NASCAR XFINITY Series
Kentucky 300
Kentucky Speedway
Friday, July 10, 2015
Race Highlights:
- Paul Menard finished sixth and was the highest finishing Richard Childress Racing driver in the Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Brendan Gaughan finished ninth, Ty Dillon 16th, and Brian Scott 19th.
- The NASCAR XFINITY Series starting lineup was based off of the NASCAR rulebook after being cancelled for weather. Richard Childress Racing drivers Ty Dillon started second, Brendan Gaughan third, Paul Menard fifth and Brian Scott ninth.
- Next up for the XFINITY Series is the Lakes Region 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Catch all the action live on Saturday, July 18 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC Sports Network, broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Brian Scott Finishes 19th at Kentucky Speedway
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet started in the ninth position for the Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Rain cancelled the NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying session and the race lineup was set per the NASCAR rulebook by practice speeds. The field came to pit road on the lap 25 competition caution and the Mike Hillman, Jr.-led team took four tires and fuel with a chassis adjustment to work on tight-handling conditions. On the lap 73 caution, the Shore Lodge Chevrolet team came to pit road after developing a hesitation and elected to change the carburetor. Falling one lap to the leader, the team restarted on lap 77 in the 27th position. Scott took over the 19th position on lap 85 and maintained through green-flag stops which began on lap 133. The Shore Lodge team fell victim to another lap to the leader with green-flag pit stops. When the caution waved on lap 162, the team took the wave around and was once again one lap short to the leader. Scott visited pit road with five laps to go to assure the team was good on fuel to the end resulting in a 19th-place finish, two laps down.
Start – 9 Finish – 19 Laps Led – 0 Points – 7
Brian Scott Quote:
“This just wasn’t our race. This Shore Lodge Chevrolet team is strong and we will move on and get better. On to New Hampshire.”
Ty Dillon finishes 15th at Kentucky Speedway
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Red Kap/Alsco/Larry Miller Dealerships Chevrolet Camaro to a 15th-place finish Saturday evening and remain third in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver point standings at the Series’ unofficial midway point. Dillon, who started on the front row after qualifying was rained out earlier in the afternoon, led the first 15 laps of competition. He noted his Chevrolet Camaro was tight-handling through the center of each corner and subsequently moved back to the third position. The competition caution on lap 27 gave crew chief Nick Harrison an opportunity to improve the car’s balance. Dillon raced inside the top 10 following the changes. On lap 129, Dillon came to pit road under green-flag conditions and moved up to sixth place as the field cycled through. However, a vibration in the rear of the Camaro forced Dillon to come to pit road for an unscheduled pit stop. He returned to the race track two laps down with 38 laps remaining. The 23-year-old driver battled for positioning and crossed the finish line 15th.
Start – 2 Finish – 15 Laps Led – 15 Points – 3
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“Tonight was just a little bit of some bad luck. I thought if we were able to get back up there we had a car fast enough to finish inside the top five. We showed a lot of speed tonight, especially after Nick (Harrison, crew chief) made some great adjustments on pit road. I’m glad the weather cleared out of here tonight and we got this race in but obviously our team wanted more tonight.”
Paul Menard Earns Sixth-Place Finish at Kentucky Speedway
Paul Menard started Saturday night’s 200-lap event at Kentucky Speedway from the fifth position and fought changing track conditions to earn a sixth-place finish. The Richmond/Menards Chevrolet Camaro driver noted a loose-handling condition in the opening laps of the 300-mile event but quickly made his way into the top three, with lap times as fast as the leader. During the NASCAR-mandated competition caution on lap 25, crew chief Danny Stockman made the call for two tires and fuel, putting Menard second for the restart. Menard maintained his position within the top five for more than half of the race at Kentucky’s 1.5-mile speedway. The Stockman-led team visited pit road three additional times for four tires, fuel and a combination of adjustments to battle changing handling conditions of the Richmond/Menards Chevy. Menard lined up fifth for the final restart of the night and crossed the finish line sixth, just 26 laps later.
Start – 5 Finish – 6 Laps Led – 1 Points – N/A
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a good Richmond/Menards Chevy tonight. Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and the guys made good adjustments all night to get us where we needed to be. I hate we didn’t get a win, but we’ll be back after Loudon for another shot at it.”
Ninth-Place Finish at Kentucky Speedway Earns Brendan Gaughan Eighth Top 10 of Season
Rain put a damper on the weekend at Kentucky Speedway, cancelling one of two NASCAR XFINITY Series practices, as well as qualifying. The field for Friday night’s Kentucky 300 was set by the one-and-only practice sessions. Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet took the green flag in the third position. The now 40-year-old driver began reporting tight-handling conditions after only 14 laps. During the competition caution on lap 27, Gaughan came to the attention of his Shane Wilson-led team for four tires, two cans of fuel, air pressure and track bar adjustment. The No. 62 Richard Childress Racing team restarted ninth, where he continued to race until the second caution came out on lap 73. During the pit stop, there was an air gun malfunction resulting in only two tight lug nuts on the right front tire and causing Gaughan to make a second pit stop to tighten the remaining lug nuts and restarting the Chevrolet in 16th. The Las Vegas native used the remainder of the race to make up the track position and ultimately finished in the ninth position under the lights of Kentucky Speedway. Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point team remain ninth in the driver point standings, four points from eighth as the XFINITY Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway next weekend.
Start – 3 Finish – 9 Laps Led – 0 Points – 9
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“Really proud of my guys for rallying back after a minor setback on pit road. I never doubt my South Point team, those boys work their tails off every weekend. We finished with another good top 10 and learned a lot in the process and will be prepared when we return in September.”
