RCR Post Race Report — Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course & Michigan International Speedway

Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Max Papis), 12th (Brian Scott) and 21st (Austin Dillon).

Dillon is tied for third in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Sam Hornish, Jr. by 15 points, while Scott is seventh in the standings, 63 points behind the leader.

The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks sixth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 2 team ninth in the standings and the No. 33 team 13th.

According to NASCAR’s Post Race Loop Data Statistics, Papis ranked second in Quality Passes (25), had the fourth-best Driver Rating (107.5) and ranked fifth in Average Running Position (8.047).

Scott ranked eighth in Speed in Traffic (92.879 mph).

Dillon ranked third in Green Flag Passes with 72.

AJ Allmendinger earned his second victory of the 2013 Nationwide Series season and was followed to the finish line by Michael McDowell, Hornish, Papis and Brian Vickers.

The next Nationwide Series race is the Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, August 23rd. The 23rd race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Satellite Radio Channel 90.

Brian Scott Earns a 12th-Place Finish at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Brian Scott and Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Shore Lodge team were on tap for their first top-10 road course finish of the season, but a late race caution and unfortunate pit road penalty consigned Scott to a 12th-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ inaugural appearance at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the Buckeye State. The Boise, Idaho-native took the green flag from the 12th spot Saturday afternoon for the scheduled 90-lap event. During the opening portion of the event, Scott reported that he needed more rear grip. The afternoon’s first caution flag was displayed on lap 20, which gave the No. 2 Shore Lodge driver the opportunity to hit pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Green-flag racing resumed on lap 23 with Scott in the 12th position. The 25-year old Nationwide Series driver ran a consistent race navigating each corner with skill and avoided trouble. When green-flag racing resumed on lap 66, Scott advanced from 12th to seventh after several competitors veered off track or spun. In the closing laps of the race, the Nationwide Series competitor was in position for a solid top-10 finish, but a caution flag with two laps remaining created fuel concerns for the RCR team. With less than enough fuel in his tank, Scott visited pit road for a splash of Sunoco Green E15. NASCAR deemed that he entered pit road too early and forced the No. 2 Shore Lodge driver to start from the rear of the field. Upon taking the green flag from the 23rd position, Scott maneuvered his way up through the field ultimately taking the checkered flag in the 12th position.

Start – 12       Finish – 12    Laps Led – 0    Points -7th

BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“We had a fast Shore Lodge Camaro, but the way these road courses work out you need some luck. We were in line for a top-10 finish, but luck wasn’t on our side and we came home 12th. I’m proud of Phil (Gould, crew chief) and the guys who worked hard all weekend. We’ll head to Bristol (Motor Speedway) this coming weekend and have a good run. ”

Last-Lap Spin Relegates Austin Dillon to 21st-Place Finish at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Despite running within the top-10 for much of the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Austin Dillon earned a 21st-place finish in the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet after spinning on the final circuit of the 94-lap event. The Welcome, N.C., driver started the race from the rear of the field as a result of missing qualifying and the driver’s meeting in favor of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practices at Michigan International Speedway earlier in the day. He gained track position by staying out on the racing surface while the majority of the competitors pitted under a full course caution on lap 20, advancing to second in the running order. Dillon remained in the top five until making his first pit stop of the race on under caution on lap 25, dropping him to the 26th spot for the restart. Dillon led lap 59 to gain a championship bonus point before making his next green flag pit stop on lap 60. Just a few laps later, he was punted from behind and ran off course on lap 67, dropping him from 10th to 25th in the running order. He raced his way up to 12th, but was again spun on the white-flag lap and ultimately posted a 21st-place finish.

Start – 13             Finish – 21             Laps Led – 2           Points – 3

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“Today was a rough day but I am so proud of the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet team. They had a fast car for me. We just didn’t get the finish we deserved but we certainly improved our road course game. I’m excited for Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend.”

Max Papis Earns a Top-Five Finish at Mid Ohio

When the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 began at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday afternoon, Max Papis and the No. 33 Menards/Rheem Chevrolet team lined up 10th. In the early going around the 2.258-mile road course, Papis did what he does best on the left and right-turn tracks by starting out strong. He gained two positions in the first five laps and remained there until the first caution waved on lap 20. Crew chief Ernie Cope stuck to the team’s pre-race strategy and kept Papis out on the track while other teams headed for pit road. When the race restarted on lap 23, Papis had the lead and held onto it for three circuits. The second caution flag waved on lap 26 as Cope called the Italian-born driver to pit road for four new tires with different air pressures, a full tank of fuel and a spring rubber change in the Chevrolet Camaro’s rear end. Restarting 27th, Papis quickly moved through the field and was up to 19th for the lap 30 caution, and when the race restarted on lap 32. One lap later he was up to 14th place, 11th on lap 38 and ninth by lap 41. The team made their second pit stop, as planned, on lap 59 under green, after leading lap 58, for tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. When the sixth caution waved on lap 63, Papis was in ninth place and fairly content how his Camaro was handling. He quickly jumped to sixth on the lap 66 restart. The final caution waved on the white flag lap, thus forcing a green-white-checkered finish and extending the race by four laps past the scheduled 90 circuits. Papis put his extensive road racing experience to use and gained two more positions to finish fourth when the checkered flag waved.

