Author: Official Release

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… In 86 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing boasts 12 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. In 2023, Kyle Busch led RCR with a third-place finish in the fall event at the Nevada oval.

RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… RCR has five wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, most recently by Austin Hill in March 2023. Other drivers to win in Xfinity Series competition for the Welcome, N.C.-based organization include Kevin Harvick (2004), Jeff Burton (2007), Austin Dillon (2015) and Tyler Reddick (2019). RCR has racked up four poles in the Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with drivers Kevin Harvick (2007), Ty Dillon (2014), A. Dillon (2015) and Myatt Snider (2020).

Moving on to the Round of 8… After last week’s Round of 12 conclusion at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, both Richard Childress Racing drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series advanced to the Round of 8. Austin Hill currently holds the third position in the driver championship point standings, nine points behind leader Justin Allgaier. Jesse Love enters as the sixth place seed, 12 points below the cutline.

Catch the Action on Saturday… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, October 19, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Sunday’s Action at Las Vegas… The NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, October 20, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… In 18 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Austin Dillon has two top-five and three top-10 finishes. Dillon has completed 99.7 percent of all the laps run at the 1.5-mile oval. Dillon finished 16th earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Former Winner… Dillon is a two-time winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion went to Victory Lane in Xfinity Series competition at the track in March 2015, leading 183 of the scheduled 200 laps. Dillon also earned a NASCAR Truck Series win at the track in September 2010.

The Carolina Cowboys Finish Out the Season in Las Vegas… As the General Manager of the Carolina Cowboys, a professional bull riding team in the PBR Team Series, Dillon has spent much of this week managing his roster of cowboys as they prepare for the PBR Teams Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Cowboys head into Las Vegas as the No. 2 seed in the PBR Team Series Standings with 18 wins, nine losses, and one tie.

About Boot Barn… What started out as one store in 1978 has since become the largest western and work wear retailer in the nation. We say that our customers feed America, build America, and protect America. With an uncompromising desire to support the local communities we serve, we proudly offer the broadest selection of cowboy boots, work boots, western wear, workwear, western-inspired fashion, and outdoor gear. It is an honor to support the varying lifestyles of the people who make our country so great.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

What are your thoughts on Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

“Las Vegas Motor Speedway has always been one of my favorite tracks. It’s big, fast, bumpy, and it has a lot of lines that you can choose from. I’m looking forward to going there this weekend in the No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet. Being able to turn through the bumps in Turn 1 is very important. In Turn 3, you can’t miss the entry. The track has gotten a lot of character over the last couple of years, and that is what makes it fun to drive. We’re on a mission on the No. 3 team to turn our luck around and Las Vegas is the perfect place to do that.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 FICO Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Kyle Busch made his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 7, 2004, and since then, he has gone on to achieve much success at his home track. Busch will make his 27th Cup Series start this weekend at the Nevada oval. He won from the pole position in 2009 and remains the only driver in track history to accomplish the feat. The Las Vegas native has racked up 12 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes, including five top-five results in the last seven Las Vegas races (dating back to 2021). Busch also has secured two pole positions (2008 and 2009) at the 1.5-mile track.

An Impressive Track Record… Busch owns numerous Cup Series records at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 2009, he became the youngest race winner (23 years, 9 months, and 27 days) in track history. Among active drivers Busch owns the most top-five finishes (12) and starts (26).

Welcome FICO… FICO, Richard Childress Racing and Busch are teaming up to raise awareness about the need for financial education. For the millions of NASCAR fans across the country, knowledge about money, financial planning, how credit works and the importance of building good financial habit are critical life skills. FICO, RCR and Busch want to share information and resources so that everyone in the NASCAR community can achieve their financial goals, such as paying for education, buying a home, or running a business.

FICO is a leading analytics software firm best known for its gold standard FICO® Score. Learn more about the FICO, RCR and Busch partnership, here: https://www.fico.com/en/newsroom/fico-and-richard-childress-racing-kick-financial-and-credit-education-partnership-nascar.

Meet Busch… On Saturday, October 19 at 12 Noon local time, Busch is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Fan Zone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Wristband will be required for access.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

You ran well at the spring race in Las Vegas Motor Speedway. How satisfying would it be to run strong again and finish well at this race?

“We did run well there in the spring so it would be really nice to back up that run this weekend. Since the summer break, we have gotten faster as a group thanks to all the effort and hard work by everyone at RCR and ECR. Now we just need to put a whole race together in order to score a win.”

Do you agree that racing at the mile-and-a-half tracks has been good recently?

“I would say that there have been some good races on the mile-and-a-half race tracks this year. We have definitely seen some exciting finishes and some great battles.”

The Cup Series race has an early start time on Sunday. Would you be in favor of starting Cup Series races earlier in the day instead of mid-afternoon?

“I think the start times for Cup Series races should always be around the 1 p.m. local time window wherever we are.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Jesse Love has made one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, coming earlier this season in just the third race of his rookie campaign. The 19-year-old showed speed throughout the event but had problems on pit road before finishing in the 17th position. Growing up in Menlo Park, California, Love attended races at the 1.5-mile oval in person throughout his life.

Did You Know? Love currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings and is the only yellow stripe competitor to advance to the Round of 8.

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, October 19 at 1:10 p.m. local time, Love and his RCR teammate Austin Hill are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Stop by to meet the young gun and purchase new No. 2 team gear.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

What is your thought process as the Round of 8 begins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

“The Round of 8 is going to be harder for sure, but it’s tracks that are really good for me personally. This is where I’m going to have to take the gloves off and make something happen. We will take each race as it comes, starting with this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We are coming in below the cutline, but everyone is close enough that if we maximize the day each week, I believe our team is good enough to make it to Phoenix Raceway. And if we can get there, we have a really good shot of winning the championship.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Austin Hill has made six career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, earning one win and four top-10 finishes. In eight NASCAR Truck Series starts at the Nevada speedway, the 30-year-old has led a total of 80 laps and captured two wins (fall 2019, fall 2020), four top-five, and six top-10 results.

