RCR Post Race Report – Richmond International Raceway

Race Highlights:

• Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished ninth, 18^th and 20^th.
• Newman ranks 16th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings and earned a spot in the 2014 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, which begins next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Paul Menard ranks 20^th and Austin Dillon ranks 21^st.
• Brad Keselowski earned his first victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick.
• The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Myafibstory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, September 14, which is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and  broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

 

Austin Dillon Finishes 20th in the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet at Richmond International Raceway

 

Austin Dillon earned a 20th-place finish in the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet in Saturday evening’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway. The Richard Childress Racing driver started the 400-lap affair from the 28^th position and worked his way into the 23^rd spot before pitting on lap 50 during a NASCAR-mandated competition caution. During the stop, the crew put on four tires, added fuel and made a chassis adjustment designed to give the green and black American Ethanol machine more forward drive, a handling condition that ended up plaguing the rookie contender for the majority of the race. Dillon restarted from the 21^st spot and continued to progress in the running order. He was scored in the 18^th position on lap 80 and the 16^th position on lap 131. As the race continued, the Welcome, N.C., driver fell two laps down to the race leader but was unable to earn the “Lucky Dog” award and gain his lap back due to long green-flag runs and a notable lack of cautions. He ultimately earned a 20^th-place finish in the American Ethanol Chevrolet.

 

Start – 28th          Finish – 20th        Laps Led – 0            Points – 15th   

                                                   

 

“It’s not where we wanted to finish tonight in the American Ethanol Chevrolet, but it’s a great start to getting this team back on track after a few weekends where we did not fare too well. The night started off really well with the handling and the balance of the car exactly where we wanted it to be. We still need to work on getting it to stay to our liking at the end of the race, but we have something to work off of and I’m excited about that. I can’t wait for Chicagoland Speedway next week.”

 

         

Paul Menard Finishes 18^th in the No. 27 SYLVANIA/Menards Chevrolet at Richmond International Raceway

 

Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 SYLVANIA/Menards Chevrolet SS to an 18^th-place finish in Saturday night’s 400-lap event at Richmond International Raceway. The RCR driver started 14^th and quickly reported he needed “drive off” while exiting the corners. During the NASCAR-mandated competition caution on lap 50, crew chief Slugger Labbe called for four tires with an air pressure change, fuel, track bar and wedge adjustments to remedy the handling condition. Throughout the remainder of the three-caution race, Labbe called the SYLVANIA/Menards Chevrolet down pit road four times for four tires and a combination of chassis adjustments. On lap 242, Menard radioed handling of the Chevrolet had improved but as the race progressed, he fell one lap down to the leader and was unable to gain his lap back due to lack of cautions. The No. 27 team ultimately finished in the 18^th position. Next up for the RCR team is Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

 

Start – 14th             Finish – 18th            Laps Led – 0                Points – 20th

 

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

“We had a good car, it just fired off too loose there in the beginning then we were chasing the track all night. We’ve been really consistent all season and had some top-five and top-10 finishes but a few weeks there in the middle made our Chase chances a challenge. We were up for the challenge and I’m proud of my guys for working hard.”
 

  

 

Ryan Newman Clinches Chase Berth with Ninth-Place Finish at Richmond International Raceway

 

Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a ninth-place finish in Saturday night’s 400-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Speedway. The result earned the South Bend, Ind., driver his sixth Chase for the Sprint Cup championship berth and second for Caterpillar Racing. When the green flag dropped, Newman lined up 12th and raced into the top 10 by lap 45. By halfway, he was running top-five lap times as crew chief Luke Lambert fine-tuned the No. 31 Chevy during a series of pit stops to adapt to the track changes. For the majority of the race, Newman competed in the sixth position. The final restart of the night happened on lap 336 with Newman scored in the seventh spot. The RCR driver remained poised to cross the finish line in ninth place. Next week the No. 31 team heads to Chicagoland Speedway to compete in the first of three races in the Challenger Round bracket of the championship. 

 

 

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:

“It’s a good feeling to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. I’ve got to thank everybody at RCR, Quicken Loans, Caterpillar, WIX Filters, Kwikset, Chevrolet, ECR Engines, Sprint and everybody involved in giving us this chance to race for a championship. I appreciate being where I am and how hard it is for everybody. I’ve been that bubble guy quite a few years so it’s nice to get into the Chase and to get in the way we did. We’ve shown a lot of consistency and I think that will pay off.”

 

RCR PR