NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
MyAFibRisk.com 400
Chicagoland Speedway
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing drivers Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished fourth, 17th and 43rd, respectively, in the MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Newman and Menard rank eighth and 14th, respectively, in the Challenger round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, while Dillon ranks 21st in the standings.
Denny Hamlin earned his second win of the 2015 season and was followed to the line by Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Newman, and Matt Kenseth.
The 28th race of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season is the Slyvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 27, 2015, which is scheduled to be televised live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Finishes 43rd at Chicagoland Speedway after Mid-Race Incident
Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet to a 43rd-place finish in the MyAFibRisk.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Dillon started from the fifth position after thunderstorms in the area caused NASCAR and track officials to cancel Friday evening’s qualifying session and set the field according to practice speeds. The sophomore Sprint Cup Series driver showed speed from the start of the 267-lap race, using the bottom groove to race into the second position before settling into the top five as a tight-handling condition developed on the No. 3 Chevrolet. Routine pit stops throughout the day gave crew chief Slugger Labbe and the RCR team an opportunity to adjust on the handling of the No. 3 Chevy and Dillon reported that the changes were to his liking. His lap times were among the fastest of all competitors during the race. He was running eighth on a restart just past the race’s halfway point when he cut a right-front tire, sending his car hard into the wall and bringing out the caution flag. Dillon drove to the garage where the team immediately began making repairs but he lost significant laps in the process and finished 43rd, 69 laps down. Next, Dillon will drive the No. 3 Cheerios Chevrolet in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 27. The race is live on NBCSN at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
Start – 5 Finish – 43 Laps Led – 0 Points – 21
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“The beginning of the race was really fun. We had a lot of speed on the American Ethanol Chevrolet and it was awesome to race up front, slicing and dicing in the top three. The changes Slugger Labbe and the crew made during the race really helped the handling of the car. It’s a shame we weren’t able to compete for the win. I haven’t hit the wall that hard on a mile-and-a-half track in a long time, maybe back when I raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series days. I feel fine.”
2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards
Paul Menard Finishes 17th in First Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Chicagoland Speedway
Paul Menard started the 267-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Chicagoland Speedway in 16th after qualifying was canceled Friday afternoon due to inclement weather. The No. 27 team persevered through a tough race to finish 17th, securing the 14th position on The Chase Grid. Menard noted a loose-handling condition early in the race which quickly turned to a tight-handling condition in the center of Turns 1 and 2. During the longest green-flag run of the 2015 season so far, crew chief Justin Alexander called Menard to pit road on lap 53 then 105 for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments. The Pittsburgh Paints/Menards team continued to chase handling of the car, falling a lap down to the leader after the first green-flag pit stop. Menard visited pit road five additional times for a combination of four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments. With better control of the car, the Richard Childress Racing driver maintained a spot within the top 20 and crossed the finish line 17th after 400.5 miles at the 1.5-mile track. This put the No. 27 team 14th on the Chase Grid, just four points out the 12th spot.
Start – 16 Finish – 17 Laps Led – 0 Chase Grid – 14
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“I’m proud of how hard my guys worked this weekend. It wasn’t what we wanted out of the race, but we were able to come away with a decent finish. Our car was just a little off all weekend. We’ll go back and look at the notes to see what we can learn. Luckily there are two races left before the cutoff for the next round in the Chase, so we’ll have to step it up even more.”
Ryan Newman Powers Through Final Restart To Finish Fourth at Chicagoland Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s 400-mile event at Chicagoland Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., native started sixth in the first event in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship and ran as high as fourth in the opening laps. The No. 31 driver’s biggest handling complaint was tight in the center and loose in the corners. Crew chief Luke Lambert called Newman onto pit road on laps 52, 105 and 124 to massage the team’s Chevy. By lap 143, the Caterpillar Chevrolet raced in fifth position but due to an untimely caution shortly after the team’s green-flag stop, the team lost valuable track position on lap 190 to lose four positions and compete in 14th. It all came down to a five-lap shoutout. Newman restarted 14th and drove up through the field to finish fourth place. Newman is eighth in the Chase Grid with two races remaining in the Challenger Round. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to competition next Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Caterpillar will be the primary partner.
Start – 6 Finish – 4 Laps Led – 0 Points – 8
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“We got a good restart and those four tires paid off. The final five laps felt like 10 laps. It was a great team effort for the Caterpillar Chevrolet. We’ve been working so hard to get back to this level and it sure feels good to leave here with a top-five finish.”