Start – 10                 Finish – 4              Laps Led – 4              Owner’s Points – 13rh

MAX PAPIS QUOTE:
“This Menards/Rheem Chevrolet team was pretty darn good for most of the day. We had a little problem with it being loose into the corners, but that got fixed up on the first stop. From there, we stuck to our game plan on pit road and I did my part on the track. This has been a great opportunity for me to drive for Richard Childress and Richard Childress Racing and this top-five finish was great for everyone on the team. I can’t thank Menards and Rheem enough for allowing me to drive their car. Good day, very good day.”

Michigan National Guard 200
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Michigan International Speedway
August 17, 2013

Race Highlights:

Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Ty Dillon) and eighth (Brendan Gaughan).

Dillon is fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings, 62 markers behind the leader; while Gaughan ranks sixth in the standings, 74 points out of the top spot.

The No. 3 Chevrolet team is fifth in the Camping World Truck Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 62 team eighth in the standings.

According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Dillon earned the second-highest Driver Rating (113.1), while Gaughan ranked ninth with a rating of 87.9.

Combined, Dillon and Gaughan posted the Fastest Laps Run 12 times during the event, ranking them third and ninth respectively.
Dillon tied for fourth in the Closers category and was the Fastest Driver Late in a Run.

Dillon scored the seventh-highest Average Running Position of 7.480, while Gaughan was ninth in the category (8.750).

James Buescher took the checkered flag and was followed to the line by Kyle Busch, Dillon, Joey Logano and Miguel Paludo.

The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, August 21. The 13th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Ty Dillon Earns Triumphant Third-Place Finish in Michigan

After suffering from a pit road mishap and falling out of the top 15, Ty Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops team clawed their way to a third-place finish at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday afternoon. Dillon started the 100-lap affair from the fifth position, but was shuffled back to 12th on the initial green flag start. The Richard Childress Racing driver worked through traffic, making his way back into the top five and was scored second on lap 45. Under caution on lap 55, crew chief Marcus Richmond called Dillon to put road for four tires and two cans of fuel. During the pit stop, the No. 3 machine slipped off the jack causing the team multiple spots on the race track. Dillon returned to the racing surface in the 18th position on lap 60. During the course of the next 40 laps, Dillon maneuvered through the field and improved his position to third, before crossing the finish line at Michigan International Speedway.

Start – 5                       Finish – 3                       Laps Led – 0                 Points – 4th

TY DILLON QUOTE:

“This is a small victory in my book. We had a mistake on pit road that cost us quite a few spots, but we had a really fast Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet and made up the ground to come back to third. My spotter, Billy (O’Dea), did a great job keeping me out of trouble. I’m hoping to ride this momentum into next week and put this bad luck behind us.”

Gaughan Finishes Eighth at Michigan International Speedway

Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team finished eighth at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday after starting in the front row and battling handling issues during the 200-mile race. Taking the initial green flag from the second position, the Las Vegas native immediately alerted crew chief Shane Wilson that the black and gold machine was very loose around the two-mile track. Gaughan fell as far back as 16th in the running order while the Richard Childress Racing pit crew worked on the truck’s handling during scheduled four-tire pit stops on laps 18 and 30. Following their time on pit road, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veteran began working his way toward the front of the field settling into the 11th position before visiting pit road for the final time on lap 58 taking on right-side tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The speedy stop placed Gaughan in the third position for the ensuing restart, and he remained a fixture in the top 10 during the late stages of the race. Moving into the second position with four laps remaining in the 100-lap event, Gaughan was shuffled out of the lead pack forcing him to cross the finish line in the eighth position. Following his top-10 finish, Gaughan remains sixth in the Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings.

Start – 2         Finish – 8          Laps Led – 0         Points – 6th

BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:

“This definitely wasn’t the finish we wanted or deserved today. We had such a strong South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado this weekend, and the boys worked so hard to get us back up front at the end. We went three wide at the end, I got stuck in the middle by myself and we just lost track position.”