Next up on The Sports Chief NASCAR preview will be Richard Childress Racing. The team has been in operation since 1969 and debuted that year at Talladega with Richard Childress piloting the car. As you all know, Dale Earnhardt took this team to new heights, and became the full-time driver for them in 1984. With 108 Cup victories to their name, they are one of the most-historic teams to compete at the top-level. Unfortunately, since Kevin Harvick left the team, they have nearly been irrelevant. The great thing about RCR though is that they have their own engine program. In today’s NASCAR, most teams have alliances with others, and RCR has their partnerships with other teams, but they all run under the ECR label. Last year, the only victory for the team was at the Daytona 500, with Austin Dillon winning that race. Be sure to check out this year’s Daytona 500, as the RCR cars will be running a special gold scheme on both cars.

#3 Austin Dillon

The veteran of the team is Austin Dillon, the Grandson of Richard Childress. Dillon has started in 193 Cup races, with two victories (Coke 600 and Daytona 500) and an average finish of 18.5 during the 8-year span. Dow Chemical is the main sponsor for Dillon, and sponsorship should not be an issue for his future. His two victories are at arguably the biggest events in NASCAR, and he has created a reputation for showing up at big races. The talent is there, as he is a former 2013 Xfinity series champion. Being that he is driving the #3 car, Dillon has an immense amount of pressure surrounding him. This team has regressed since Dillon’s best season in 2016 which consisted of 4 top-5’s and 13 top-10’s. He has only recorded 5 more top-5’s and 12 top-10’s since. Now, I will say that this car is not the best car in the series, but it is definitely a competitive one, and unless Dillon displays more consistency like he did in 2016, he will not contend for a championship. The best comparison to me for Dillon would be Kyle Petty or Jamie McMurray. If Dillon was to win anywhere I would say it would be at Michigan or Auto Club. I have Dillon being sub-par again in 2019, recording 2 top-5’s and 10 top-10’s.

#8 Daniel Hemric

One of the 2019 Rookie of the Year candidates, Hemric will be piloting the #8 car for RCR. Statistically, it will be hard for you to find a more consistent driver in the Xfinity series. Hemric has competed in 2 full-time seasons at the Xfinity level, recording a 4th and 3rd position in the final points standings respectively. Experience will not be an issue with Hemric, and he has not been rushed up to the top-level either. The 28-year-old Kannapolis, NC native will be competitive from the “get-go”. He will be replacing Ryan Newman in this ride, and I fully expect him to out-perform him. One thing about Hemric though, is that he has never won a NASCAR race. Even though he has competed at all 3 levels, he remains winless, which leads to skepticism. Hemric is a great short-track driver and road course driver. Regardless, it will be nice to see the #8 car back in action and look for Hemric to get 4 top-5’s and 12 top-10’s this season.

AustYn

References: Racing Reference, RCR.com

2019 NASCAR Preview: Richard Childress Racing