Nationwide Series: Homestead 300 Preview
Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Nationwide Series News and Notes
Event: Homestead-Miami 300
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2014
Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
Richard Childress Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway … In 30 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned two victories with Kevin Harvick in 2004 and Jeff Burton in 2007. The Welcome, N.C organization has led 587 laps and accumulated seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. RCR averages a start and finish of 14th at the 1.5-mile speedway.
Recap of Phoenix International Raceway … Ty Dillon, Brian Scott and Brendan Gaughan earned fourth, seventh and eighth-place finishes, respectively, in the Nationwide Series DAV 200 – Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway.
NNS Most Popular Driver 2014 … Final week of voting for the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver is underway. Brian Scott, Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan are all eligible for this season’s award. Fans can vote once a day until the night of the season finale event at Homestead-Miami Speedway by visiting http://ift.tt/1uqW51j.
Thank you, Nationwide … Richard Childress Racing would like to thank Nationwide Insurance for all they have done for the sport through the last seven years. Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the final race the Columbus, Ohio-based company will be the title sponsor of NASCAR’s second-tiered series. RCR has made a lot of memories in the Series through the last seven years, including two championships with Clint Bowyer in 2008 and Austin Dillon in 2013, 19 victories, 25 pole awards, 133 top-five and 280 top-10 finishes.
To the Points … As the Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway, Brian Scott leads the RCR drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship standings in third, 13 points from second place. Ty Dillon is fifth, nine points out of third, and Brendan Gaughan is eighth.
Social Media … To stay on track with the latest news and information and to view exclusive, behind the scenes content visit RCR’s Twitter page – @RCRracing, RCR’s NASCAR Nationwide Series team Twitter pages – @RCR2BScott, @RCR3TDillon, @RCR33NNS and @RCR62BGaughan. RCR’s Nationwide Series driver Twitter pages – @bscottracing, @tydillon, @scottlagasse and @Brendan62. For additional photos, news and video log on to rcrracing.com.
Season Finale Coverage … Coverage of this week’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, November 15, beginning at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2. It will also be broadcasted live on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel 90.
Brian Scott
No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Shore Lodge Chevrolet at Homestead-Miami Speedway … This weekend in the NASCAR Nationwide Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Brian Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro team will race chassis No. 141. Most recently raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Scott qualified third and finished 10th. One of the newest Richard Childress Racing chassis built for its 1.5-mile program, Scott won both pole awards at Chicagoland Speedway with this Chevrolet earning two top-10 finishes. This chassis also has two fifth-place finishes; one at Michigan International Speedway, the other at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the spring.
Scott at Homestead … Scott will be making his fifth Nationwide Series start in the 200-lap race on Saturday. In four starts at the Homestead, Florida track, the 26-year-old has collected two top-10 finishes. The Richard Childress Racing driver also has three NASCAR Camping World Truck starts claiming one top-five and one top-10 finish.
Double Duty at Homestead … In addition to finishing the season in the Nationwide Series, Scott is scheduled to drive the No. 33 Shore Lodge Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 16. The Homestead-Miami 400 is live on ESPN at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Nationwide Leader … Scott leads the Nationwide Series regulars with a 6.4 average starting position and the most laps spent inside the top 15 (5,645, 96.4 percent). Currently third in the driver point standings only 13 points out of second place, the No. 2 Chevrolet team has collected six top-five and 22 top-10 finishes this season. Additionally, Scott has earned three pole positions, one at Richmond International Raceway and two at Chicagoland Speedway.
Shore Lodge Winter … Located in the heart of the Idaho Mountains, Shore Lodge is picture perfect in the winter. Take part in the many outdoor activities including skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. Visit www.ShoreLodge.com or email info@shorelodge.com to plan your activities.
Thank you Nationwide … Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the final race that Nationwide Insurance will be the title sponsor of NASCAR’s second-tiered series. The Columbus, Ohio-based company has been the title sponsor for some memorable moments in RCR’s history. Scott had one when he clinched Nationwide’s Dash4Cash $100,000 bonus in Chicagoland this season.
Most Popular Driver Award … From now until November 15, fans can vote for Brian Scott for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award. Vote online at http://ift.tt/1uqW51j once per day.
Rearview Mirror … Brian Scott and the No. 2 Whitetail Chevrolet Camaro team collected their 29th top-10 qualifying position of the season at Phoenix International Raceway starting in the ninth position for the DAV 200 – Honoring America’s Veterans. A green-white-checkered finish allowed Scott to move up on the final restart, finishing seventh. His seventh-place finish earned the team’s 22nd top-10 finish of the 2014 season.
