigan … In 20 previous NNS starts at MIS, RCR has one win (Kevin Harvick – 2003), along with five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. In addition, RCR-prepared Chevrolets have earned a 13.6 average finish and completed 2474 of the 2479 (99.8 percent) of the laps contested.

· Race Broadcast Information … The CARFAX 250 will be televised live on ESPN2 on Saturday, August 15 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast on MRN and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 23rd event of the 2009 NNS season will air on the same day beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT on SPEED. MRN and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio will also broadcast live updates of time trials.

· Mark Your Calendars … In honor of its 40th anniversary, RCR will host a Fan Day at the Welcome, N.C. complex on Thursday, October 22 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET. Activities include driver and pit crew autograph sessions, self-guided tours of RCR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide shops as well as ECR’s engine shop, radio remotes, musical entertainment, pit crew competition, viewing of the DALE movie, question-and-answer session with team owner Richard Childress and much more. General admission to RCR’s Fan Day is just $5, which will benefit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma.

· Online With the Times … To keep up with the latest news and information about Richard Childress Racing and to view exclusive online content, visit the team’s official website at www.RCRRacing.com. For qualifying and race results, check us out at www.twitter.com/RCRRacing.

AUSTIN DILLON Quote:

“I’m excited to be heading to Michigan for the second time. I learned a lot in my first race there and hope to apply some of the things I’ve learned during that race to our No. 2 Chevrolet this weekend. Everyone on our team has done a great job this year, especially guiding me along the Nationwide Series learning curve. I’m beginning to understand the bigger engine size and heavier stock cars in the series. Hopefully, we can carry over some of the momentum we’ve had in our other racing effort to our Nationwide program this weekend. “

DAN DEERINGHOFF (Crew Chief) Quote:

“Austin did a great job the first time we came here and that definitely builds up our confidence. The biggest challenge we’re going to face at Michigan is getting our Chevy to roll through the centers well in order to get back to the throttle quickly. The competition is going to be stronger because of the number of Cup drivers taking part in the Nationwide race at Michigan, but we are confident we can leave there with a top-20 finish.”

- Richard Childress Racing Press Release