Catchfence

Richard Childress Racing

RACE: ARCA 200

TRACK: Daytona International Speedway

DATE: February 12, 2011

Race Highlights:

- Ty Dillon earned his second career Menards Pole Award and set the fastest qualifying time in the ARCA Racing Series since 2001.

- Dillon led the field to the green flag and ran in the second position for the first 17 laps of the race.

- Tim George Jr. started ninth and ran as high as eighth during the 80-lap contest.

- The race was slowed five times for 30 laps; not since 2004 has an ARCA race at Daytona been halted by so few caution periods.

- RCR teammates finished 11th (Ty Dillon) and 27th (Tim George Jr).

- Veteran ARCA Racing Series competitor Bobby Gerhart earned a historic seventh win in ARCA’s season-opening race at Daytona, a series record. He was followed to the finish line by Chris Buescher, Matt Merrell, Ricky Carmichael and Jason Bowles.

Bad Luck Prevails in Closing Laps of Season Opener for George Jr.

After posting quick laps in practice sessions and qualifying ninth for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, Tim George Jr. and the No. 31 Gere Kennon-led Richard Childress Racing team suffered a couple of setbacks in the closing stages of the 80-lap ARCA race that resulted in a 27th-place result.

Although the finish doesn’t reflect how the New York, N.Y., native ran in the beginning and middle stages of the showdown, drafting between the eighth and 26th spots, contact made to the left-rear quarter panel of the No. 31 Chevrolet during a multi-car incident left George Jr. with a tire rub when the field returned to green-flag racing on lap 70. The unfortunate circumstance forced him to visit pit road a couple laps later and, upon exiting, ARCA officials penalized George Jr. for speeding.

The punishment was in the form of a pass-thru penalty that returned the 30-year-old driver to competition two laps down where he finished 27th in the rundown.

Start - 9

Finish - 27

Laps Led - 0

TIM GEORGE JR QUOTE:

“Our strategy was to hold back and push Ty (Dillon) up to the front late then battle for the lead. With 10 laps to go or so, I got tapped trying to avoid a multi-car spin. The RCR Chevrolet had a tire rub and I had to pit under green (flag conditions) but had to return a lap later to serve a speeding penalty, even though I saw all green on my tachometer. It was unfortunate. That car could have won.

The No. 31 RCR crew did a great job preparing the car for drafting and I was turning 46′s (seconds) while most were running in the 47′s. Plate racing for Richard Childress is a great experience. It just didn’t work out for us this time, but we are going to be a contender at Talladega.”

Ty Dillon Earns Pole Award and Finishes 11th in ARCA Race at Daytona

Ty Dillon earned his second career Menards pole award and gained valuable experience en route to an 11th-place finish in Saturday’s ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race at Daytona International Speedway.

The 18-year-old grandson of Richard Childress, driving a No. 41 University of Northwestern Ohio Chevrolet, posted a 185.533 mph/48.509 second lap during qualifying on Friday, making him the fastest qualifier in the ARCA Racing Series since 2001. Dillon led the 41-car starting field to the green flag for Saturday’s 200-mile/80-lap race.

He settled into the second position until attempting to pass using the outside line on lap 17, a move that relegated the Chevrolet to a position midway through the field. Just one lap later, a car spun directly in front of Dillon and made slight contact with the left front fender of the No. 41 Chevrolet.

Dillon promptly drove down pit road, where RCR’s No. 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team pit crew made a series of repairs to the vehicle. Restarting the race in the 37th position on lap 22, Dillon was able to work his way up to 11th before the checkered flag flew.

Start – First

Finish – 11

Points Position - Eighth (tied)

TY DILLON QUOTE:

“The car in front of me started spraying oil, and then he got a little bit loose off of the corners, so at that point I made the decision to try and go around him on the outside, but nobody went with me and I got shuffled to the back of the field. Looking back, if I would have just waited a couple of more laps we had that caution flag come out and it would have turned out much differently. But, we learned, and that is what is most important. It was a wild race. There were a couple of crashes that I had to steer through. You just learn from things like that.”

- Richard Childress Racing Press Release