This Week’s BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Darlington Raceway … Austin Dillon has made 12 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway, posting a career-best second-place finish in September 2020, missing Victory Lane by a narrow margin over Kevin Harvick. Dillon also has a fourth-place finish in 2017. He finished 10th at the track in his most recent appearance there. Dillon has made four appearances at “The Lady in Black” in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, securing his best finish of fifth in 2012. The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series champion has two starts at the track in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of fifth in August 2010.
Welcome to the NASCAR Playoffs … Dillon secured his spot in the NASCAR Playoffs with a thrilling victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. It marked his second NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona, and his first win of the 2022 season. He enters this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway seeded 16th in the NASCAR Playoff standings. It is his fifth time making a post-season appearance.
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Honoring Our BetMGM Workforce … To honor and recognize the spirit of Labor Day Weekend for the country, the NASCAR industry will pay tribute to the workforce that help move businesses forward this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team will be hosting Anca Danilescu as a Workforce Appreciation Honorary Crew Member.
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on Darlington Raceway?
“I’ve always loved Darlington Raceway. It’s a historic track and a lot of drivers and teams circle it at the beginning of the year as a place they would love to win at, myself included. We finished second at Darlington a couple of years ago. It’s a demanding track. Darlington is a place that falls off, so tire management becomes important, and I really like that. It’s nice that we’re going to place that long run speed matters a bit.”
Does making the NASCAR Playoffs give you a sense of validation?
“I think every time you make the NASCAR Playoffs, it’s validation to yourself that you’re one of the guys. We’ve made it five times now. I don’t know how many years I’ve been doing this, but every time you’re not in it, it doesn’t feel good. You’re not going to the banquet at the end of the year. You feel like you let your guys down. You feel like you let your company down. For me, it’s everything. It feels good to get a chance to compete for a championship. I did feel like we should have been locked into the Playoffs earlier than this, but it doesn’t matter how you get in, you got in. 15 different winners this year. That’s a testament to this NextGen car and how competitive the field is. I don’t think there’s any other form of motorsports that has this type of competitiveness week-in and week-out. Take Watkins Glen, for instance, and the spread from first to 20th. You look at the time sheet, and you are holding your break for a hundredth to move you up five sports. It’s what the NASCAR Cup Series is supposed to be. It’s challenging. You never give up, and that’s been the theme of this season.”
Now that you are locked into the NASCAR Playoffs, how do you feel about the first round?
“Actually, the first round has historically been a good round for us on the No. 3 team. We’ve done a good job of upsetting some teams in that first round. Darlington Raceway is a good place for me, so it’s a great starting point. I think we finished second at that track the last time I was in the Playoffs, so I feel good about Darlington. We’ve got to improve on what we took there earlier this year. When those long runs happen at Darlington and the tires wear out, I feel like that’s some of the best driving I do. Kansas Speedway was a decent track for us earlier this year. We’re just going to have to go to work and work really, really hard on the SIM at Chevrolet and at RCR. It won’t be from a lack of effort over the next three weeks to progress and try to get another win.”
Richard Childress Racing at Darlington Raceway … In 137 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has eight wins, all by Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt claimed the checkered flag in 1986 (spring), both races in 1987, 1989 (fall), another sweep in 1990 plus spring events in 1993 and 1994. He won three consecutive races in 1989 and 1990 and finished first or second in four events in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. RCR drivers has 25 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes at the historic South Carolina superspeedway.
Back in the Playoffs … Richard Childress Racing enters Darlington with three victories in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series during the 2022 season. The Welcome, N.C., based company has two entries in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time since 2017 (Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman).
Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington … RCR is looking to find victory lane for the first time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington. Tyler Reddick claimed the most recent top-five by RCR at Darlington, a second-place effort at the 2019 fall event. The Welcome, N.C. based team has 10 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes.
Follow Sunday’s Action at Darlington … The NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, September 4 beginning at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