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTES:
What’s it like to race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
"Homestead is a really interesting track. I think it’s a difficult track from all elements. I think it’s difficult from the driver seat, and from the team perspective to prepare the right car. It’s a track where you have good speed on new tires and you fall off a lot. It’s really multiple grooved, but also unique in its shading. It’s just an oval. It doesn’t have a D-shaped straightaway or anything like that. It has progressive banking, but it always provides its own unique challenges. But, it’s a fun race track and a race track where, as a driver, you feel like you can even control your own destiny a little bit because you can manage your tires at the beginning of a run to try and have speed late. And, it’s a place where you slip and slide around a lot and that normally makes for some excitement, at least behind the wheel."
Explain how the progressive banking feels in comparison to some other tracks?
"You don’t feel it a lot. Typically, for whatever reason, it seems like the biggest jump in progressive banking is from the very first groove to the second groove. You get this flat first groove and then banked second groove and almost from the second groove to the wall you can’t tell any difference. But, you see it a lot where we kind of hook the first groove with our left sides to help de-wedge the car and get it to turn, or we’ll run all the way down in there. That’s very similar to Homestead. You seem like you run three-quarters of a groove up. You run your left side tires down there to help the car turn. But you don’t necessarily use the whole bottom groove. And then once you get above that, you can’t really tell much of a difference in banking, but you know it’s there and of course you keep going up and up as the tires wear out because it’s easier on your tires and your able to make the speed up."
Ty Dillon
No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet Camaro
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s WESCO Chevrolet Camaro at Homestead-Miami Speedway …
Ty Dillon will race chassis No. 151 this weekend in the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This brand new Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet Camaro will make its debut during practice on Friday.
Dillon at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Dillon made his career-debut at the 1.5-mile tri-oval last November in the No. 33 WESCO Chevrolet Camaro where he started 14th, led nine laps and finished 17th. After the race, Dillon celebrated with older brother Austin Dillon after he clinched the Nationwide Series’ driver championship. In three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, Dillon has one top-10 finish.
WESCO On-Board For 2015 … Last week, Richard Childress Racing announced WESCO International, Inc. renewed is sponsorship for the 2015 season with the No. 3 XFINITY Series program and driver Ty Dillon. The Pittsburgh, Pa.-based company is a leading supplier of electrical, industrial, and communications MRO and OEM products, construction materials, and advanced supply chain procurement services. WESCO has been affiliated with RCR since 2012.
Thank you Nationwide … Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the final race that Nationwide Insurance will be the title sponsor of NASCAR’s second-tiered series. The Columbus, Ohio-based company has been the title sponsor for some memorable moments in Dillon’s career including his career-debut at Dover International Speedway, a victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, three pole awards, 27 top-10 finishes, and eight top-five finishes. Dillon also clinched Nationwide’s Dash4Cash $100,000 bonus in Indianapolis.
Season Finale … As the Series concludes this Saturday afternoon in South Florida, Dillon’s statistics as a full-time Nationwide Series driver to date are impressive; one win, seven top-five finishes, 22 top-10 finishes, three pole awards, an average start of 9.1, average finish of 9.6 and he has completed 97.8 percent of laps.
#VoteTy … From now until November 15, fans can vote for Ty Dillon for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award. Dillon, the 22-year-old Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie, won the award last season in the Camping World Truck Series. Vote online at http://ift.tt/1uqW51j once per day.
Race Rewind … Dillon drove the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet Camaro to a fourth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway, recording the team’s seventh top-five finish of the season. Dillon qualified seventh, raced inside the top-five for a majority of the 200-lap event, and in the end crossed the finish line fourth after a green-white-checkered finish.
Get to the points … Dillon remains fifth in the driver championship point standings, trailing fourth place by only one point and second place by only nine points. Also competing for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, Dillon is in second place.
TY DILLON QUOTES:
We’ve arrived at the last race of the season, how do you approach this race?
"We’d like to go out on a good note and get our second victory. I think it can be accomplished given our 1.5-mile program’s recent strengths and we really don’t have much to lose. I was able to get a start here last year in the No. 33 WESCO Chevrolet and raced up front for a good part of the race. Hopefully we can do the same thing this season, but this time get the win."
How do you assess your rookie season?
"I think it’s been a great year. We got off to little bit of a slow start, but we really turned it around quickly and had some strong showings. Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and I worked very well together this year and I thought we added some great notes to our already strong notebook. We won a race, finished consistently inside the top 10 and competed for a championship. There are always things you’d like to do better, but I think 2014 has been a great season. I can’t thank our partners enough; Bass Pro Shops, WESCO, Yuengling and all of our sponsors affiliated with this No. 3 team have been great supporters."
Scott Lagasse
No. 33 Alert Today Florida / Boy Scouts of America Chevrolet Camaro
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Alert Today Florida / Boy Scouts of America Chevrolet Camaro at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Scott Lagasse will pilot chassis No. 120 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Nationwide Series season finale. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet last earned a victory with Kevin Harvick at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2013, in addition to three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Cale Conley last piloted this Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway in September.