Memory Bank… The last time Hill drove the Global Industrial colors at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the No. 21 Chevrolet claimed the checkered flag and drove to Victory Lane. In March 2023, the Winston, Georgia native started from the ninth position and moved forward to earn the Stage 2 victory. Running in second place with 10 laps to go, Hill consistently chased then leader Chandler Smith to make a late-race pass and secure the victory.

About Global Industrial Company… Global Industrial Company (NYSE:GIC), is a value-added distributor. For 75 years, Global Industrial has gone the extra mile for its customers, currently offering hundreds of thousands of industrial and MRO products needed to run businesses and facilities. Global Industrial is committed to its customer-centric strategy, and utilizes a team of subject matter experts, Global Industrial Exclusive Brands™ products and national vendor relationships to help customers succeed. Global Industrial. “We Can Supply That®”.

Meet Hill… On Saturday, October 19 at 1:10 p.m. local time, Hill and his RCR teammate Jesse Love are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Immediately following at 1:30 p.m. local time, Hill will visit the South Point Casino booth in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Fan Zone to sign autographs and greet fans. Stop by to meet the nine-time Xfinity Series winner and purchase new gear before the green flag waves.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

With past success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, what is the outlook for the No. 21 team this weekend?

“If you look at my career stats at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in both the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series, we’ve found ways to run well inside the top-10 even on our off days. If there is one racetrack that is circled on my calendar during the Playoffs, it has to be this weekend. It is because of how well I’ve run there in the past and the fact that I’ve won there at both levels. Last season in the fall race, we finished seventh and our race car wasn’t the greatest, but it showed that even with a car that wasn’t where we wanted it to be, we could still finish strong. It’s a track that our team goes into with a mindset of if we are running inside the top-five in the closing laps, we have a very good shot of winning. Obviously if you can win this weekend, you are locked into the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway and that is our ultimate goal.”

COREY LAJOIE | CODY WARE
Las Vegas Advance

Event Overview

● Event: South Point 400 (Round 33 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 20
● Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 267 laps/400.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Corey LaJoie, Driver of the No. 51 Mighty Fire Breaker Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Corey LaJoie heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 51 Mighty Fire Breaker Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Sunday’s South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series race will mark LaJoie’s 14th NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile oval.

● In 13 previous starts at Las Vegas, LaJoie has one top-15 finish, five top-20s and six top-25s. The North Carolina native has a best-finish of 15th at Las Vegas, earned in March 2022.

● Mighty Fire Breaker LLC returns to the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Las Vegas. Mighty Fire Breaker is a leading provider of environmentally safe and sustainable solutions for proactive wildfire defense. The Mighty Fire Breaker portfolio includes EPA Safer Choice Certified Citrotech® Wildfire Inhibitors, mobile and stationary spray application systems, and GPS-tracking, recording and mapping technologies that support intelligent, proactive wildfire defense management practices.

Cody Ware, Driver of the No. 15 Evel Knievel / Parts Plus Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Cody Ware, driver of the No. 15 Evel Knievel / Parts Plus Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RWR, will make his seventh Cup Series start at Las Vegas in the South Point 400. He has a best finish of 26th at Las Vegas, earned in March 2022.

● Ware also owns two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas – in March 2015 and 2016.

● In eight Cup Series starts this season, Ware has an average finish of 21st, bolstered by a career-best fourth-place finish at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Aug. 24 and a 12th-place result two weeks ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● The Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series held its Texas Fall Nationals last weekend at Texas Motorplex in Ennis. Top Fuel driver Clay Millican was the seventh-ranked qualifier heading into Sunday’s eliminations. The Parts Plus team reached the final round for the third time this season, locking up valuable points in the Countdown to the Championship playoff standings. Millican sits sixth with two events left in the season.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Corey LaJoie, Driver Q&A

When you return to some of these tracks for the second time in the season, do you have a better idea of what to expect?

“I think it depends. We pretty much know what to expect when we go to an intermediate track. The racing is the same and everyone has had all year to work on their package for this race, so now we get to see who has learned the most. If someone has figured out how to gain track position on a restart and not fall off too much over the long run, that’s probably who we’ll see up front at the end.”

At a track like Las Vegas, do you value speed or a good-handling car?

“You definitely need speed. It’s a fast track and you don’t want to be too far behind on that front. But, you need a car that handles really well. The track is rough, it gets dirty and there are a few different lines you can run so it can get busy. I’d say handling. Speed is always important, but Las Vegas is a track where you need your car to be in a good place.”

Cody Ware, Driver Q&A

Las Vegas will mark your first true intermediate track of the season. How are you feeling headed into Sunday’s race?

“Vegas is one of my favorite tracks to go to on the schedule. It’s one of the few 1.5-mile tracks that we go to that I feel has remained mostly unchanged in the last 10 years. After losing Atlanta to superspeedway-style racing, and the overhaul to Texas in turns one and two, I feel like it’s one of the few classic speedways we still race at.”

What makes Las Vegas different from the other so-called cookie-cutter mile-and-half tracks?

“The bumps in turns one and two give it character and make handling and your shock package important. The sand and heat of the desert make it a relatively low-grip track at times, especially in the heat of the day. I’m excited to see if it’s going to be a race of raw speed, or if we’re going to have long green-flag runs where we’ll see a lot of strategy come into play. Either way, I think it’s going to be a good weekend for us at RWR. Our intermediate program has come a long way this year.”