Bass Pro Shops teams with RCR in '10 on No. 3 truck

WELCOME, N.C. -- Richard Childress Racing and Bass Pro Shops have reached an agreement for Austin Dillon to compete in the No. 3 Chevrolet for the majority of the 2010 Camping World Truck Series schedule.

This RCR/Bass Pro Shops partnership is the latest chapter of a relationship that began in 1998 when Bass Pro Shops signed on as an associate sponsor of RCR's No. 3 Chevrolet with driver Dale Earnhardt. The relationship continued with Kevin Harvick and the No 29 Chevrolet and, in 2004, Kerry Earnhardt, Dale's eldest son, drove RCR's No. 33 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in six Cup Series races.

Dillon

"All of us at Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Boats are tickled to death to once again partner with Richard Childress and the RCR team," Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris said. "Austin is a promising young driver with a great future ahead of him. He also has a passion for hunting, fishing, and conservation just like his grandpa [Richard Childress]."

Bass Pro Shops was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Springfield, Mo. The outdoor retail chain has 56 stores throughout the United States and Canada, serving more than 100 million sportsmen a year.

Dillon, 19, is the grandson of RCR president and CEO, Richard Childress, and the son of Mike Dillon, a former driver who is now RCR's vice president of competition. The Clemmons, N.C., native began his racing career in 2005 driving Bandaleros and Legends cars, progressing to dirt and asphalt Late Model cars by 2007. He earned rookie of the year honors and finished second in the 2008 Camping World Series East point standings. That same year, Dillon made his Nationwide Series debut at Richmond in September and earned a fourth-place finish at Memphis in October..

In 2009, Dillon competed in the Camping World Series, ARCA Series, Nationwide Series and made two starts in the Truck Series driving RCR's famous black No. 3 Chevrolet. In the fall of 2009, he enrolled in High Point University's Nido R. Quebin School of Communications as an incoming freshman student.

"I'm very excited about welcoming Bass Pro Shops back to RCR," Dillon said. "Hunting and racing have always been two of my family's biggest passions and to be able to bring them together through Bass Pro Shops is truly special. This great partnership will create more awareness to hunting and wildlife conservation."

RCR won the first Truck Series race, at Phoenix International Raceway, and went on to capture the series' first championship in 1995 with Mike Skinner driving the No. 3 Chevrolet. Skinner won 16 races in two seasons and Jay Sauter would earn four more victories before RCR discontinued the program at the conclusion of the 1999 season. In 132 Truck starts, RCR-prepared trucks earned 20 victories, 59 top-five and 85 top-10 finishes.

"It's great to see the black No. 3 Chevy Silverado back on the track, especially with Bass Pro Shops on board with the program," Childress said. "I'm proud to have personally endorsed Bass Pro Shops since 1998 and I look forward to this exciting new chapter of our partnership. The great things Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops do for wildlife and outdoor conservation is very important. Austin and I are proud to spread the word about conservation as well as making the youth of America more aware of the importance and fun of hunting and fishing and conserving the great outdoors."