Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished second and sixth, respectively, in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- Greg Biffle finished first in segment one of the Sprint Showdown, earning a transfer spot into Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star race, while Clint Bowyer finished first in the final segment, earning the second transfer spot. Danica Patrick earned the third transfer spot by virtue of a fan vote.
- Ryan Newman will compete in the All-Star Race on Saturday, May 16, 2015 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which is scheduled to be televised live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Drives Dow Chevrolet to Sixth-Place Finish in Sprint Showdown
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon drove the No. 3 Dow Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday evening. Dillon started fifth in the non-points paying qualifying race, which consists of two separate 20-lap segments with the winner of each one earning a spot in Saturday’s All-Star race. He worked his way into the fourth position before the conclusion of the first segment. During the break, the RCR team serviced the Dow Chevrolet with four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment designed to correct a tight-handling condition. Dillon started the second segment in the sixth position and worked his way up to fifth before finishing sixth. Dillon will drive the Cheerios Chevrolet in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24.
Start – 5 Finish – 6 Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“The Dow Chevrolet was just a little too tight in traffic tonight, making it hard to gain positions. I wish we would have been able to race our way into the All-Star race, but overall I feel good about our car because we learned a lot that we can use for the Coca-Cola 600. I want to thank everyone from Dow that came to Charlotte today. I hope they had fun.”
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Paul Menard Finishes Second in Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Paul Menard started Friday’s 30th Annual Sprint Showdown from the pole position and kept his spot in the top three before the end of the first 20-lap segment. The Wisconsin native radioed to Justin Alexander and team that the Serta/Menards Chevrolet SS was tight through the center. During the scheduled caution on lap 20, the Alexander-led team gave Menard four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. Menard lined up sixth for the beginning of the final 20-lap segment, behind four cars that took only two tires. After a caution on lap 22, the Richard Childress Racing driver restarted fourth and drove his way in to the top two after battling four wide with other drivers in the closing laps. The No. 27 driver maintained position and crossed the finish line second. Up next for the team is Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Start – 1 Finish – 2 Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“I’m just disappointed. We had a really fast Serta/Menards Chevy today. We learned some things for next week and will get ready for the Coke 600. I’m proud of my guys for giving me a good car tonight.”
RCR PR
