Austin Dillon and the AAA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Team Earn Top-15 Finish Following Strong Performance at Richmond Raceway
“Richmond Raceway has always been what I consider the hardest track on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit, so I was really proud of our efforts in Stage 1. Our AAA Camaro ZL1 was really good. We were the fastest car on the track for most of the run and were able to race our way from 23rd to eighth and earn a few stage points. Once the race transitioned to night we lost some of the magic. We just weren’t as strong. I put us in a bit of a hole by earning a commitment line violation coming to pit road, but we worked hard and had a good shot at the end. It was just hard to find a line that made moves.”
-Austin Dillon
Daniel Hemric Finishes 32nd in Cup Series Debut in Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
“First off, I have to thank Richard Childress and Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff for giving me the opportunity to make my first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend. This is something that was 22 years in the making and truly a dream come true. The No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 fired off so tight during that first stage that I really struggled and we fell multiple laps down with no cautions to help us. My crew chief, Brandon Thomas, made a really good adjustment on that first stop. That gave us a fighting chance. We kept adjusting on it and it kept getting better. I wish we could go back and run that first stage over again, but we learned a lot and these guys never gave up. Everyone on this crew volunteered to build this car and come here this week and that means a lot. I just wish we could have had a better result tonight.”
-Daniel Hemric
Late-Race Mishap Costs Ryan Newman and the No. 31 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet ZL1 Team Top-10 Finish
“Richmond Raceway is one of my favorite tracks and to run just outside the top five, get assessed a pit-road penalty and then battle back onto the lead lap says a lot about this No. 31 Childress Vineyards Camaro ZL1 team. It’s unfortunate on the restart with 30 to go that we got into the back of a car. Everyone started checking up and I just hit him square in the back. I did all I could but the damage cost us our race. I’m just so disappointed right now. We had a good car and a finish that doesn’t reflect it.”
-Ryan Newman
