NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Bristol 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer
Bristol Motor Speedway
April 19, 2015
Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon and Paul Menard finished fifth, 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Bristol 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer at Bristol Motor Speedway.
- Menard ranks 14th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Kevin Harvick by 104 points, while Newman ranks 16th and Dillon ranks 21st.
- Matt Kenseth earned his first win of the 2015 season and was followed to the line by Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Newman.
- The ninth race of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season is the Richmond 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, April 25, 2015, which is scheduled to be televised live on FOX beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Earns Ninth-Place Finish at Bristol Motor Speedway
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Chevrolet team finished ninth at Bristol Motor Speedway Sunday night after rain showers blanketed the area for the majority of the day. Dillon started the 500-lap scheduled event from the 12th spot and maintained his position for the first 22 laps before NASCAR officials were forced to display the red flag for rain. After a lengthy delay, the No. 3 Dow team returned to the racing surface and maneuvered their way through traffic and into the top 10 of the running order. Crew chief Gil Martin utilized multiple caution periods to change tires and add fuel to the Richard Childress Racing machine. Dillon informed the Dow crew his black and red Chevrolet handled well in traffic and didn’t need many chassis adjustments. On lap 279, Dillon avoided an incident on the race track by coming down pit road. However, because he didn’t maintain racing speed, he was unable to return to his seventh position and was forced to start 12th on the ensuing restart. Dillon battled back into the top 10 by lap 325 and began his trek through the field. The Welcome, N.C., native was scored third on lap 483 when the caution flag was displayed to the field for rain. After running multiple laps under caution, Dillon radioed to the Dow team he was out of fuel and pitted on lap 495. Dillon returned to the track as NASCAR displayed the red flag and brought the field down pit road with Dillon in the 13th position. The race resumed with a green-white-checkered finish and Dillon used the final laps to advance to the ninth spot before the conclusion of the event, earning his first top-10 finish of the season.
Start – 12 Finish – 9 Laps Led – 0 Points – 21
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“What a day! We had a really fast Dow Chevrolet and had a really good shot to battle with the leaders. I’m disappointed we had the issues we did, but this team has a lot to be proud of today and we will keep digging. Gil (Martin, crew chief) and the guys deserved a better finish than ninth, but it’s a top-10 and we’ll take it. We built a lot of confidence during the race and will ride it into Richmond next week.”
2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards,
Paul Menard Earns Fifth Top-15 finish of 2015 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 SYLVANIA/Menards Chevrolet SS to an 11th-place finish after two rain delays postponed Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Wisconsin native noted a loose in and slightly tight center handling condition which crew chief Justin Alexander remedied during the NASCAR-mandated competition caution on lap 60 with four tires and a wedge adjustment. Menard raced the majority of the event in the top 15, chasing the changing track conditions on pit road with four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments. Solidly in the top 10, Menard was set to finish strong when he was collected in an accident on lap 493. The SYLVANIA/Menards Chevy sustained damage to the rear bumper and the team was forced to make two stops on pit road for repair. The Alexander-led team made fast changes and kept Menard on the lead lap. Once green-flag racing resumed, the RCR driver was aggressive and made it through a green-white-checkered finish in the 11th spot. This marks Menard’s fifth top-15 finish of the season and moves him up to 14th in the driver point standings. Up next for the No. 27 team is Saturday night’s event at Richmond International Raceway.
Start – 9 Finish – 11 Laps Led – 0 Points – 14
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a really fast car on the long runs today. We got collected in a wreck there near the end. My guys made good repairs and kept us on the lead lap. I want to thank all the fans who stuck it out today in the rain.”
Ryan Newman Battles Back From One-Lap Deficit to Finish Fifth At Bristol Motor Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 WIX Filters Chevrolet SS to a fifth-place finish in Sunday’s Bristol 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver lined up 18th and completed 22 laps of competition before rain blanketed the Bristol, Tenn.-based track and forced NASCAR officials to red flag the race for nearly five hours. Once the race went back to green, Newman restarted 14th and battled tight-handling conditions. It cost the driver a lap to the leader on lap 145 while racing just outside the top 15. Shortly after halfway, the No. 31 Chevrolet earned the lap back just as a brief rain shower occurred. NASCAR red flagged the event for a second time but it was not long until the race returned to green with the No. 31 scored in 17th. At lap 325, Newman raced into the top 10 and into the top five by lap 346. Moments later the WIX Filters team contended for the lead by running in second place. With about 20 laps to go of the scheduled 500, crew chief Luke Lambert called Newman to pit road one last time for much needed fuel and four Goodyear tires under caution. The driver returned to the track in ninth position before another caution flag waved on lap 483. Mother Nature once again appeared, extending the event past the 500-lap mark. It took just one attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish with Newman crossing the finish line in fifth. The top-five is the No. 31 team’s fourth top-five and fifth top-10 of the season. Newman now ranks 16th in the championship point standings heading into next Saturday’s short-track race at Richmond International Raceway. Quicken Loans will be on board as primary sponsor.
Start – 18 Finish – 5 Laps Led – 0 Points – 16
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“We fought back from a difficult week and a challenging race weekend. We struggled a little bit all weekend and there on the final restart, I spun my tires. I am so proud of this WIX Filters team and what we were able to overcome. It says a lot about us and I look forward to next weekend and what we can accomplish in Richmond.”
