MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA (April 5, 2024) – RCR is heading to the track most commonly referred to as “the paperclip”, or Martinsville Speedway, for the first Dash 4 Cash race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. RCR’s very own rookie driver Jesse Love, driver of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro, secured his spot to compete for a shot at the $100,000 prize last weekend by finishing fifth at Richmond Raceway.
“It was a good goal for our team last weekend, just to qualify and be one of the four for this weekend. Being in it allows us to have an extra spotlight on our team and our partners this weekend at Martinsville. Obviously, it’s a good chunk of change as well, so it would be nice to win it. It feels like a race inside of a race. Our main goal remains to win the actual race or get the best finish possible, but we also want to earn the Dash 4 Cash bonus,” said Love.
Dash 4 Cash came about in 2009 to reward NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time drivers midseason for their performance. RCR is no stranger to drivers being the recipients of this award. In 2012, Austin Dillon and Elliot Sadler both claimed the $100,000 prize. Two years later, Dillon won again, along with his brother Ty Dillon, who also won in 2016. In total, RCR has had eight drivers win the Dash 4 Cash cash bonus and is now looking to add a ninth driver to that total with Love.
“I think we will have a good shot at it for sure. We have done a lot of prep work in the simulator and the car felt pretty good. It should transfer over to practice on Friday, and I have confidence in our Whelen group,” said Love.
Dash 4 Cash is more than a reward for drivers, it’s a donation effort for local non-profits. While the tracks selected for the program change each year, the rules stay the same. The four highest-finishing series regulars in the race prior to the start of that season’s Dash 4 Cash will qualify for the $100,000 payout. From then on, the winner and the next three highest drivers finishing in the Xfinity Series will qualify for the next event, assuming they meet the requirements of having declared for points in the series. According to Love, this changes the strategy up a bit, but the main goal remains the same; to win.
“Will I race a certain guy harder if he’s eligible for the bonus? Yes, probably so, because I know there is more on the line than just the position on the track. But hopefully, we can run up front with a shot at the win. If we win the race, the Dash 4 Cash bonus takes care of itself and takes care of next week too. The overall goal doesn’t change, but we will play it by ear at the end of the race as we see how the field is stacking up. If there is an opportunity to make a move at the end, I will consider it,” said Love.
While Richmond served as the qualifier for this year’s first Dash 4 Cash race at Martinsville, Texas, Talladega, and Dover will make up the remainder of the 2024 Dash 4 Cash schedule. This will be the first time Texas is included in the four-race Dash 4 Cash schedule since 2010, only one year after the program began.
Tune in this weekend to see who takes home the cash prize. Practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway will air on FS1 Friday evening at 5:00pm, and the race will air Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST, also on FS1.
