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[/media-credit]RCR Post Race Report — Charlotte Motor Speedway
NASCAR Nationwide Series
History 300
Charlotte Motor Speedway
May 26, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Kevin Harvick), fifth (Elliott Sadler), 10th (Joey Coulter) and 11th (Austin Dillon).
Sadler is second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing point leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 13 points. Dillon ranks third, followed by Sam Hornish Jr. and Cole Whitt.
The No. 2 Chevrolet team is third in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, 23 points shy of the No. 18 car’s lead, with the No. 3 team fourth in the standings and the No. 33 team fifth.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick maintained the highest average running position throughout the 200-lap race, had the highest driver rating, was the fastest driver late in a run, fastest on restarts, had the fastest green flag speed, led the most laps and was one of two drivers that spent the entire race running in the top 15.
Coulter earned a top-10 finish in his career first Nationwide Series start.
Coulter ranked third in the Closers category, improving two positions in the last 10 percent of the race.
Dillon and Sadler maintained the sixth and seventh-highest average running positions with an average running place of 8.670 and 9.025, respectively.
Dillon earned his career best Nationwide Series starting position by qualifying second on Saturday afternoon.
Combined, the RCR entries posted the fastest lap of the race for 43 circuits, with Harvick leading all drivers with 41 Fastest Laps of the Race.
Brad Keselowski earned his first win of the 2012 Nationwide Series and was followed to the finish line by Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Harvick and Sadler.
The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the NNS 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, June 2. The 11th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Elliott Sadler Posts Solid Fifth-Place Finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team earned their sixth top-five of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon.. Starting from the sixth position, the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was shuffled back in traffic early in the race, but settled into the 10th position by lap 10. Working his way up to seventh place, Sadler reported to the crew that the No. 2 Chevrolet was lacking side bite, and under caution on lap 54, the Emporia, Va., native brought the car down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. After completing their pit stop, the OneMain Financial Chevrolet was blocked in their pit box by another competitor, losing 10 positions for the restart, but the team continued to battle for each position. As the laps ticked down, Sadler methodically worked his way back into the top-10 into the sixth position. Coming to the white flag, Sadler moved up to the fifth position, where he would take the checkered flag. Sadler remains in the second position in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, 13 points behind the leader.
Start – 6 Finish – 5 Laps Led – 0 Points – 2
ELLIOTT SADLER QUOTE:
“Today was a good points day for our team. Our OneMain Financial guys never give up, and we were able to walk away with a top-five finish. We gained 21 points in the [Nationwide Series driver championship] points standings, so I’m really looking forward to keeping our momentum next week in Dover.”
Austin Dillon Finishes 11th at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sporting a special National Wild Turkey Federation paint scheme in conjunction with Bass Pro Shops, Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Chevrolet team finished 11th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Dillon started the 200-lap History 300 from the second position after posting his career best Nationwide Series qualifying effort on Saturday afternoon but fell to sixth on the first lap as he battled a loose-handling Chevrolet, a condition that plagued the team throughout the race. The Bass Pro Shops team worked to alleviate the condition through numerous air pressure and chassis adjustments over the course of four separate routine pit stops. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender was scored in the 10th position for a lap-146 restart when oil on the racing surface caused several drivers to slide and spin, including the car directly in front of Dillon. Although the No. 3 Chevrolet was loose, Dillon avoided making contact with any cars or spinning himself by backing off of the throttle, losing three positions on the race track in the process. Restarting in the 13th position on lap 154, Dillon spent the final 46 laps of the race trying to gain track position while massaging his loose-handling black and orange Chevrolet, crossing the finish line in the 11th position. Dillon remains third in the Nationwide Series Driver Championship Standings, 28 markers behind point leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Start – 2 Finish – 11 Laps Led – 0 Points – 3
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE: “I worked hard in my Bass Pro Shops/National Wild Turkey Federation Chevrolet today. We fought a loose-handling race car for the entire race. Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of the most temperature-sensitive tracks we go to and the mixture of sun and cloud cover definitely affected us today. Track position is king at the end of these races and we didn’t have it today. We’re going to the ‘Monster Mile’ at Dover next weekend and I love that track so I hope we can get a top-five finish there.”
Joey Coulter Earns Top-10 Finish in NASCAR Nationwide Series Debut
Joey Coulter overcame adversity to drive the No. 21 Sherwin Williams Chevrolet to a 10th-place finish in his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Coulter took the green flag from the 21st position in Saturday afternoon’s History 300 at the 1.5-mile track. After slipping to the 26th position shortly after the green flag was displayed, the 21-year-old driver reported a lack of rear grip on the No. 21 Chevrolet. Despite the ill-handling racer, Coulter drove into the top 15 before crew chief Harold Holly called the driver to pit road for service under the lap-54 yellow flag. A fast pit stop by the team placed Coulter in the 12th position for the lap-58 restart. With high temperatures causing slick racing conditions, the handling challenges persisted on the red and blue Chevrolet throughout the course of the 200-lap affair. Coulter was scored in the 17th position when another caution period slowed the field on lap 139. The Sherwin Williams team serviced Coulter with four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment before sending him back on track for the final portion of the race. Armed with a new pair of dancing shoes, the Miami Springs, Fla., native began working his way up through the field, surviving multiple restarts and crossing the finish line in the 10th position.
Start -21 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 0 Points – n/a
JOEY COULTER QUOTE:
“Today was great. I’m so proud of Harold (Holly, crew chief) and the RCR guys. They did an awesome job putting this car together and had fast stops all day. I can’t thank Sherwin Williams enough and everyone at RCR that helped make today happen. I didn’t expect to have a top-10 finish in my first Nationwide Series race, but this is really cool.”
Kevin Harvick and the Hunt Brothers Pizza Team Finish Fourth at
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Racing team captured a fourth-place finish after leading the most laps during the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Bakersfield, Calif., native started the 200-lap Saturday afternoon affair from the seventh position and drove to the front of the field taking over the lead on lap 22. During the early stages of the race, Harvick reported to the Ernie Cope-led team that car was a touch too tight, but as green-flag racing continued, Harvick relayed to the team that the car was becoming loose and he needed more rear grip. Harvick brought the No. 33 Chevrolet to pit road on lap 111 for a scheduled pit stop that included four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to alleviate the handling issues. The two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion returned to the track with the lead and continued to maintain the position until pitting on lap 128 for four tires, while many other teams opted for a two-tire stop, positioning Harvick sixth for the lap-130 restart. The Richard Childress Racing driver worked his way back into the top five and remained there until the team’s final fuel-only pit stop on lap 143. After the visit to pit road, Harvick restarted the race from the sixth position and worked his way up to fourth when the checkered flag fell. The No. 33 team remains fifth in the Nationwide Series owner’s championship point standings after the top-five finish.
Start – 7 Finish – 4 Laps Led – 92 Owner’s Points – 5
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“It was fun to race like we did today, even though we didn’t get the win. We had a fast car, but fought a few handling issues and pit strategy played against us. Ernie (Cope) and the entire Hunt Brothers Pizza crew worked hard, we just weren’t where we needed to be in the end.”
