2020 NASCAR Preview: Richard Childress Racing
Photo Credit: RCR.com
Hailing from Welcome, North Carolina…we have Richard Childress Racing. This Chevrolet team is known for its historic presence in NASCAR and they strive to continue that legacy. Richard Childress is a rugged outdoorsman and business owner…and likes his drivers to drive in that same rugged manner. One thing that has plagued RCR is victories…even though Austin Dillon has a couple wins in his career, the team has not been dominant since the Kevin Harvick years. Austin will be back in the #3 car, but they did make a change in the #8 machine…Tyler Reddick will be at the helm instead of Daniel Hemric. Winning Rookie of the Year was not enough for Hemric to maintain his ride, as Childress made the move to bring his 2-time Xfinity Champion up.
Photo Credit: RCR.com
Sponsorship is not a problem for Richard Childress Racing. Dow chemical, Bass Pro Shops, Caterpillar and American Ethanol figure to be major partners for the 2020 season. Personally, I would like to see Tame The Beast on Tyler Reddick’s ride, as I use their grooming products and I stand by it. Check them out at https://www.getbeast.com and tame the beast inside of you!
Photo Credit: Auto Racing Daily
#3 Austin Dillon: Entering his 7th NASCAR Cup Series season, the former truck and Xfinity Series champion needs to perform like the veteran he is. In 2019, he failed to get a single top-5 and earned 6 top-10’s while finishing 21st in the points. Austin Dillon did get 3 poles, which is a positive to take-away from 2019. The NASCAR Cup Series seems to be a revolving door in terms of who keeps their ride…and Dillon probably should be on a hot-seat. I do believe that Austin is a capable Cup driver, he just has not gotten over the hump in performance. Part of the blame could be RCR’s Cup program being inferior to others, but you have to think that some of the blame lays on the driver. You will never hear me saying that Dillon does not belong in the Cup Series, as I do believe he can win at a regular rate...he has proven himself in the other two divisions. He will have a new Crew Chief this season in Justin Alexander (Dillon’s crew chief for 2018), who is replacing Danny Stockman Jr. RCR is getting there, just like Roush Fenway…but I have Dillon performing similar to last season with 0 wins, 1 top-5, and 7 top-10’s.
Photo Credit: Autoweek.com
#8 Tyler Reddick: Finally, Tyler Reddick has earned himself a full-time ride at the Cup level. Daniel Hemric was replaced after a 1 top-5 and 2 top-10 performance. RCR believed it was time to move Reddick up and rightfully so. Losing Reddick could have been a real possibility and letting him walk would have been a major blow to this organization. Reddick had an average finish of 6.3 in the Xfinity Series in 2019. This season’s Rookie of the Year competition will be a tight one, as Christopher Bell and Cole Custer will be competing with Reddick. Coming from a dirt-racing background, Reddick is used to driving cars on edge and this makes him the perfect fit for RCR. I expect this team to be “risk-takers” and wouldn’t be shocked if they can get a win this season. Look for Reddick to compete at the “driver’s track’s” like Homestead, Dover, and Darlington. You do have to remember Reddick is a rookie and therefore I will be conservative with my predictions. Give me 2 top-5’s and 9 top-10’s for my Rookie of the Year choice.
AustYn
References: Racing Reference, Jayski, RCR.com