US silver medalist April Ross/NASCAR drivers to team up in Battle For The Beach in Cincinnati

Published Aug. 28, 2012 11:59 a.m. ET

foxsports

Still wish you could see more women's beach volleyball? You're in luck…
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KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY, NASCAR DRIVERS and AVP CINCINNATI OPEN BATTLE FOR THE BEACH EXHIBITION WHAT:NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) drivers Austin Dillon and Brian Scott will join NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver Ty Dillon in an exhibition “Battle for the Beach” volleyball match with United States Olympic beach volleyball silver medalist and Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) athlete April Ross in advance of the Aug. 31-Sept. 2 AVP Cincinnati Open as well as Kentucky Speedway’s Sept. 22 NNS Kentucky 300 and Sept. 21 NCWTS Kentucky 201. WHEN/WHERE:Thursday, Aug. 30, 20121 p.m. Washington Park – AVP Cincinnati Open Court1230 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
DIRECTIONS:http://washingtonpark.org/directions/ BACKGROUND:The Dillons and Scott will represent NASCAR’s Daytona Beach, Fla., founding roots that date to the 1930s. Scott will have an inside track on the match. His cousin, Jess Gysin, is an AVP professional. NNS Driver Austin Dillon – No. 3 Adovcare / American Ethanol / Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet – Richard Childress RacingThe 22-year-old grandson of prominent NASCAR team owner Richard Childress opens the week leading the NNS Rookie of the Year standings and ranked fourth in the overall series championship standings. He raced to his first NNS victory on June 29, 2012 in Kentucky Speedway’s “Feed The Children 300.” He has posted a combined 12 top-five along and 17 top-10 finishes through 23 of 33 events this season. He trails overall championship leader Elliott Sadler by 35 points. NNS Driver Brian Scott – No. 11 Dollar General Toyota – Joe Gibbs RacingThe 24-year-old driver will make his 100th career NNS start at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 1. The four-year NNS veteran begins the week ranked ninth in the championship standings after capturing two top-five and a combined six top-10 finishes this season, including a season-best third-place finish at Dover International Speedway on June 2. He will make his fourth career Kentucky Speedway NNS start on Sept. 22. NCWTS Driver Ty Dillon – No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet – Richard Childress Racing The 20-year-old leads the NCWTS Rookie of the Year standings and ranks fourth in the overall series championship standings after generating two top-five and a combined 11 top-10 finishes through 13 events this season. He is 25 points behind championship leader Timothy Peters. Dillon placed third in this season’s June 28 NCWTS event in the Bluegrass State and is Austin’s brother. AVP Player and U.S. Olympian April Ross:Ross made her Olympic debut in London, England earlier this summer. She teamed with longtime partner Jen Kessy to capture the women’s beach volleyball silver medal. The tandem advanced to the gold medal match with a 2-1 victory over the top-seeded Brazilian team of Larissa Franco and Juliana Silva. Ross and Kessy placed runner-up to the accomplished duo of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings in an all-American final match. Ross, a four-time NCAA All American who contributed to two national championship teams at the Univ. of Southern California, also teamed with Kessy to capture the 2009 FIVB World Championships by taking out Franco and Silva. Ross and Kessy are the No. 2 seed in this week’s AVP Cincinnati Open. They are tied for third in the current overall AVP rankings.