NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
CampingWorld.com 500
Phoenix International Raceway
March 15, 2015
- Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished third, 14th and 15th, respectively. - Newman ranks eighth in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Kevin Harvick by 59 points, while Paul Menard ranks 11th and Austin Dillon 22nd.
- Harvick earned his second victory of the 2015 season and was followed to the line by Jamie McMurray, Newman, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch.
- The fifth race of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season is the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 22, 2015, which is scheduled to be televised live on FOX beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Drives No. 3 Dow Chevrolet to Top-15 Finish at Phoenix International Raceway
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon earned a 15th-place finish in the No. 3 Dow Chevrolet on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway after starting the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from the 11th position. Dillon noted a tight-handling condition on his initial run and dropped to 16th place before his first pit stop on lap 68 for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments to give his No. 3 Chevrolet more front turn. He restarted from the 15th position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 71 and took advantage of additional caution periods on laps 118, 188 and 229 for tires and adjustments. When the caution flag was displayed with 30 laps remaining, crew chief Gil Martin directed Dillon down pit road for a final pit stop, arming the Welcome, N.C. driver with fresh tires for the final laps of the race. Restarting from the 20th spot, Dillon raced his way to a 15th-place finish. The next Sprint Cup Series event is the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 22.
Start – 11 Finish – 15 Laps Led – 0 Points – 22
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“We’re learning every week and this was a pretty good day. We need to work on a few things in order to get into victory lane. I am so proud of this Dow team for coming together and working hard to get us a solid finish in the No. 3 Chevrolet today.”
2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards,
Paul Menard Captures Third Top-15 Finish of Season in Phoenix
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevrolet SS to a 14th-place finish in Sunday’s 312-mile event at Phoenix International Raceway. After starting 21st, Menard skillfully made his way into the top 20 by lap five. When the caution flag was displayed on lap 14, he reported a tight-handling condition in the center of the turns. Crew chief Justin Alexander opted to wait until the lap 66 caution to remedy the condition with four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. The Serta/Menards team visited pit road four additional times with a combination of four and two tire stops, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments. The Wisconsin-native was poised in the top 10 for the final restart of the day and ultimately crossed the finish line in the 14th spot. This marks Menard’s third top-15 result of the season and places him 11th in the driver point standings. Next up for the No. 27 team is next Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway.
Start – 21 Finish – 14 Laps Led – 0 Points – 11
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a fast Serta/Menards Chevy today. It was tight in the center all race and we really fought that. Justin (Alexander, crew chief) and the guys made good changes all day. The car was best on the long runs, but I think we still learned a lot today.”
Ryan Newman Scores Second-Consecutive, Top-Three Finish at Phoenix International Raceway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS to a third-place finish in Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. The South Bend, Ind., driver lined up fifth for the start of the race. The first 100 laps produced a top-eight effort and an 11.28-second pit stop by the Quicken Loans pit crew. Newman’s No. 31 Chevrolet thrived on long green-flag runs racing as high as the second position. At halfway of the 312-lap race, the No. 31 team competed in the top five with the leader well within their sights. During the lap-288 caution, crew chief Luke Lambert chose not to pit with Newman scored in the fifth position and by the time the checkered flag waved, the Quicken Loans team recorded their second-consecutive, top-five and third-consecutive top-10 finish of the season. Newman now ranks eighth in the championship point standings heading into next Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway. Caterpillar will be on board as primary sponsor.
Start – 5 Finish -3 Laps Led – 0 Points – 8
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“Our Quicken Loans Chevrolet was good but just not quite good enough on restarts, especially with cold tires. But it was an awesome job by the guys, especially the pit crew. We’re knocking on the door, that’s two top three’s in a row. It was a good points day. We’re four races in and we have two top fives. It took us until June last year to get our first one. So, we’ll keep digging.”
