The Race for the Cup is heading to Dover!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bruce_martin/09/27/surviving.monster.mile/?xid=

This weekend, the leading contenders for the Spring Cup Championship will compete in Dover, Delaware at the “Monster Mile.” Why is this track so named? As the article puts it:

“The next stop on NASCAR’s Chase is Dover — the only concrete one-mile oval on the championship trail and one of the most pivotal races in the Chase. The sometimes slick surface and the high banks that make this track a bigger version of Bristol Motor Speedway can make or break a driver’s hopes of winning the championship.”

And don’t forget to check out the Nationwide race, too, where Casey Roderick will be driving the Randy Hill Racing car.

Don’t miss any of the action this weekend!

Jay Robinson Racing To Field Randy Hill Racing’s Casey Roderick At Dover

DOVER, Delaware (September 26, 2011) – - Officials from Randy Hill Racing (RHR) announced today that they have reached an agreement with longtime NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) team Jay Robinson Racing (JRR) to field the No. 70 Abilene Christian University (ACU) Dodge Challenger R/T for rookie Casey Roderick in Saturday afternoon’s  OneMain Financial 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

Texas-based Randy Hill Racing is currently in the early stages of building a credible NNS operation which attempted to make its debut earlier this month at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. After mounting respectable and competitive times in practice, the team missed the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 after Roderick tagged the wall in his No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Ford Mustang on his first lap of qualifications.

While the RHR team with the assistance of Mooresville, North Carolina-based Spraker Racing Enterprises is working on future races, Hill made a decision to put the Lawrenceville, Georgia native into the hands of JRR to allow his driver to gain additional seat time in the series, even if it means Roderick will make his “Monster Mile” debut on Saturday afternoon.

“It’s important while we are building our program, that if we are able to put Casey (Roderick) in a different car we will,” offered Hill, a Texan native. “We are grateful to everyone at Jay Robinson Racing for making this such a smooth process. We’re excited about welcoming Abilene Christian back into the Nationwide Series and I’m confident that with the help of JRR and Jeff (Spraker), Casey will easily meet everyone’s objectives this weekend.”

Abilene Christian University is located in Abilene, Texas, not far from Hill’s hometown of Baird. A national leader in higher education, ACU’s mission is to prepare students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

In an effort to bring awareness about the university, Hill, a 1990 graduate, has for the second time in as many months made ACU his team sponsor for the day. The university’s logo and ACU.edu Web address will cover the car’s hood.

“Once again, Randy has given us a tremendous gift,” says ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert. “His creative generosity in donating this sponsorship to his alma mater will help spread the word about ACU to hundreds of thousands of television viewers.”

Roderick, a former winner in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut last month at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in a combination effort between RHR and Go Green Racing. Knowing that he’ll be locked into Saturday field gives the 19-year old an opportunity to shift his focus slightly.

“First, I want to thank Randy Hill and Jay Robinson Racing for the opportunity this weekend,” Roderick offered. “This wasn’t an event that we had planned to compete in and I hoping after the misfortune at Richmond, we’re able to have a respectable weekend at Dover.”

When asked what a respectable weekend consists of, Roderick replied by saying, “I want to see both the green flag and the checkered flag. Obviously, we cannot stop things out of our control from happening that could ultimately halt that goal, but if I stay smart and sharp behind the No. 70 Abilene Christian University (ACU) Dodge Challenger R/T, we should have more than a fair opportunity of reaching that goal.

Dover is not an easy track. It’s concrete and the track is often known for its sometimes unforgiving characteristics and nickname. It will be important to work with everyone at JRR to get our car handling as good as we can, so we can have a smooth and hopefully clean race on Saturday.”

From Dover, the Randy Hill Racing team tentatively plans to field an entry for Roderick at Kansas Speedway, Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, the site of RHR’s home track debut.

The OneMain Financial 200 (200 laps / 200 miles) is the 29^th of 34 races on the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series tour. The lone practice session of the weekend beings Friday, September 30, with a one-hour and 55 minute session planned from 12:35 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day set to launch at 12:05 p.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 3:30 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN2, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite, Channel 90). Pre-race coverage of the contest lifts off at 3:00 p.m. also on ESPN2.

For more on Randy Hill Racing, please visit randyhillracing.com.

