NASCAR XFINITY Series
VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200
Darlington Raceway
September 5, 2015
Race Highlights:
- Brian Scott finished 12th and was the highest finishing Richard Childress Racing driver at Darlington Raceway. Brendan Gaughan finished 13th, Ty Dillon 15th and Paul Menard was 25th.
- Richard Childress Racing drivers Paul Menard started fifth, Brendan Gaughan sixth, Brian Scott 12th and Ty Dillon in 13th.
- Next up for the XFINITY Series is the Virgina529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Catch all the action live on Friday, September 11th at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC Sports Network, broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio channel 90.
Brian Scott starts and finishes 12th at Darlington Raceway
Sporting an old-school looking No. 2 Safeway Chevrolet paint scheme for the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Darlington Raceway, Brian Scott started 12th for the 147-lap event. Once the checkered flag waved, Scott fell back to 19th by lap 25 when the competition caution was waved. Radioing into crew chief Mike Hillman, Jr., Scott told him their Camaro was very loose in the turns on both ends of the egg-shaped oval and the front end lacked grip upon entrance of the turns. With only two cautions during the race, the team didn’t get many opportunities to make adjustments. Through the three stops they did make, one of which was under green-flag conditions, Scott started to move forward through the field. Just after the lap-100 mark, Scott and fellow competitor Chase Elliott engaged in a spirited battle where Scott prevailed to gain 12th place. He would run as high as sixth under a green-flag pit cycle, but was forced to give that up on lap 134 to pit for fuel and tires. When the checkered flag waved, Scott was scored in 12th place. He remains eighth in the driver points standing as the series heads to Richmond International Raceway next weekend.
Start – 12 Finish – 12 Laps Led – 0 Points – 8
Brian Scott Quotes:
“We just didn’t get the cautions we needed to make the adjustments we wanted. The track was hot and slick, which usually means there will be a few more cautions than two. But, we started to gain on it there at the end and gain some positions to, hopefully, finish in the top 10. Mike (Hillman, Jr., crew chief) was thinking about gambling and stretching the fuel, but we had to pit with 10 to go and take on fuel. We’ll take this one and head to Richmond next Friday night, a track I look forward to racing.”
Ty Dillon Drives No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet Camaro to a 15th-place finish
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet Camaro to a 15th-place finish Saturday afternoon at Darlington Raceway in the Series’ 23rd race of the season. Sporting a “throwback” paint scheme reminiscent of the 1970s, Dillon qualified 13th and raced inside the top-15 for the entire 147-lap event. Dillon brushed the wall in the early goings, but was able to bounce back with no significant damage. He reported his No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet was handling tight and crew chief Nick Harrison called Dillon to pit road to fix the balance of the race car. Dillon cracked the top 10 on lap 76 on a green flag restart, and drove all the way up to eighth place. With 20 laps remaining, green-flag pit stops were under way and Dillon stayed out to gain position. In the closing laps, Dillon found himself in second place but was four laps short on fuel, forcing the team to pit with five laps remaining. In the end, Dillon crossed the finish line 15th and moved into second-place in the XFINITY Series driver point standings.
Start – 13 Finish – 15 Laps Led – 0 Points – 2nd
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“This wasn’t the finish we wanted, it didn’t really play out for us there at the end. Our Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet was fast today and I think we could have finished inside the top 10. It was cool being able to race at Darlington Raceway on this throwback weekend, but we definitely wanted a better finish.”
A Flat Right-Rear Tire Derails Paul Menard’s Day at Darlington Raceway
A flat right-rear tire sent Paul Menard to pit road on lap nine of Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series 147-lap event at Darlington Raceway, throwing the team off sequence and spoiling the chance for a good finish. Menard started from the fifth position after a strong qualifying effort earlier in the day at the South Carolina-based track. On lap four, Menard radioed to crew chief Danny Stockman that he felt a tire going down and came to pit road on lap nine for four tires. The Richard Childress Racing driver was scored in 36th place, two laps down, when he went back green-flag racing on lap 11. A lack of cautions meant the No. 33 team had to pit off sequence, taking away the possibility for Menard to get back on the lead lap at the 1.366-mile track. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native visited pit road two additional times for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment and took the wave around twice for a 25th-place finish. Up next for Menard in the No. 33 Richmond/Menards Chevy is the event at Chicagoland Speedway.
Start – 5 Finish – 25 Laps Led – 9 Owners Points – 4
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a really good car today. That flat tire at the beginning really made it difficult for us to have a good finish. Then we had long green-flag runs which put a cap on the day for us. I really appreciate the guys working hard this weekend in the Darlington heat. We had a fast car and would’ve finished at least in the top 10. I’m looking forward to my final race with them in Chicago.”
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 13th at Darlington Raceway
Richard Childress Racing’s Brendan Gaughan finished 13th at Darlington Raceway on Saturday afternoon for the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200. Sporting a special South Point Hotel & Casino throwback paint scheme, Gaughan qualified the No. 62 Chevrolet in the sixth position for the 147-lap event. In the beginning stages of the race, Gaughan reported he was too tight on the exit of the corner and slipped to the 12th spot. Relief came on lap 25 as the field slowed for the competition caution. The Shane Wilson-led team visited pit road for four tires, fuel, a round of chassis adjustments and to repair slight damage made by contact with the outside wall. Gaughan rejoined the racing surface in the 17th position and climbed to the 13th spot by lap 70. As the race continued, the tight-handling condition subsided, and a loose-handling condition developed on the No. 62 machine. Utilizing two additional pit stops, the South Point Hotel & Casino team was able to improve balance on the RCR Chevrolet but with minimal laps remaining, Gaughan was unable to advance his position and finished 13th.
Start – 6 Finish – 13 Laps Led – 0 Points – 9
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“It was really cool to be able to bring back the old paint scheme for this throwback weekend at Darlington (Raceway). This South Point Hotel & Casino team is qualifying a lot better than we ever have in the past. I wish we could have had a better finish, but we’ll move on to Richmond (International Raceway) and look to get one there.”
