NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Homestead-Miami Speedway 400 Post Race Report
Homestead-Miami Speedway
November 16, 2014
Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished second, fourth and 25th, respectively.
- Newman finished second in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, while Dillon finished 20th and Menard finished 21st.
- Kevin Harvick earned his sixth victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Newman, Brad Keselowski, Menard and Jamie McMurray.
Austin Dillon Closes out 2014 Season with 25th-Place Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Austin Dillon concluded his rookie year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a 25th-place finish in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Dow Chevrolet in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. Dillon started the 267-lap race from the 24th spot and noted a loose-handling condition from the start of the event. This prompted crew chief Gil Martin to direct the Welcome, N.C. native down pit road during the first caution period to pull a spring rubber out of the right-rear, move the track bar and add four tires and fuel to his Chevrolet SS. The changes helped improve the handling issues Dillon was facing, and he steadily worked his way up in the running order. Additional changes during routine pit stops throughout the event further helped Dillon as he spent the middle portion of the race running in the top 15. The team opted to pit for right-side tires only when the caution flag was displayed with less than 30 laps remaining in the event, propelling Dillon to fifth for a restart with 25 laps to go. He lost track position to cars with four tires in the closing laps and ultimately earned a 25th-place finish in the Dow Chevrolet.
Start -24th Finish – 25th Laps Led – 0 Points – 20th
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“We were really strong for portions of the race. I want to thank Gil Martin and everyone on the No. 3 team for a strong rookie season. I learned a lot this year thanks to them. I also want to thank Dow, Cheerios, American Ethanol, Bass Pro Shops and all of our partners. It was a fun season and I can’t wait to see what 2015 brings.”
Paul Menard Earns Fifth Top-Five Finish of 2014 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Paul Menard and the No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet SS team earned their fifth top-five finish of 2014 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Richard Childress Racing team qualified 16th, but started from the rear of the field after being penalized for unapproved adjustments before the start of the race. Menard quickly raced his way into the top 25 before pitting on lap 12 for four tires and fuel. During the pit stop, an uncontrolled tire sent Menard to the back of the field for the restart. The Eau Claire, Wisc.-native lacked drive off for a majority of the race, which crew chief Justin Alexander remedied on pit road multiple times with a combination of air pressure, wedge and track bar adjustments. Throughout the 267-lap event, Menard would gain 31 spots despite scrapping the wall and having a cut down right rear tire on lap 186 which put the RCR driver one lap down. The Alexander-led team battled back with good adjustments and fast pit stops resulting in a fourth-place finish. This marks the team’s fifth top-five and 13th top-10 of the year, a record high for Menard.
Start – 16th Finish – 4th Laps Led – 0 Points – 21st
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“I’m proud of my guys and how hard they worked today to get us that fourth-place finish. This year was good for us. We’ve made big gains and learned a lot. I’m looking forward to next year and what we can do as a team.”
Newman Contends for the Win and Championship with Runner-Up Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway Season Finale
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a second-place finish in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver started 21st and raced into the top 10 in the first 65 laps and then to fifth by circuit 75. Newman’s biggest challenge was a tight-handling condition through the corners but despite the handling, the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet managed a top-10 effort. Crew chief Luke Lambert worked to improve Newman’s machine and by halfway, he maintained a top-five performance. It all came down to a five-lap dash for the championship with the No. 31 scored in second on the restart. Newman pedaled as fast as he could to challenge the No. 4 car for the win and the championship. He simply fell a few feet short to earn the runner-up finish. Newman’s second-place result was the team’s best finish of the season. It also earned Richard Childress Racing a second-place finish in the championship standings.
Start – 21st Finish – 2nd Laps Led – 0 Points – 2nd
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
“Restarts haven’t been my strong suit with the package that we run, so a little bit tough. I thought about hauling it in there wide open under Kevin (Harvick) but that wasn’t the right thing to do. I wouldn’t have wanted him to do that to me. It was just a great year for us, for our Caterpillar, Quicken Loans, WIX Filters Kwikset team. I have to thank Chevrolet, Sprint, everyone at Coca Cola. It’s been an amazing year. They say you have to lose one before you can win one. I’m ready to win one now.”
What does it mean for you personally to be in this position in your first year with RCR?
“It says a lot about the organization. It says a lot about how quick we grew. Luke Lambert (crew chief) and all the guys did an awesome job. The whole RCR/ECR group…it’s been a whole lot of fun. We weren’t victorious so we didn’t win many battles, and we sure came close to winning the war. It’s still a lot of fun. I appreciate all the guys’ hard work”
