NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Sylvania 300 Post Race Report
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
September 21, 2014
Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Dillon, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman finished 11th, 15th and 18th, respectively.
- Newman ranks 12th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, while Dillon ranks 20th and Menard ranks 21st.
- Joey Logano earned his second victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray and Jimmie Johnson.
- The next Sprint Cup Series race is the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, September 28, which is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Earns 11th-Place Finish in Cheerios Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Austin Dillon survived a caution-filled Sylvania 300 at Dover International Speedway to earn an 11th-place finish on Sunday afternoon. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender started the Loudon, N.H. event from the 22nd position and noted a loose-handling condition on exit to the corners in the initial laps. A lap-35 NASCAR-mandated competition caution provided the Gil Martin-led crew an opportunity to pit for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment designed to improve the handling conditions Dillon was facing. He restarted 22nd on lap 40. The team took advantage of additional caution periods, which were plentiful during the middle and late stages of the race, to further tweak the handling of the yellow and black Chevrolet SS and gain track positions. Dillon worked his way into the 10th position with just 10 laps remaining. He survived several late-race cautions, including a final caution on lap 299 that extended the race three laps past its advertised distance, to secure an 11th-place finish.
Start -22nd Finish – 11th Laps Led – 0 Points – 20th
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“I’m proud of everyone on the Cheerios Chevrolet team. We dug hard today to get a top-10 finish, but fell just a little bit short. It was a solid effort and I’m looking forward to Dover next week.”
Paul Menard Finishes 15th in the No. 27 SYLVANIA/Menards Chevrolet
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 SYLVANIA/Menards Chevrolet SS to a 15th-place finish in Sunday’s SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Slugger Labbe-led team started in the 23rd position and maintained a spot in the top 25 until the NASCAR-mandated competition caution on lap 35. Menard radioed he lacked grip in the right rear tire and needed help getting in and off the corners which Labbe remedied with four tires, wedge and track bar adjustments. The SYLVANIA/Menards team visited pit road five additional times for a combination of four-tire and two-tire stops along with adjustments and fuel. On lap 270, Menard sustained damage in a late-race caution running in the seventh position. The RCR team pitted under the caution for tires, fuel and repairs then restarted 24th on lap 273. Menard gained eight spots in 30 laps, finishing in 15th after a green-white-checkered finish. Up next for the No. 27 team is Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway.
Start – 23rd Finish – 15th Laps Led – 0 Points – 21st
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We made some good adjustments during the race and got the SYLVANIA/Menards Chevy handling a lot better. Slugger’s (Labbe – Crew Chief) call to take two tires gave us an advantage over the guys who were on older tires, so we were able to race our way in to the top 10. It’s a shame it ended for us the way it did, but we were able to get back up there with fresh tires.”
Newman Races to 18th Place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS to an 18th-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver started ninth. In the early stages of the 303-lap event, crew chief Luke Lambert used two four-tire pit stops to help the No. 31 turn better through the corners since it was tight handling. The adjustments kept Newman positioned within the top 10. The team experienced a close call on lap 187 when several cars made contact on the restart. The No. 31 sustained damage to the front nose. The chance to fix it came on lap 222 and Newman remained focused, despite restarting 22nd with 75 laps remaining. The RCR driver raced up to 13th but got shuffled in traffic during the final two restarts and when the checkered flag waved in overtime, the Quicken Loans team had an 18th-place finish. Next week the No. 31 team competes for a transfer spot in the final event in the Challenger Round at Dover International Speedway. Earlier this year at the Monster Mile, Newman was en route to a top-10 finish before a mechanical issue forced the No. 31 to the garage for repairs in the closing laps and resulted in a 31st-place finish.
Start – 9th Finish – 18th Laps Led – 0 Points – 12th
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“We survived. We had a pretty good Quicken Loans Chevrolet but after sustaining the nose damage, we just couldn’t get the car to respond the way we needed. Restarts were tough and our car just did not want to go. I’m just glad we made it out in one piece and still have a chance to transfer into the next round. Dover is going to be big. We still have a chance.”