Additional input on Jay Robinson Racing is available by logging onto JayRobinson.com.

Join the team on Facebook by clicking here (Randy Hill Racing).

Tweet with us through Twitter at @RandyHillRacing.

About Abilene Christian University:

Abilene Christian University is located in Abilene, Texas, not far from Hill’s hometown of Baird. A national leader in higher education, ACU’s mission is to prepare students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

Furthermore, ACU is a vibrant, innovative, Christ-centered community that engages students in authentic spiritual and intellectual growth, equipping them to make a real difference in the world.

PHOTO CAPTION: Casey Roderick, driver of the No. 70 Abilene Christian University (ACU) Dodge Challenger R/T in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Jay Robinson Racing (JJR) and Randy Hill Racing (RHR).

CONTACT INFORMATION:

NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management

PHONE: 239.834.9797

EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.comJay

After pairing with Go Green Racing (GGR) for its inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) debut at Watkins Glen International (WGI) last month, Randy Hill Racing (RHR) and rookie Casey Roderick are set to venture out on their own in Friday’s Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond (Val.) International Raceway (RIR).

With RIR set to be the first of several races for Roderick under the No. 08 Randy Hill Racing banner for the remainder of the 2011 season, the team looks to set a positive presence not only in the garage but on the racetrack as well.

To mentally prepare himself for his second NNS battle of the season, the Lawrenceville, Georgia native had hoped to compete in the Kevin Whitaker 140 at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway on Labor Day in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for Spraker Racing Enterprises. But Mother Nature dashed those plans forcing the event to be rescheduled.

Knowing that the competition has the tendency to be stiffer on Friday night, Roderick feels that staying behind the wheel of a racecar is crucial for not only earning the respect of his competitors but further advancing his career with seat time.

“I think everyone associated with Randy Hill Racing is looking forward to Richmond this weekend,” said Roderick, a former winner in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. “Randy Hill has made a pledge in times where teams are merging and closing up to enter NASCAR with an open mind, a lot of positive energy and a mission.”

The 19-year old added, “We’re hoping that the No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Ford Mustang will be good on Friday. We know we’ll have to qualify our way into the show, but I’m confident with the equipment and personnel surrounding our team, we can easily get that job accomplished. It’s about learning and taking the checkered flag. Heck, I’m just thankful to even be racing – let alone in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.”

Leading the entourage for RHR will be Motorsports veteran Jeff Spraker. The former NASCAR driver himself will take the role as crew chief and driver coach on Friday night. Spraker’s overall success and dedication to the industry is already having an impact on Hill.

“I could not be happier right now,” said Hill, a native Texan. ”We inhaled our first experience of Nationwide competition at Watkins Glen and I was thrilled with the results.  We head to a short track now which is a complete opposite of a road course. Casey comes from a rich history of success in short track racing and Jeff has been around for nearly 30 years, so I’m highly optimistic about Friday.”

In addition to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event, Roderick and Spraker recently worked together in a stint of three ARCA Racing Series events where the team shined with speed and finesse. During those contests, the two created a firm bond which they hope will continue to strengthen as time presses on.

“I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is to work with a talent like Casey,” said Spraker. “I’ve worked with a lot of drivers, but here’s a kid that I didn’t know a lot about and he impressed me the first time he climbed inside a racecar. We went to three ARCA races and his desire to please while show speed on the racetrack was evident from the moment he walked into the garage.”

He added, “I think our Ford Mustang will be solid this week. We’ve got some great horsepower from RoushYates. Casey and I will talk strategy for practice, qualifying and the race. I think overall, though, we’ll be fine.”

From Richmond, the Randy Hill Racing team tentatively plans to compete at Kansas Speedway, Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, the site of RHR’s home track debut.

The Virginia 529 College Savings 250 (250 laps / 187.5 miles) is the 27^th of 35 races on the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series tour. Practice beings Friday, September 9, with a one-hour and 15 minute session planned from 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. A final practice session has been etched in from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day set to launch at 4:05 p.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 7:30 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN2, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite, Channel 90). Pre-race coverage of the contest lifts off at 7:00 p.m. also on ESPN2.

For more on Randy Hill Racing, please visit randyhillracing.com.

Join the team on Facebook by clicking here (Randy Hill Racing).

Tweet with us through Twitter at @RandyHillRacing.