NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Irwin Tools Night Race Post Race Report
Bristol Motor Speedway
August 23, 2014
Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates Paul Menard, Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon finished ninth, 13 and 28th, respectively.
- Newman ranks ninth in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Jeff Gordon by 135 points, while Dillon ranks 14th and Menard ranks 15th.
- Joey Logano earned his third victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch.
- The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Oral B USA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, August 31, which is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and is scheduled to be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Earns a 28th-Place Finish in the No. 3 Dow GREAT STUFF Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon highlighted Dow Business Solution’s GREAT STUFF on the No. 3 Chevrolet this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the 24-year-old Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year contender earned a 28th-place finish at the half-mile track. Dillon started from the 26th position but was shuffled out of the groove and against the outside wall on the first lap of the 500-lap race, sending him to 40th in the running order as he battled a loose-handling condition in the opening segment of the event. By the time NASCAR Officials displayed the yellow flag for the mandatory competition caution on lap 60, he was one lap down to the race leader. Crew chief Gil Martin made the call to pit for four tires and a chassis adjustment in order to alleviate the handling conditions that Dillon was facing. He restarted from the 37th position on lap 67 and continued to communicate with his team to make routine pit stops to work on the handling of his red and yellow Dow GREAT STUFF Chevrolet. By the time the race reached the half way point, he was scored in the 30th position. Although he was already two laps down to the race leader, Dillon had to make a green-flag pit stop on lap 325 for four tires and fuel, which ultimately put him five laps down to the race leader. He restarted from the 33rd position and raced his way into the 28th position for the race’s finish.
Start – 26th Finish – 28th Laps Led – 0 Points – 14th
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“Tonight was definitely not the finish we were hoping for, or the way we were expecting the race to go. However, sometimes you will have instances like that and you just have to shake it off and move onto the next race. I want to thank Dow GREAT STUFF for their efforts this weekend and for all of their support. We’re going to give it our all next week at Atlanta Motor Speedway to get a win and make it into the Chase.”
Paul Menard Earns 11th Top-10 Finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in No. 27
Serta/Menards Chevrolet
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevrolet SS to a ninth-place finish in Saturday night’s 500-lap event at Bristol Motor Speedway. The RCR driver started 17th and told crew chief Slugger Labbe on lap 20 the car needed drive off. During the competition caution on lap 60, the No. 27 pit crew remedied the car’s handling with four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. The Labbe-led crew serviced Menard five more times during the 266.5-mile event on laps 131, 196, 265, 361 and 377 for one two-tire stop and four four-tire stops. The Serta/Menards Chevrolet restarted in the fourth position on the final restart and crossed the finish line in ninth place. This top-10 finish is Menard’s 11th of the season and a career best for him in the Sprint Cup Series. Next up for the No. 27 team is Sunday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Start – 17th Finish – 9th Laps Led – 0 Points – 15th
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a good car today. Two tires really changed the handling and were no good for our car so that set us back a little bit. I’m proud of my guys for the way they kept digging.”
Ryan Newman Battles Late-Race Handling Issue to Finish 13th at Bristol Motor Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a 13th-place finish in the season’s last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver started 11th and raced in the top 15 at lap 100. His only complaint was tight on exit. Crew chief Luke Lambert called Newman to pit road on lap 132 for two right-side tires and fuel. The fast stop allowed the No. 31 team to climb to the sixth position. As the night went on, tempers flared but Lambert and Newman remained focused. By halfway, the CAT team raced in the 11th position with the top 10 in their sights. Just six laps later, Newman drove into the top 10 and maintained a top-10 position until shortly after the team’s final two-tire stop on lap 443. The driver reported a tight-handling condition and battled it to the very end to record a 13th-place finish. The No. 31 remains in ninth place in the standings. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competes next Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway where Newman turned in a top-five finish last season.
Start – 11th Finish – 13th Laps Led – 0 Points – 9th
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“Looking back, both Luke (crew chief – Lambert) and I think we should have taken four tires on that last pit stop. Our No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet was just too tight that last run to maintain a top-10 spot. Overall, it was a good night for us, especially for our Caterpillar pit crew. They were on top of their game tonight and I couldn’t be more proud of them. I am looking forward now to Atlanta and maybe we can get a win. It would be nice to take some pressure off of ourselves and get in the Chase.”
