NEWTON, IA, Aug. 1, 2009 – Austin Dillon drove the HPU Chevrolet Impala SS to a 16th qualifying position today for the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway, hitting 133.735 mph while completing the lap in 23.554 seconds.
“The car felt good,” said Dillon, who is unique in the field as a 19-year-old about to enroll as a freshman at High Point University this month. “It’s a good starting position for only our fifth race in the Nationwide Series. I’m really excited and ready to race.”
Dillon’s No. 2 Chevrolet from the Richard Childress Racing Nationwide Series stable will carry High Point University’s black and purple colors.
“It’s really cool to be able to carry these colors,” Dillon said. “I’m not necessarily a typical ‘student athlete,’ but it’s an honor to show off my Panther pride this way.”
Dillon was NASCAR’s 2008 Camping World Series East rookie of the year. In three previous races at Iowa Speedway, he has earned one pole, one top-five and two top-10 finishes. Today’s race marks his fifth start and third in the 2009 season in the Nationwide Series. The track, 30 miles east of Des Moines, is a 7/8 mile oval designed by Rusty Wallace. Approximately 55,000 fans are here for today’s race.
About Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing (http://www.rcrracing.com/), celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009, has earned more than 180 victories and 12 NASCAR championships, including six in the Sprint Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. Its 2009 Sprint Cup Series lineup includes Casey Mears (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s), Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil), Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar) and Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper). Its 2009 Nationwide Series lineup includes Bowyer, Burton and Stephen Leicht (No. 29 Holiday Inn) as well as Austin Dillon and Sean Caisse (No. 2 RCR Chevrolet).
About High Point University
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in a fun environment with caring people. HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with 3,700 undergraduate and graduate students from 50 countries and 44 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report No. 5 among comprehensive universities in the South and No. 1 in its category among up-and-coming schools. Forbes.com ranks HPU in the top 6 percent among “America’s Best Colleges.” HPU was included in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Great Colleges to Work For” 2009 listings. The university offers 68 undergraduate majors, 40 undergraduate minors and seven graduate degree programs. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at http://www.highpoint.edu/.
Kevin Heaney
Manager of Communications
336-655-1866
[email protected]