Catchfence

Austin Dillon

Event: Heluva Good! 200 – September 19, 2009

Venue: New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, N.H.

· This Week’s RCR 40th Anniversary Chevrolet Silverado at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 021 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series stable in this weekend’s Heluva Good! 200. This Chevrolet Silverado was purchased from Kevin Harvick Inc. earlier this season, and Dillon finished 12th with it in his NCWTS debut two weeks ago at Iowa Speedway. Last year, this former No. 2 KHI entry ran in five NCTWS races, earning one pole, two top-10 and four top-20 finishes. This chassis currently holds the Martinsville Speedway track qualifying record, set by Jack Sprague with a fast lap of 19.65 seconds last March.

· Truck Series Debut Recap … Dillon qualified ninth in his NCWTS debut at Iowa Speedway on September 5. On lap 74, Dillon spun out, but recovered to finish 12th.

o History of the No. 3 Truck … The 19-year-old Dillon is the third driver to compete in RCR’s No. 3 entry, joining Mike Skinner, who drove the GM Goodwrench-sponsored entry from1995 to 1996, and Jay Sauter, who took the reigns in 1997 and drove the No. 3 truck until Childress ended his involvement in the series in 1999 to pursue racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

o Family Values … Dillon is a third-generation NASCAR driver. His grandfather, Richard Childress, made 285 Sprint Cup Series starts between 1969 and 1981, earning six top-five and 76 top-10 finishes. Austin’s father, Mike Dillon, drove from 1995 to 2001 in each of NASCAR’s top-three series, including three starts in the NCWTS from 1997 to 1998.

· Dillon Familiar with the No. 3 … In addition to his NCWTS start in the No. 3 at Iowa Speedway on Labor Day Weekend, Dillon has raced the No. 3 Chevrolet in 15 NASCAR Camping World Series East starts, earning one win, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. He also has driven Team Dillon Racing’s No. 3 Asphalt and Dirt Late Models since 2005.

· Repeat Performance … This weekend’s race marks the third time Dillon will compete at the 1.058-mile NHMS. He raced in both NCWSE events last year, scoring the pole for the June Heluva Good! 125 on his way to a fourth-place finish. In September 2008, Dillon started 15th and finished fifth in the Heluva Good! Fall 125, which helped him capture the title of NCWSE Rookie of the Year.

· Oh, Brother … Dillon’s younger brother, Ty, is also competing at NHMS this weekend. On Friday, the 17 year-old will make his third career start in the NASCAR Camping World Series East in the Heluva Good! Fall 125, driving the No. 3 Mom n’ Pops Country Ham Chevrolet in the Heluva Good! Fall 125.

· Multitasking … While pursuing his racing career, Dillon is not ignoring his academic growth. He is currently enrolled as a freshman at High Point University, where he is studying at the Nido R. Quebin School of Communications. Earlier this season, the University sponsored Dillon in a NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Iowa Speedway.

· RCR’s 130-plus Truck Series Starts … This weekend marks the 131st start by an RCR entry in a NCWTS event. In all, RCR-prepared trucks have earned 20 wins, including the inaugural race with Skinner at Phoenix International Raceway in 1995. Along with Skinner, drivers including Mike Dillon, Bill Cooper, Dave Marcis, Jay Sauter and Jim Sauter have recorded 59 top-five and 85 top-10 finishes for the organization. Skinner captured the inaugural NCWTS championship title for RCR in 1995.

· Race Broadcast Information … The Heluva Good! 200 will be televised live on Saturday, September 19 on SPEED beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying will begin the same day at 10:05 a.m. EDT.

· 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. EDT. 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 Quotes:

How do you feel about making another start in the NCWTS?

“I’m really excited about New Hampshire. I’ve been there in a (NASCAR) Camping World Series East car before, so I have some experience. The truck series usually puts on a wild race, so it should be a lot of fun. I think we’ll have a good truck. It’ll be fun to drive the (No.) 3 truck again and to see what the fans in New Hampshire think about it. We were able to run it in the East series there, and it’s a lot of fun and an honor to drive that number. I think we should be pretty decent.”

What’s the biggest difference between the NASCAR Nationwide Series cars and the NCWTS trucks?

“The biggest difference between the two is definitely the splitter. You have to work around the splitter the entire time in practice, just making sure nothing’s hitting or dragging. Racing-wise, the difference is, once you get around cars, the aero is twice as important because you’ve got such a big side board with the right side door. When you get close to people and the air gets taken off the truck, it goes really fast, so you’ve got to be careful when you’re racing in tight quarters. You can take the air off other people and it’ll turn you around.”

Do you think the trucks make for wilder racing than the Nationwide Series cars?

“You’re still fighting for every position each lap in both series, and you’re running as hard as you can. At New Hampshire, like I said with the air and the trucks, when they get really close and someone tries to pass there, you get really loose when you’re on the inside of someone. That’s the biggest thing. Someone will drive off into the corner a little too hot and end up wrecking entering the corner.

- Richard Childress Racing Press Release