RCR Post Race Report – Texas 300

Austin Dillon Shows Promise in the No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway

“We had a decent start to the night in the Rheem Chevrolet. We pitted before Stage 2 to get some track position. There was a caution with 70 laps to go, and we took two tires, which allowed us to restart second. If we would have restarted on the bottom it would have been a different story, but we got hung on the outside on that restart and fell to eighth. We short pitted and after everything cycled out we ended up 10th. I think if things would have gotten jumbled back up and we had a couple of late-race restarts it would have ended differently. Still, I’m proud of this team, and we showed promise tonight. A win just wasn’t in the cards.”

 Austin Dillon

Ty Dillon Battles Loose-Handling Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway

“Our night didn’t start out very well. I was way too loose going into the corner and spun out on Lap 10. We were able to recover without any damage and get new tires on our Bass Pro Shops Chevy. My team hit on a good air pressure adjustment about halfway though the race that really helped with my grip on the track. Once we got through all of our scuffed tires and put on our sticker tires, it made a world of a difference. The stickers, combined with the air pressure adjustments, had me running the best I had been in the entire race. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t make the switch earlier, but it’s a lesson we learned that we’ve now got in our notes for next year.”
 
 Ty Dillon

Playoff Contender Daniel Hemric Finishes 14th at Texas Motor Speedway in Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet

“I am proud of all of the guys on the Blue Gate Bank team for getting the backup car ready and overcoming all of the trials we had this weekend. So, thanks to them for all of that. The balance was decent, and the team worked hard to get it close, but we weren’t able to get the Blue Gate Bank up front where it belongs. We’ve battled all night and all year, really. Our plan is to go to Phoenix as prepared as we can be. Everyone needs to do their job, try to sit on the pole and try to win the race. I believe in these guys and all of their heart. Everybody on this Blue Gate Bank team and everybody at RCR is doing their job. We just need to make sure we bring our best bullet possible next week.” 

 Daniel Hemric

Brandon Jones Relegated to 35th-Place Finish in the No. 33 Rain-X / Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet After Lap-60 Incident

“I’ll have to go back and look at the replays to see what happened to cut our night short tonight, but no matter what, it was a disappointing finish to our race. The No. 33 Rain-X / Advance Auto Parts Chevy was fast, and we had just gotten it to loosen up enough to be able to drive around traffic like I wanted it too. I’m not sure if the No. 5 car got shoved up or just drifted up into us, but it happened so fast that there was nowhere for me to go. We were climbing up into the top 10 at that point, so this really is a terrible way to end what could have been a great night for us.”
 
 Brandon Jones

Handling and Close Calls Prevent Brandan Gaughan and South Point Hotel and Casino Team From Earning Top 10 at Texas Motor Speedway

“I am disappointed with tonight on so many levels. I want to thank my boys for their hard work and solid pit stops. They really did a good job for me all weekend. I really thought going into this race that I had one of the best South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolets I’ve had in quite a while here. I love this place, and I wanted a better result than this. We ended Stage 2 in the top 10, and our lap times during the first half of the final stage reflected the speed we had. We had a couple of close calls tonight out on the track, but we were fortunate not to have been collected in a wreck or two. We lost some real estate dodging a car and it was tough to regain the momentum we lost. I’m just bummed. I love this place.” 
 
 Brendan Gaughan
 

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