Dow Extends Sponsorship of Austin Dillon, RCR Through 2025
Richard Childress Racing has cemented a key partner for Austin Dillon and its No. 3 NASCAR Cup Series team heading into the 2025 season. RCR announced an extension with Dow, a longtime primary sponsorship partner, in a press conference at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday morning ahead of the FireKeepers Casino 400.
Dow is proud to continue its partnership with the five-time NASCAR Cup Series race-winning driver and six-time NASCAR Cup Series championship winning race team.
“We believe in the power and science of sport and its ability to push the bounds of innovation, particularly through purpose-based partnerships,” said Carlos Padilla II, Head of Global Sports Partnerships at Dow, “so we’re thrilled to be continuing our collaboration on the NASCAR circuit with RCR, working together to help drive a higher-performing future of automotive, both on the racetrack and our everyday roads.”
When Dillon, a champion in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, moved to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2014, Dow was a key component of the sponsorship puzzle for the grandson of NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress. RCR, Dow, and Dillon have accomplished some big things in the NASCAR Cup Series together.
Dillon had Dow on the hood of his No. 3 Chevrolet race car when he scored the pole for the Daytona 500 as a rookie in 2014, again for his first career Cup Series win at Dover in 2016, and for his crown jewel victories in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2018 Daytona 500. In addition to the on-track success, the 34-year-old driver has enjoyed the personal connection he's had with Dow's employees over the years.
“Dow’s relationship has been one of the most personal and authentic relationships of my motorsports career,” said Dillon. “I’ve really enjoyed meeting Dow employees globally, some of which have become close friends. We’ve seen first-hand the power of the partnership with programs such as the Dow Salutes Veterans program growing each year, and customers from a variety of businesses finding value in their relationship with Dow through their at-track experience. Dow has supported me since day 1 in the NASCAR Cup Series, and it means a lot to know that Dow scientists are working behind the scenes to extract every ounce of speed we can from our Chevys. I’m proud to be associated with one of the world’s foremost materials science companies and will do my best to represent Dow both on and off track.”
The partnership with a NASCAR Cup Series program makes sense for Dow as the collaboration with RCR led Dow to launch Dow MobilityScience, which helps Dow develop and manufacture high-performance components and materials custom-made for RCR's No. 3 Dow Chevrolet.
“Collaboration is key when it comes to innovation,” said Jennifer Kempf, Commercial Vice President of Dow MobilityScience™, “and in a world where mobility is ever-changing and the need for more rapidly evolving options on our roads is paramount, it’s teamwork and real-time testing with like-minded partners such as RCR that’s helping bring to life the advancements necessary for progress.”
Richard Childress Racing echoed that the relationship with Dow extends far past the hood of the No. 3 race car.
“Whether it’s corporate citizenship, sustainability initiatives, or celebrating the science of speed through ongoing technological collaborations between RCR engineers and Dow scientists, our relationship with Dow has always been about more than the diamond on the hood of the car,” said Torrey Galida, president of RCR. “Together, we’ve accomplished a lot both on and off the track, and we’re looking forward to building on our strong relationship with continued collaborations.”
Dillon picked up the fifth win of his NASCAR Cup Series career in last weekend's Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, but on the Wednesday following the win, Dillon faced sanctions from NASCAR due to a pair of aggressive moves that he made for the win on the final lap of that race. As part of the sanctions, NASCAR stripped Dillon and the No. 3 team of their automatic Playoff berths that came with the victory.
RCR and Dillon will appeal the penalties from NASCAR, but pending the outcome of the appeal, Dillon could need an additional victory in the next three races in order to secure his place in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field.
Dillon will start 10th in Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 after qualifying was washed out on Saturday, and he'll look to snag his second consecutive victory.
TOBY CHRISTIE