Lagasse Climbs into the No. 33 Seat … On Saturday afternoon, Lagasse will become the fourth driver to take the reins of the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro this season. The St. Augustine, FL-native has two prior series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Giving A Scout a Ride of a Lifetime … Lagasse Jr. will give local Cub Scout and 2nd grader, Caleb Sowinski, a ride to school in the No. 33 Alert Today Florida / Boy Scouts of America Chevrolet Camaro. The program is part of the Drive a Scout to School Program. This ride to school will be way cooler than a big yellow bus.
About the Florida DOT: The Florida Department of Transportation’s primary responsibility is to coordinate planning and development of a safe, viable, and balanced state transportation system serving all regions of the state, and to assure the compatibility of all components, including multimodal facilities. Florida’s transportation system includes roadway, air, rail, sea, spaceports, bus transit, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
About The Boy Scouts of America … For over a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes – and, through over a century of experience, knows – that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society. The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be "Prepared. For Life.®" The Scouting organization is composed of almost 2.7 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and 1 million volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories.
Follow Scott … Fan’s can follow the No. 33 Alert Today Florida/Boy Scouts of America driver on Twitter @ScottLagasse.
SCOTT LAGASSE JR. QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading into this weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
"I’m excited, I think this will be a great opportunity for me. I was able to get a few laps in testing with the team a few weeks back. Ty was a great help to get me up to speed and we had strong speed throughout the day. Nick (Harrison – crew chief) and the guys are a really great group at RCR."
What’s your goal for this weekend at Homestead?
"The goal is to obviously run as well as you can, but you have to be smart and earn the respect of your peers. RCR has fast race cars and good group of people who are putting everything behind me to make a great day out of it. So I’d say the goal is to surprise people."
Thursday you get to give a Boy Scout a ride to school in the No. 33 Alert Today Florida/Boy Scouts of America Camaro, what are you looking forward to the most?
"It’s hard to explain, we’ve done it a few times in the past. It’s pretty gratifying to see their face and excitement when you pull into school. You get to drive on a main road with a race car, it’s a neat experience for sure. To see the response and his face and his classmates will be pretty gratifying."
Brendan Gaughan
No. 62 South Point Chevrolet Camaro
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s South Point Hotel & Casino at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Brendan Gaughan will utilize chassis No. 128 this Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This is a newly prepared Chevrolet Camaro to the Richard Childress Racing stable and will see track action for the first time Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET during the first NASCAR Nationwide Series practice.
Gaughan’s Homestead Stats … In three previous Nationwide Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Gaughan has accumulated one top-five and two top-10 finishes, earning a third-place finish in 2013 with a Richard Childress-prepared Chevrolet. The Las Vegas-native has completed 100 percent of the 600 laps that he has raced. Gaughan averages a starting position of 12.3 and average finish of 7.3.
Welcome Back South Point … The yellow and black No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro will return to action this weekend in the Nationwide Series season-finale event at Homestead Miami Speedway.
Now Open: South Point Bowling Plaza … On October 30, South Point Hotel & Casino hit the first pins and celebrated the opening of the South Point Bowling Plaza. This 90,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility features 60 lanes, 360 seat viewing area and two 167 foot digital displays that span across two 30-lane competition floors.
Thank you Nationwide … Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the final race that Nationwide Insurance will be the title sponsor of NASCAR’s second-tiered series. The Columbus, Ohio-based company has been the title sponsor for a few memorable moments in Gaughan’s career including his first career Series victory at Road America in June 2014, victory at Kentucky Speedway in September 2014, one pole award at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2009, 11 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes.
In the Rearview Mirror: Phoenix … The No. 62 Charter Communications team qualified eighth for the 200-lap event at Phoenix International Raceway. Gaughan was content with the handling of his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet throughout the day. The Las Vegas-native ultimately crossed the finish line in eighth place; earning Gaughan and the No. 62 team their seventh top 10 of the 2014 Nationwide Series season.
#VoteBG62 … Voting for the 2014 Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver is still open. Fans can continue to vote once a day until the night of November 15th by visiting http://ift.tt/1uqW51j.
To the Points … Heading into the Nationwide Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Gaughan is eighth in the driver championship standings.
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
What are your thoughts on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
"Homestead is a place in my career that has been pretty good to me. There has only really been one instance when that speedway has done me wrong, but other than that it is a great track for me. I love racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it is one of those mile-and-a-half tracks that I really look forward to. It is really a unique mile-and-a-half because it doesn’t have the D- or O-shape ovals that you are accustomed to seeing. It is different than the rest, but a great fun race track. It is always a great atmosphere."
How is it to race on the progressive banking at Homestead?
"Everyone makes fun of me for always racing the highline. That high banking helps you carry more momentum and you don’t have to slow down as much. If you run that higher groove you can keep your motor revved up a little more and it gives you good straight line speed. You just have to balance the distance with horsepower, and that is why there is an advantage of running the highline at these new progressively banked tracks."