Paul Menard Leads Laps and Wins Stage 2 in Richmond/Menards Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International
“We had a really strong Richmond/Menards Chevrolet today and led a lot of laps. In Stage 2, we made an air pressure adjustment and had a top-two car. The 22 car was a little better at that point, but we were able to stay out front and win the stage. In Stage 3, we had something break pretty early on and as the run went on it got worse. I don’t know if it was a shock or a shaft spring or something, but if I hit the curbing in the bus stop it would knock the car out of gear. So, I had to baby it through the bus stop that last stage. I hit the kill switch twice while shifting into fourth gear. I just don’t run these XFINITY Series cars all the time and that was the first time I’ve done that. The master ignition switch was just too close to my hand and I punched it and it shut off. It happened twice in the race, but we were able to overcome and make it to the end and get a top-five finish out of the day.”
– Paul Menard
Ty Dillon Fights Back from Soft Tire in Stage 2 for Top-10 Finish
“I had a fast Rheem Chevrolet today. The balance was great all through Stages 1 and 2. I didn’t want any major adjustments to the car because we were running really well. It’s unfortunate that a soft right-rear tire in the last two laps of the second stage buried us in the back. I rallied as best I could and the team gave me a fuel-only stop in the final stage to gain track position. I’m glad that we were able to salvage a seventh-place finish, but we could have been looking at a top-five if we hadn’t had an issue out of our control. We have certainly run into some bad luck this year, but this team has never given up and we won’t start now.”
– Ty Dillon
Daniel Hemric and Death Wish Coffee Chevy Team Post 11th-Place Finish at Watkins Glen
“We unloaded an extremely fast Death Wish Coffee Camaro this weekend, and that showed earlier today when we posted a top-10 starting spot. Danny (Stockman, crew chief), this team and I had a race strategy which was a little different than the rest of the field. After staying out, we ended up leading the race at the start of that second stage, which was cool. We pretty much stayed in the top-10 the majority of the race. Unfortunately, the last two sets of tires that we put on this Chevy changed the handling from what I had in the first two-thirds of the race. We came up one spot short of a top-10, but I’m happy with our weekend.”
– Daniel Hemric
Brandon Jones Uses Pit Strategy to Collect Top-15 Finish at Watkins Glen
“We utilized a lot of pit strategy today to collect track position for our No. 33 Freightliner Chevrolet Camaro after we didn’t get the starting spot we wanted in qualifying. Right after we fired engines, Nick (Harrison, crew chief) had me go into fuel-saving mode. This allowed us to pit a little bit off-cycle from some of the field and gain track position throughout the day. Overall, it was a good day for us. We were able to finish eighth in Stage 2 and collect bonus points, which is something we always strive to do during these races. The team worked hard all day long and my spotters were great in giving me the information I needed to get around the competition. It was a solid start to the string of road courses we visit in the XFINITY Series.”
– Brandon Jones
Brendan Gaughan Earns Stage Points and Leads Laps in the South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolet Before Earning Ninth-Place Finish at Watkins Glen
“This is absolutely my favorite time of year on the NASCAR XFINITY schedule… three-straight road course events. We made a big swing at it before the midway point because we needed to be a lot better. We gambled on track position in favor of handling and man, did it pay off. I give all the credit to Shane Wilson for coming up with the strategy. It’s scary. We’ve raced together for so long that we honestly know what the other is thinking and we can finish each other sentences. It was great to see our strategy work out. It was a great day for us. I’m so proud of this team and I really look forward to Mid-Ohio.”
– Brendan Gaughan
