Catchfence

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes:

RCR Rocks Daytona … Dating back to 1986, RCR has won seven poles and owns 27 total victories at the most storied race track on the circuit. RCR owns two Daytona 500 wins (Dale Earnhardt – 1998, Kevin Harvick – 2007), two Coke Zero 400 trophies (Earnhardt – 1990, 1993) and 13 qualifying races, including 10 straight victories with Earnhardt (1990 – 1999). Most recently, Harvick became the fourth driver to win back-to-back Budweiser Shootout titles (2009 and 2010) and it marked the seventh win in the exhibition race for RCR, more than any other organization. In addition to Harvick’s victories, Earnhardt won the event five times (1986, ’88, ’91, ’93, and ’95). Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Feb. 2002 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona, driving a car fielded by RCR. Harvick drove to Victory Lane in the 2007 NNS opener in the No. 21 Chevrolet and Clint Bowyer won the July 2009 NNS race at the “World Center of Racing.”

RCR Sprint Cup Stats … In 118 points-paying Sprint Cup Series races at the historic 2.5-mile Daytona Beach race course, RCR has four wins, 10 poles, 28 top-five and 50 top-10 finishes and have led 1,520 laps. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s premier division, earned two of those top 10s between February 1976 and July 1980.

The Collective RCR … Over the season’s first 17 races, RCR’s three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries have notched 11 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. The No. 29 team kicked off the 2010 season with a win in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona and followed that up with a win at Talladega Superspeedway in April. RCR-prepared Chevrolets have also completed 15,495 out of 16,104 total laps (96.2 percent) with drivers Bowyer, Burton and Harvick, who have led a combined 525 laps. At least one RCR driver has led laps in the season’s first 17 events with the lone exceptions being Phoenix and Michigan.

Get to the Points … With nine races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup, all three of RCR’s Sprint Cup Series drivers are in the top 15 of the overall championship point standings following last weekend’s race in Loudon. Shell-Pennzoil driver Harvick remains atop the standings, for the eighth consecutive week, and leads Caterpillar driver Burton, in eighth, by 330 markers. Cheerios/Hamburger Helper-sponsored driver Bowyer slipped one spot, to 15th, in the standings but is a mere 16 points in arrears to the 12th-place tally.

Commercial Darlings … Bowyer, Burton and Harvick will be featured in two commercials scheduled to air during the Coke Zero 400 race broadcast on TNT. Coca-Cola’s commercial revolves around the Coke Zero Fan 400 promotion where fans can vote for their favorite Coca-Cola Family racing driver online at www.cokezero.com. Fans can enjoy a victory chug with the winning driver by way of a free Coke Zero. Goodyear’s 30-second spot focuses on a military initiative where a Support our Troops message will appear on all race tire sidewalls on all Sprint Cup Series entries. Information on this program can be found at www.supportourtroops.org.

RCR on Twitter … To keep up-to-date with the latest news and information and to view exclusive content, visit RCR’s Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages – @RCR29KHarvick, @RCR31JeffBurton and @RCR33CBowyer.

Catch the Action … Live coverage of the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola from Daytona International Speedway will be televised on TNT Saturday, July 3, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and will also broadcast worldwide on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 18th points-paying event on the 2010 calendar will be televised on SPEED Friday, July 2, beginning at 4 p.m. EDT.

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release