News

July 24, 2012

Austin Dillon Event Preview: Indy 250

"It's really exciting that the Nationwide Series is going to be racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I've never raced there before, but I've been to plenty of races and have talked to other drivers. I imagine it will be like tunnel vision when you go down the long front stretch and see grandstands on either side."

RCR/HHP

Event Preview Fact Sheet
Austin Dillon
No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet   


Event/Date:        
Indy 250 – July 28, 2012

Venue:           
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Speedway, Ind.


Race Notes and Quotes:

This Week’s AdvoCare Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 109 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable. This is the same Chevrolet that Dillon drove to a fifth-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in June after earning his first career Nationwide Series pole award and setting a new track record. Dillon also earned an 11th-place finish after starting second in this Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. 

Dillon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … Although this weekend marks the Nationwide Series’ inaugural appearance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dillon grew up attending Brickyard 400 races at the historic track with his grandfather, team owner Richard Childress. Dillon was in Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year when his grandfather’s team won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race with driver Paul Menard. Dillon also recalls taking a ride around the track in a pace car as a young child.

The Season So Far … According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Season-to-Date Statistics, Dillon has completed 99.07 percent of Laps on the Lead Lap, leading all competitors. He has completed 93.4 percent of his Laps in the Top 15, ranking him second and has an Average Running Position of 8.489 in the season’s 18 contested Nationwide Series races, also ranking him second among all drivers. The Nationwide Series rookie is ranked third in the Fastest Laps Run category with 224 laps so far this season, maintains a Driver Rating of 104.6, ranking him fourth, is the fourth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run and has the fourth-fastest Speed in Traffic. He has 230 Laps Led this season, ranking him fifth, has the sixth-fastest Green Flag Speed, is sixth-Fastest on Restarts, is the sixth-fastest Driver Early in a Run and ranks seventh in Quality Passes with 739.

Get to the Points … Dillon is second in the 2012 Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing RCR teammate Elliott Sadler by 11 points. Dillon currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.

Spark your Engines … Dillon and his team will sport the colors of award-winning premier health and wellness company AdvoCare on the No. 3 Chevrolet this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. AdvoCare offers nutrition, weight loss, energy and sports performance products of the highest quality developed through comprehensive research and backed by a Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. Dillon trains with AdvoCare products throughout the week and is a distributor as well. For more information about Dillon’s favorite products, including Spark, Rehydrate, meal replacement bars and Post-Workout Recovery, visit http://www.AdvoCare.com.

Off the Track … When Dillon is not racing, he follows other sports including the NFL and is active in several fantasy football leagues, including a league he maintains with his family and friends and a celebrity league he manages with Scott Engel, host of the RotoExperts show on the SiriusXM Radio Fantasy Sports Channel. Dillon and Engel will compete against celebrities such as Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, former General Manager of the Mets, Steve Phillips, Cheers cast members Jay Thomas and George Wentz, MTV Real World cast member-turned WWE wrestler, the Miz and several radio personalities from the Howard Stern Channel on SiriusXM radio, among others.

Meet Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to participate in the Nationwide Series driver autograph session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. He will also take part in an autograph session on behalf of Chevrolet at the track on Friday at 12:50 p.m.

Chicagoland Speedway Recap … Dillon started Sunday’s STP 300 from the front row after qualifying in the second position and ran in the top three for much of the 200-lap race, ultimately posting a sixth-place finish. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender was scored in the fourth position when he made his final green-flag pit stop of the race on lap 164, receiving four tires and fuel. However, the team was pinned one lap down to the race leader when the caution flag was displayed as Dillon left his pit box. Forced to take the wave around in order to rejoin the lead lap cars, Dillon restarted in the 12th position when green flag racing resumed at lap 171. He used the last 29 laps of the event to race his way to the sixth position.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
“It’s really exciting that the Nationwide Series is going to be racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I’ve never raced there before, but I’ve been to plenty of races and have talked to other drivers. I imagine it will be like tunnel vision when you go down the long front stretch and see grandstands on either side. My plan is to lean on Paul Menard a lot for advice. He won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race last year, so I am sure he can provide a lot of insight. No driver has been there in the Nationwide Series before, and the cars are a bit different, but leaning on the experience of the Cup drivers will be helpful.”