RCR Post Race Report – Pocono Raceway

Austin Dillon Earns Top-15 Finish in No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway

Austin Dillon was a strong contender for a top-10 finish in the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. But, he ultimately settled for a 15^th-place finish after he was shuffled out of the groove during a restart with three laps remaining in the 160-lap event. The Welcome, N.C. driver started the race from the 11^th spot and noted a loose-handling condition on exit to the corners during his initial run around the 2.5-mile triangular-shaped track. A pit stop under caution conditions on lap 10 provided the Gil Martin-led team an opportunity to adjust the handling of the black and green Chevrolet through a track bar adjustment and right-side tires. He restarted 23^rd when green-flag racing resumed on lap 12 and the RCR crew utilized routine pit stops throughout the race to continue to improve on the car’s handling conditions. The diligence worked to the team’s favor as Dillon recorded quick lap times and worked his way as high as fifth in the running order as the race approached the midway point. Dillon was scored in the ninth spot when the caution flag was displayed on lap 138, prompting the team to make their final pit stop on lap 141 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. He restarted 12^th on lap 143 and worked his way into the top 10 but fell back to 15^th for the race’s finish after he was shuffled out of the groove during a restart with three laps remaining.

Start – 11th       Finish – 15th    Laps Led – 0    Points – 15th   

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

“This finish definitely does not show how good our American Ethanol Chevrolet was today, so I’m a bit disappointed. We just got used up on the final restart. There were some guys with newer tires behind us. I’m proud of the RCR team. We’re going to keep digging to make it into the Chase. I’m excited for testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway this week and racing at Watkins Glen next weekend.”

Mid-Race Incident Relegates Paul Menard to a 33^rd-place finish at Pocono Raceway

Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet SS to a 33^rd-place finish in Sunday’s 160-lap event at Pocono Raceway. The Eau Claire, Wis., driver started 29^th and quickly made his way to the 26^th position, reporting the CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet was tight turning in the center of Turn 1. Menard pitted after the caution came out on lap eight for two tires and fuel. This call by crew chief Slugger Labbe put the No. 27 team on a strategy different than other competitors. The RCR driver radioed the CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet started out tight on the restarts with two tires but the handling slowly came to him. On the lap 33 restart, Menard took over the fourth position for seven laps before coming down pit road for four tires and fuel. The CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet raced anywhere from the 30^th-position to the eighth-position due to varying pit strategies. On lap 111, Menard was collected in a multi-car wreck sending the CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet to the garage for repairs. Labbe and the No. 27 crew worked to get the car back on track at Pocono Raceway with 25 laps remaining in the event but finished in the 33^rd position. Up next for the No. 27 team is next Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International.

Start – 29th             Finish – 33rd           Laps Led – 0                Points – 16th

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

“I really hate it for these guys. We had a good CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet and Slugger (Labbe, Crew Chief) made a good call to get us on a different pit strategy. This is not how we wanted to end our day for sure but I’m proud of the work the guys did to get the car back out there. It actually handled pretty good for what it had been through on the track. We’ll just learn from this and put it behind us.”

Ryan Newman Earns Top-10 Finish at Pocono Raceway, Moves up in Points

Ryan Newman and the No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet team started 21^st in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway and earned a eighth-place finish. From the initial green flag, Newman reported to the Luke Lambert-led team the Chevrolet SS had fairly good balance through the three turns of the Tricky Triangle of Pocono. About the only concern Newman shared was a slightly free and then a tick tight in the turns. Through two left-side only, three right-side only and three four-tire pit stops, the team capitalized and gained valued track position to keep them within striking distance of the top-10 running positions. The key to their success took place on their final four-tire stop on lap 140. Newman hit pit road under caution, the Quicken Loans crew bolted on four new tires, topped the Chevrolet off with fuel and made some minor adjustments. Within 10 laps, the No. 31 was in ninth and survived one last caution restart to finish in eighth place. This moved Newman from seventh to fifth in the Sprint Cup Series driver points standings.

Start – 21^st        Finish – 8^th       Laps Led – 0                Points – 5^th

Ryan Newman Quote:

“We didn’t really qualify where we wanted to, but we knew we had a good race package for Sunday. Once the race started, I felt like we were going to have a good race if we could just use smart pit strategy and stay out of trouble. We managed to do both. Good job by Luke and the team as we head to Watkins Glen for some road course action this coming weekend.”

RCR PR