NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing drivers Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon and Paul Menard finished 19th, 23rd and 25th, respectively, in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.
- Newman is tied for 10th in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship and advances to the Contender round, while Menard is 15th and Dillon ranks 21st in the standings.
- Kevin Harvick earned the victory and was followed to the line by Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray and Aric Almirola.
- The 30th race of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season is the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 10, 2015, which is scheduled to be televised live on NBC beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Finishes 23rd at Dover International Speedway in Dow Chevrolet
Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Dow Chevrolet to a 23rd-place finish in the AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. With qualifying canceled on Friday due to weather, the starting lineup for the 400-lap event was set per the NASCAR rulebook, allotting Dillon the 21st spot. At the drop of the green flag, the Welcome, N.C.-native found the bottom groove to be fast and drove his way to the 15th position by lap seven. As the race continued under green, Dillon began to experience loose-handling conditions on his black and red machine. Crew chief Slugger Labbe called Dillon to pit road on lap 40 as the field slowed for the competition caution. The No. 3 pit crew went to work servicing the Dow Chevrolet with four tires, fuel and a round of chassis adjustments. Dillon’s handling issued persisted throughout the majority of the race. The Labbe-led team used multiple pit stops with adjustments to combat the ill-handling racer but didn’t find much relief resulting in a 23rd-place finish. Next, he will drive the No. 3 Dow GREAT STUFF Chevrolet in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 10. The race is live on NBC at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
Start – 21 Finish – 23 Laps Led – 0 Points – 21
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“I hated that we gave some spots away there at the end, but we’ll keep digging and move on to next weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.”
Paul Menard Finishes 25th at Dover International Speedway in the Knauf/Menards Chevrolet
Paul Menard and the No. 27 Knauf/Menards Chevy team finished Sunday’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in the 25th-spot after a hard-fought day at the Monster Mile. Menard started 14th after qualifying was rained out Friday afternoon and the field was set per NASCAR’s rule book. The Richard Childress Racing driver radioed he was tight-center, but was loose everywhere else during the 400-lap event. Crew chief Justin Alexander took opportunities on laps 42, 114, 197, 288, 356 and 374 to remedy the condition with four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments. Menard maintained a position within the top 25 while wheeling the No. 27 Chevy around the one-mile track and ultimately finished in the 25th position. Menard sits 15th on the Chase Grid, but will not move on to the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup despite the team’s hard work. Up next for the team is this Saturday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Start – 14 Finish – 25 Laps Led – 0 Chase Grid – 15
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“Today was not a good day for us at Dover. We fought handling all day and found out there was a mechanical issue there near the end. We gave it our all and I’m proud that we got here. Hate that we don’t get to compete further into the Chase, but we will work for a win and to advance our spot from where we are.”
Ryan Newman Transfers Into Challenger Round Courtesy of Top-20 Finish at Dover International Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS to a 19th-place finish in Sunday’s 400-mile event at Dover International Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., native started sixth after weather washed out all on-track activities on Friday. From the early going, Newman battled tight-in and loose-off handling conditions that resulted in a top-20 running position during the event. Crew chief Luke Lambert put the QL pit crew to work on laps 42, 113, 197, 233, 314 and 356 by implementing chassis adjustments along with a four-tire service and the addition of fuel. The team’s final stop came on lap 373 for four tires and fuel. When the green flag waved with 27 laps to go, Newman successfully maintained his 19th-place position to claim the checkered flag. Newman’s finish transfers the No. 31 team into the Challenger Round. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to competition next Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Caterpillar will be the primary sponsor.
Start – 6 Finish – 19 Laps Led – 0 Points – 10
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“Our finish wasn’t pretty as far as our performance was concerned. It was an entire team effort over these last three races and that’s the math we needed to work with. We were fortunate to squeak in and today certainly wasn’t the day we wanted to have. We’ll do our homework before we go to Charlotte Motor Speedway. I’m just so proud of my Quicken Loans guys on pit road. They made no mistakes. That was so important today. We saw the 48 team’s deal and it proves that it only takes one little slip up whether it’s a mechanical issue or team oriented, it makes a big difference.”
