Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Austin Dillon on Atlanta: 'The new package will be interesting'

Austin Dillon is 75/1 to win at Atlanta on Sunday
Austin Dillon
No. 3 Dow Chevrolet SS

Race Notes and Quotes:

This Week’s Dow Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway
… Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 481 in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This is the same Chevrolet SS that Dillon raced in 2014 to a 25th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, a 13th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October, a 16th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in September, a 22nd-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in August and a 10th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

Dillon at Atlanta Motor Speedway … In two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Dillon has acquired finishes of 19th (2013) and 24th (2014). He has two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at the track, finishing eighth (2013) and sixth (2012). The 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion has two starts at the 1.54-mile track in Truck Series competition, finishing sixth in September 2011 and 10th in March 2010.

Testing 1, 2, 3 … The Sprint Cup Series starts off the Atlanta race weekend with a four-hour test session designed to help acclimate race teams to the 2015 rules package. The new package includes a reduction of horsepower to 725 via tapered spacer, roller valve lifters to replace flat valve lifter, lower rear differential gear ratios targeting 9,000 RPM, rear spoiler adjustment to six inches high instead of eight inches, the addition of an optional driver-adjustable track bar, a 38-inch-wide radiator pan, the minimum vehicle weight drops 50 lbs to 3,250 lbs via ballast reduction and revised brake calipers. The new rules are designed to promote enriched competition, improved safety, reduced cost, enhanced product relevance and environmental (green) improvements.

Welcome, Dow … Returning primary sponsor of the No.3 Chevrolet SS, Dow enters its second season with RCR and driver Austin Dillon. Together, both teams embrace the power of science, technology and safety as RCR tests Dow products under the most strenuous conditions. Dow also drives innovation to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems, bringing a broad range of sustainable products and solutions to customers in nearly 180 countries with more than 6,000 products manufactured across the globe. See our YouTube video “Dawn to Dusk” to see how Dow products touch the lives of everyone…from dawn to dusk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSspiG8DkOs). More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com

RCR Salutes … The No. 3 Dow Chevrolet team pit box sports a patriotic theme this season in homage to the United States military, current service members and the memory of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. On Sunday, the team honors Hope for Warriors visitors from the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Benning who have served in various capacities, including combat arms and infantry. The group includes Oliver Sudduth, Detrice Burriss, Timothy Osteen, Jennifer Etheridge, Ellis Brockman, Velma Brockman, Matthew Perry, Timothy Drew and Che Wright.

One Year Ago … In his most recent appearance at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Dillon started 13th and finished 24th in the Dow Chevrolet after struggling with a lack of forward drive throughout the 500-mile race.

Meet Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to appear in the QuikTrip Fan Zone, located in the Atlanta Motor Speedway Fan Zone, on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. He is also scheduled to participate in a Q&A session at the Team Chevy Stage, located in the Atlanta Motor Speedway Fan Zone, at 9:50 a.m. on Sunday.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

Do you think Atlanta Motor Speedway will be different this year with the race at a different time of year?

“I think Atlanta Motor Speedway is definitely going to be a different race this year with the race occurring much earlier in the year. The temperatures are lower and you’ll see more grip to the track. The new package will be interesting. The first few days we are there testing and getting used to it. It will be the first time that anybody has really ran it, so I am hoping all the work we put into our program at RCR in the off season really pays off.”

Is Atlanta Motor Speedway one of your favorite mile-and-a-halves on the circuit? A lot of drivers seem to really like it because the track is so worn you can drive anywhere.
“It is. It can be a really frustrating place when you don’t have your car, right but it can be one of the most fun places when you are going by people. Definitely some good racing goes on in Atlanta Motor Speedway and I like the date change. You’ll see some unbelievable speeds in qualifying, too.”

It was fun to watch you win the Gator Championship at Volusia Speedway last week when you were in Florida for Daytona Speedweeks. Who was your right-hand man in dirt racing that got you started in your career?
“Dale and Shane McDowell are the guys I kind of contribute everything to. They’ve done so much for me development-wise and teaching me how to race and be around race cars. Also, how you treat others around racing. I can’t say enough about what they’ve done for my career, and still are. They work at the dirt shop, Team Dillon Racing, and it’s been fun to work with them. We field a dirt late model with Dale out there driving it each and every week and he and his brother go out there and work together. It’s fun. We won a huge race last year at Eldora Speedway, the World 100, and that’s probably one of the coolest things that happened for our whole family last year.”

- Richard Childress Racing

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