Austin Dillon and No. 3 American Ethanol Team Fight Their Way to 16th-Place Finish
“First, I’d just like to say it was a privilege to drive the ‘Silver Secret’ and honor Dale Earnhardt for NASCAR Throwback weekend at Darlington. The No. 3 American Ethanol e15 Camaro ZL1 showed solid speed today even though we finished 16th. At one point during the first stage, we were the fastest car on the track. Near the end of the stage, I battled to stay on the lead lap and managed to do so even with some contact before the stage break. I battled a loose car during Stage 2. And again, near the conclusion of the stage, I was touched by another car as I fought to stay on the lead lap. Even though I missed staying on the lead lap by a nose, I got the lucky dog to start the final stage. Our guys did a great job making repairs to the minor damage. The final stage proved to be a bit more difficult. Unfortunately, we were assessed a penalty for an uncontrolled tire during a pit stop halfway through the stage. Even though we went a couple laps down, we didn’t stop fighting and eventually found ourselves back on the lead lap with less than 25 laps to go. In the end, our finish didn’t represent the team’s effort. We had a better car than 16th and will look to get back on track next week at Indy.”
-Austin Dillon
Ryan Newman and Caterpillar Team Crushed After Top-Six Run Ends In Accident Resulting in 19th-Place Finish
“We had another strong start to the weekend by leading final practice and qualifying sixth. When the race started, our Caterpillar Camaro ZL1 was extremely tight so we needed to use our first stop to free us up. For most of the race, we fine tuned our No. 31 with wedge adjustments. Turns 1 and 3 were my biggest issues while we ran loose on longer the green-flag runs. Regardless, we raced the majority of the event in the top 10. There were two pit strategies going and we were on the more favorable side with the No. 42. We had an extra set of tires compared to half of the front runners. With about 55 laps to go, it was time to pit. But, before we made it to pit road, we got wrecked. It’s a shame. The Cat Racing team brought me another fast car. We found ourselves three laps down after addressing a tire rub under green, and from there, we hoped for cautions so that we could take the wave around. We got two laps back, but it wasn’t enough. Our bid for the Playoffs comes down to Indy. We have to win, and I’ve done it before when it mattered most.”
-Ryan Newman
