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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 02: Austin Dillon (3) Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 on March 2, 2019, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Tami Pope/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 02: Austin Dillon (3) Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 on March 2, 2019, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Tami Pope/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
This NASCAR season, the Richard Childress Racing team heads into the new campaign with a firm plan in mind. Apparently, they plan to get their #3 and #8 cars into the playoffs for the coming season. Last year, they managed to sneak one car in, in the form of Austin Dillon’s #3 car. In addition to that, they also hope that the Richard Petty Motorsports team also gets in on the action,
Now, the outfit hopes to take the next step towards progress, namely getting both cars in. According to RCR’s Andy Petree, getting the first win was absolutely crucial. RCR’s Vice President of Competition said, “Our sole focus is getting both these cars in the playoffs…There’s real pressure to get all three of these cars into the playoffs. I know there’s only 16 spots. We want to occupy at least 3 of those.”
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Dale Earnhardt, driver of the the #3 Richard Childress Racing Goodwrench Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Monte Carlo spinning out of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series The Winston race on 24 May 1998 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina, United States. (Photo by Craig Jones/Allsport/Getty Images)
Truthfully speaking, the team is certainly capable of reach the Top 16. While Dillon can definitely perform the task, all eyes will be on Tyler Reddick to step up. Last year, he was just a rookie but performed admirably. This time, the kid gloves come off and he has to pull his weight.
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To be perfectly honest, it helped matters when Dillon reached Victory Lane last year. This will definitely be a massive confidence booster for the side. Additionally, Reddick will have gained a lot of confidence since his successful rookie season, and his star can continue rising from there.
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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 16: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #2 Tame the Beast Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
To be precise, he was just three spots away from making it into the playoffs in his debut season. So, setting a double playoff target suddenly does not seem so farfetched. All he needs to do now is pick up where he left off and earn a few more spots in the coming Cup Series season.
However, the double Xfinity Series champion does not want to err on the side of complacence. He may be in his second year with Richard Childress Racing, but he has a long way to go. Right now, the Richard Childress Racing duo needs to regroup ahead of the new season and tackle it head-on from Daytona onwards.
