Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing drivers Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard finished 14th, 16th and 21st, respectively, in the Homestead-Miami 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- Newman and Menard closed out the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season 11th and 14th in the Chase for the Sprint Cup while Dillon finished 21st in the standings.
- Kyle Busch earned his fifth victory of the 2015 season en route to the 2015 championship and was followed to the line by Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson.
- The 2016 Sprint Cup Series season kicks off with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 21, 2016.
Austin Dillon Finishes 14th in 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finale
Austin Dillon closed out the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season with a 14th-place finish in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Dow Chevrolet at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday evening. Dillon started the 267-lap race from the 10th spot but dropped to 20th on the initial run as he struggled with a tight-handling Chevrolet and also brushed the wall after making contact with oil on the racing surface. When the caution flag was displayed on lap 13 it provided the Slugger Labbe-led team an opportunity to pit for four tires, fuel, chassis adjustments and to repair right-side damage. Dillon restarted 17th when green flag racing resumed on lap 18 and spent the majority of the race battling handling conditions that altered from tight to loose as he navigated around the 1.5-mile speedway. The conditions Dillon faced were addressed through routine trips down pit road for air pressure and chassis adjustments. The Welcome, N.C., driver was scored in the 15th position on lap 148 when the race leader passed him, pinning him one lap down. The caution flag was displayed one lap later granting Dillon the Lucky Dog position. He pitted for 4 tires, fuel and the team took another opportunity to make repairs to the right side of the Dow Chevy before Dillon restarted 15th on lap 152. The Dow Chevrolet was best on long green-flag runs and Dillon raced his way as high as 12th before ultimately posting a 14th-place finish when a late-race debris caution set the field for a restart with seven laps remaining.
Start – 10 Finish – 14 Laps Led – 0 Points – 21
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“Our Dow Chevrolet was not as strong on takeoff today but we were really good on long green-flag runs. I’m proud of this team and all of the efforts we have made this season. It makes me really excited for 2016. I want to thank everyone for sticking with us, especially Dow and all of the Dow business units.”
Paul Menard Finishes 21st in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Finale Event at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Paul Menard drove his No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet to a 21st-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale. The rain delayed 267-lap race started as the sun set on Homestead-Miami Speedway with Menard in the 17th position. After 13 laps, the caution flag was displayed for oil on the track from a fellow competitor. This gave the Richard Childress Racing driver an opportunity to radio to crew chief Justin Alexander that he needed drive off. A pit stop on lap 15 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment helped Menard maintain a position in the top 15 until the NASCAR-mandated competition caution was displayed on lap 30. During this caution, Menard radioed the car was loose in and off the corners as well as tight through the center. The Alexander-led team remedied this condition on lap 32 with four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Alexander and the No. 27 team continued to fight changing track conditions throughout the duration of the event with a combination of adjustments for driver relief. After 400.5 miles, Menard crossed the finish line 21st and 14th in the driver point standings.
Start – 17 Finish – 21 Laps Led – 0 Chase Grid – 14
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“I’m really proud of this team and everything we’ve done this season. We completed a big goal of ours, which was to make the Chase. We’ve got some momentum going into next year now. I think we’ve learned a lot this year so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do next season. We’ll just continue to get stronger and hopefully we’ll be there when it counts.”
Ryan Newman Closes Out Season with 16th-place Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a 16th-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., native started fourth. Just 11 laps into the 267-mile event, Newman sustained significant right-side damage after making hard contact with the wall after a competitor put oil down on the track. Crew chief Luke Lambert called Newman onto pit road for repairs and on the lap-18 restart, Newman lined up in the 37th position. Just 35 laps later, a multi-car crash ensued with Newman successfully taking evasive action. Despite the early drama, the Caterpillar Chevrolet broke back into the top 10 by lap 65. The No. 31 driver’s biggest handling challenge was tight in the first half and loose in the second half of a green-flag run. Lambert used a series of stops to help Newman on laps 90, 138, 151 and 168 while running inside the top 15. The team’s final service happened on lap 215 to give the driver another chance to race back into the top 10, but when the checkered flag waved, Newman earned 16th place and 11th in the 2015 championship point standings.
Start – 4 Finish – 16 Laps Led – 0 Chase Grid – 11
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“We had a strong Caterpillar Chevrolet in the opening laps and despite hitting the wall, we were able to rally back and race in the top 10. For whatever reason, we were not as competitive in the second half of the race. I was hoping we could close out the season with a top-10 finish and a top 10 in the final standings but we came up short. I want to thank this entire RCR team and organization for another run at the championship. Qualifying two-straight seasons is rewarding and I’m looking forward to some time off before getting back at it and prepare for 2016.”
RCR PR
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