RCR Post Race Report — Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Indy 250
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
July 28, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Ty Dillon), fifth (Austin Dillon), eighth (Paul Menard) and 15th (Elliott Sadler).
Sadler leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings over Dillon by one point. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. ranks third, followed by Sam Hornish Jr. and Justin Allgaier.
The No. 2 Chevrolet team is second in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, 28 points shy of the No. 18 car’s lead, with the No. 3 team third in the standings and the No. 33 team seventh.
A. Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
A. Dillon qualified for the fourth and final leg of the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash bonus and is eligible to win a $100,000 bonus at Iowa Speedway on August 4.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, the RCR drivers posted the fastest lap of the race for 18.3 percent of the race (13 laps) with Sadler (eight laps), Menard (four laps) and T. Dillon (one lap).
T. Dillon maintained an Average Running Position of 5.960, ranking him fourth. He also ranked fourth in Fastest Drivers Late in a Run and had the fifth-best Driver Rating (114.0).
A. Dillon and Sadler tied for seventh in the Driver Rating category, each earning a rating of 100.6.
With his fifth-place finish, A. Dillon leads the series in top-five finishes (11), top-10 finishes (15) and is the only driver to complete 100 percent of the laps attempted.
Menard led the field in Quality Passes with 28 and ranked second in Green Flag Passes with 35.
Sadler led the Closers category, advancing nine positions in the last 10 percent of the race, ranked second in Fastest Drivers Late in a Run and was the third-fastest driver on Restarts.
Brad Keselowski earned the inaugural Nationwide Series win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was followed to the finish line by Sam Hornish, T. Dillon, Denny Hamlin and A. Dillon.
The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the U.S. Cellular 250 presented by Enlist Weed Control System at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, August 4. The 20th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Elliott Sadler Finishes 15th after Late-Race Penalty at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team settled for a 15th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event after being penalized on the final restart of the event. Starting from the fifth position, Sadler worked his way around the 2.5-mile track, racing in the top-five early in the race. Sadler visited pit road for routine service while under caution periods on laps 38 and 62, never falling out of the top 10. Sadler moved into the third position by lap 78 and reported that he was happy with the handling on the OneMain Chevrolet. A caution on lap 78 positioned Sadler in the second spot for the restart, lining up the No. 2 Chevrolet on the outside. As the green flag dropped, Sadler moved into the lead, but was penalized by NASCAR as officials reported he crossed the start-finish line before the leader. Sadler was forced to serve a pass-through penalty on lap 89, returning the No. 2 Chevrolet to the field in the 24th position. He utilized the final 10 laps of the race to regain as many positions back as possible, ultimately crossing the finish line in the 15th position. Sadler remains atop the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver point standings, leading his Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon by one point.
Start – 5 Finish – 15 Laps Led – 0 Points – 1
ELLIOTT SADLER QUOTE:”This is a tough one to swallow. We really wanted to win this inaugural race. Today my heart was definitely ripped out of my chest. We will rebound from this, and the OneMain Financial team will be even hungrier next week at Iowa Speedway for a win.”
Fifth-Place Finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Qualifies Austin Dillon for Last Segment of Dash 4 Cash Bonus
Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet team strategized with a two-tire pit stop in order to gain track position and claim a fifth-place finish in the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon. Dillon started the 250-mile affair from the seventh position but fell back to 11th on lap 28 after brushing the right side of the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet against the turn one wall. With minimal damage, a pit stop was not required and Dillon remained in the 11th position until the caution flag was displayed at lap 62. Crew chief Danny Stockman instructed the 22-year-old driver down pit road and the RCR team serviced the black No. 3 Chevrolet with right-side tires and fuel. Quick work in the pits allowed Dillon to gain eight positions on the race track. Dillon was scored in the third position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 67 and remained in the top five despite a tight-handling Chevrolet. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender was running in the fifth position when another competitor spun directly in front of him with 20 laps remaining. Dillon maneuvered the AdvoCare Chevrolet out of harm’s way and advanced to the fourth position as the field was slowed for the final caution period of the race. Dillon lined up directly behind RCR teammate Elliott Sadler for the lap-82 restart and moved into the third position before falling back to fifth for the race’s finish as he battled a tight-handling condition. With his fifth-place finish, Dillon qualified for the fourth and final leg of the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash bonus and is eligible to earn a $100,000 at Iowa Speedway on August 4.
Start – 7 Finish – 5 Laps Led – 0 Points – 2
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE: “I had fun racing in this inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I scraped the wall during the race and it flattened the right side of the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet, which hurt our chances today. Before that, the car was pretty good. We were just a little too tight for most of the race and that was difficult to overcome. Track position is huge here. I’m excited to head to Iowa next week and compete for the final Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash bonus.”
Paul Menard and the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Team Earn Eighth-Place Finish in Inaugural Nationwide Series Race at the Brickyard
Paul Menard started the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet from the ninth position in the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway and drove the neon yellow machine to an eighth-place finish. The Eau Claire, Wis., native battled a loose-handling condition in the early portion of the 100-lap affair. Crew chief Ernie Cope called for minor adjustments in addition to fuel and fresh Goodyear tires for the No. 33 Chevrolet during routine visits to pit road during lap-15 and lap-39 caution periods. With the handling improved, especially on long runs, Menard began to pick positions off one at a time. On lap 66, two cars made contact in front of the 2011 Brickyard champion, requiring him to dive onto pit road to avoid contact. He slowed on pit road as a safety precaution and instead of being returned to his original position, he was sent to the rear of the field. Restarting in the 24th position, Menard passed 16 competitors over the final 21 laps to secure an eighth-place finish in the Indianapolis 250.
Start – 9 Finish – 8 Laps Led – 0 Owner Points – 7
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“Ernie (Cope, crew chief) and the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team did a great job today. We had a good car and definitely did not get the finish that we deserved.”
Ty Dillon Finishes Third at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his Second-Career NASCAR Nationwide Series Event
Ty Dillon and the No. 51 WESCO Chevrolet team earned a third-place finish in the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dillon started the 100-lap affair from the third position and reported a tight-handling condition on the No.51 Chevrolet to the Gil Martin-led crew. Relief came on lap 33 when Martin called Dillon to pit road under green-flag conditions for four Goodyear tires, Sunoco Green E15 fuel and a chassis adjustment. As the pit crew was bolting on the last few lug nuts, a caution came out for an incident on the track. Dillon returned to the racing surface ahead of the leader, remaining on the lead lap. With multiple teams pitting during the caution period, the WESCO Chevrolet moved into the position to fourth for the ensuing restart. Just past the halfway point, another competitor spun in front of Dillon and made contact with the No. 51 Chevrolet. After confirmation from the spotter’s stand that the No. 51 racer sustained minimal damage, Martin instructed Dillon to remain on track. Restarting from the 10th position, the Welcome, N.C., native piloted the blue and black machine into the top-five with 12 laps remaining in the event. The 20-year-old driver drove past two additional competitors in the closing laps of the race and scored a third-place result in his second-career Nationwide Series event.
Start – 3 Finish – 3 Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“Today was awesome. I can’t thank WESCO enough for coming on board and giving me the opportunity to race at such a historic track like Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gil Martin and the guys did a great job all weekend giving me a fast car and working hard on pit road. This is a weekend I’ll never forget.”
