RCR Post Race Report — NNS Chicagoland Speedway

Race Highlights:

  • Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Austin Dillon), ninth (Kevin Harvick) and 14th (Brian Scott).
  • Dillon is second in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Sam Hornish, Jr. by 17 points, while Scott is seventh in the standings, 72 points behind the leader.
  • The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks fourth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 2 team ninth in the standings and the No. 33 team 11th.
  • According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Dillon ranked fourth in Average Running Position (4.515), was the Fourth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run (167.403 mph),was fourth-Fastest on Restarts (167.124 mph) and had the fourth-best Driver Rating (114.1).
  • Harvick ranked third in Quality Passes with 35 and was the fifth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run (167.396 mph).
  • Scott made 21 Quality Passes.
  • Dillon and Harvick were among five drivers who spent 100 percent of the race running in the top 15.
  • Kyle Busch earned his 10th Nationwide Series victory of the 2013 season and was followed to the finish line by Joey Logano, Sam Hornish Jr., Dillon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  • The next Nationwide Series race is the Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 21. The 27th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPNEWS beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio channel 90.

   

Brian Scott Finishes 14th at Chicagoland Speedway

  

Brian Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge team traveled to Chciagoland Speedway for the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ 27th race of the 2013 season with added confidence after a strong finish at Richmond International Raceway last weekend. Scott started the 300-mile affair from the 19th
position, battled a tight condition for the majority of the event and earned a 14th-place finish. The 25-year-old competitor moved inside the top-15 during the early laps using the momentum from the top groove, but reported to crew chief Phil Gould he was extremely tight through the corners. The first caution flag was displayed on lap 23, allowing Scott to bring his Shore Lodge Chevrolet to the attention of his pit crew for two tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The Boise, Idaho-native restarted second on the ensuing restart after taking two tires. While the field set in for a lengthy green-flag run, Scott reported the adjustments helped the handling of his Chevrolet, but he was still too tight. Gould called the Richard Childress Racing driver to pit road under green-flag conditions for four tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment. Once pit stops cycled through, Scott was shown in the 19th
position. Through the next several laps he battled for track position climbing as high as 12th, but made contact with the outside wall during a late-race restart and suffered right-side damage. The damage caused his Chevrolet to become even tighter and he ultimately crossed the finish line in the 14th spot.

 

Start – 19         Finish – 14         Laps Led – 0         Points – 7th

  

BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:

“We were just too tight all weekend. From the time we unloaded our Shore Lodge Camaro through the whole race we battled the tight-handling issue, which was really different from our first visit to Chicagoland Speedway earlier this season. I’m proud of the guys on pit road, they were solid all day long. We’ll evaluate and learn from this race and move on to Kentucky Speedway next week.”

 

 

 

Austin Dillon Earns Top-Five Finish in No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet at Chicagoland Speedway

 

Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to a fourth-place finish in the Dollar General 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday afternoon, after starting the 200-lap race from the second position. Dillon reported to crew chief Danny Stockman the black No. 3 Chevrolet was tight in the middle of the corners during the initial run, prompting the team to make a chassis adjustment during the first round of pit stops under caution on lap 26. The Welcome, N.C. driver restarted in the sixth spot on lap 28, but struggled with a loose-handling condition on exit of the corners during the ensuing run, prompting an additional adjustment during a lap-84, green-flag pit stop. Running solidly in the top five for a majority of the 300-mile race, Dillon was scored in the fourth position for a restart on lap 171 and took the opportunity to make a three-wide pass to claim the second position. Several late-race restarts ensued in which he battled side-by-side with fellow championship point contender Sam Hornish Jr. for the second position. Dillon prevailed and maintained the second position before developing a tight-handling condition and dropping to fourth for the race’s finish.

 

Start – 2            Finish – 4              Laps Led – 0             Points – 2nd                           

 

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE: 
“The No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet was just a little bit tight during the final run, which caused us to drop a few spots.  It was fun racing side-by-side with the No. 12 car towards the end of the race. Sam Hornish, Jr. is a great competitor and this championship is going to come down to who is going to make a mistake. If he ends up making one, we will be there.”

 

 

 

Kevin Harvick Collects Top-10 Finish in NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Chicagoland Speedway 

 

Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Rheem/MenardsChevrolet team battled handling issues during the Dollar General 300 on Saturday afternoon and finished ninth at Chicagoland Speedway. Starting from the 13th position, the two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion maneuvered his way into the top 10 within the first 10 laps of the 200-lap affair, while battling a Chevrolet that was tight in and loose off of the turns. The Ernie Cope-led pit crew made adjustments to the car during scheduled four-tire pit stops on laps 25, 82 and 109 in an effort to alleviate the handling issue. Harvick was running in the fifth position when he alerted the team the handling of the neon yellow machine had transitioned from loose to tight during the final laps of the event, leaving him to settle for a ninth-place result.

 

Start – 13         Finish – 9         Laps Led – 0         Owner Points – 11th

 

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:

“This wasn’t the most fun race for our team today. We had a solid run, but struggled all day to find the right handling we needed to get the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet up front.”

 

RCR PR