RCR Post Race Report – Watkins Glen

Race Highlights:

  • Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Dillon, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman finished 16th, 32nd and 41st, respectively.
  • Newman ranks ninth in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 128 points, while Dillon ranks 14th and Menard ranks 17th.
  • AJ Allmendinger earned his first victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Marcos Ambrose, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson and Carl Edwards.
  • The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 17, which is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and is broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

 

Austin Dillon Finishes 16th in No. 3 Dow Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International

 

Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Dow Chevrolet to a 16th-place finish in the NASCAR 355 at the Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday after starting from the 31st position. Dillon took advantage of a full-course caution on lap 10 to pit for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment designed to combat a loose-handling condition. He restarted 26th on lap 14 and worked his way into the 20th spot by the race’s halfway point. Shortly thereafter, a multi-car incident caused NASCAR and track officials to display the red flag for more than an hour while repairs were made to barriers off of turn five and in the short chute. Dillon pitted for fuel-only before green-flag racing resumed and he restarted from the 10th spot on lap 59. An on-track incident with four laps remaining caused NASCAR officials to display the red flag again, stalling the racing action for approximately 45 minutes. When green flag racing resumed, Dillon was scored in the 11th position for a two-lap shootout to the checkered flag. Unfortunately, he lost ground in the closing laps ultimately getting a 16th-place finish.

  

Start – 31st       Finish – 16th    Laps Led – 0    Points – 14th   

                                                   

 

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE: 

“I’m really proud of Gil Martin and the entire No. 3 Dow Chevrolet team for putting together a solid race strategy today. They stuck with me and we were able to get a top-20 finish even after qualifying outside of the top-30. I’m focused on making the Chase and Michigan is a track that our team has definitely circled on our calendars to do well.”

 

 

2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards

Mechanical Issue Results In A 32nd-place finish at Watkins Glen International For Paul Menard

 

Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 SPLASH/Menards Chevrolet SS to a 32rd-place finish in Sunday’s event at Watkins Glen International. The Eau Claire, Wis., driver started 20th and immediately alerted crew chief Slugger Labbe he was having mechanical issues. The No. 27 Chevrolet team took action and was in the garage by lap seven making repairs to the RCR car. Menard returned to the race on lap 11 in the 43rd-position and three laps behind the race leader. Labbe and the SPLASH/Menards crew would work hard all day to regain laps lost, but were hindered when Menard received right-front fender damage from an on track incident on lap 56. This incident resulted in an hour and 20 minute red flag condition in which Labbe was able to come up with a game plan to fix damage. Menard was scored in the 35th position when racing resumed on lap 59. The No. 27 Chevrolet team would survive another red flag condition and a green-white-checkered finish to end the day in the 32nd-position. Up next for the No. 27 team is next Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway.

 

Start – 20th             Finish – 32nd           Laps Led – 0                Points – 17th

 

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

“We had a good SPLASH/Menards Chevy, but a rough day. I appreciate my guys for working so hard and getting us back out there. We’ll take what we learned here and move on.”

     

 

  

Crash Claims Top-10 Finish for Newman at Watkins Glen International

 

Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a 41st-place finish in NASCAR’s final road-course event of the season at Watkins Glen International. The South Bend, Ind., driver started 10th and raced in the top 10 in the opening laps while a variety of pit strategies were put into motion by the competition during the event. For the No. 31 team, crew chief Luke Lambert called his driver onto pit road on lap 28 under green while running in eighth. The team’s green-flag run saw Newman race in 12th while battling a tight-handling condition. The chance to pit and fine tune the No. 31 Chevrolet happened under caution on lap 52. The driver restarted in 18th since several teams opted to stay out. Then moments later on lap 55, Newman was involved in a multi-car crash coming out of the final turn that caused the race to be red flagged for more than an hour. The Caterpillar Chevrolet was damaged beyond repair forcing Newman and his team to call it a day. The No. 31 driver is now in ninth place in the standings. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competes next Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, which is where the No. 31 team produced a 15th-place finish in the prior race on June 15th.

 

Start – 10th           Finish – 41st             Laps Led – 0                Points – 9th

 

 

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:  

“I was at the wrong place at the wrong time and from where I was sitting, I saw (Greg) Biffle jump the curb. He got out and across the grass and I probably could have given him more room, but I was timing it to where I could shoot past. I think Biffle slowed down when he came back onto the track. This whole situation is really disappointing. We lost John Melvin a few weeks back and I want to thank him for all the innovations he came up with for our sport to keep us safe. We had a decent Caterpillar Chevrolet. We just got in a big accident, but we’re all okay and that’s all that matters.”

RCR PR