Bristol 300
Bristol Motor Speedway
NASCAR Nationwide Series
March 16, 2013
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fifth (Kevin Harvick), 10th (Brian Scott) and 11th (Austin Dillon).
Scott is third in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Sam Hornish, Jr. by 25 markers, while Dillon ranks sixth, 34 points back.
The No. 2 Chevrolet team ranks fourth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 3 team seventh in the standings and the No. 33 team eighth.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick was the Fastest Driver Early in a Run, maintained the second-best average running position (3.410), ranked second in the Closers category and had the second-best Driver Rating (120.4).
Combined, RCR drivers posted the Fastest Laps Run for 44 circuits with Harvick (33 laps), Scott (6) and Dillon (5).
Scott ranked second in Quality Passes with 34.
Scott earned his third consecutive top-10 finish of the 2013 Nationwide Series season and currently leads all drivers in NASCAR with longest streak of top-10 finishes (6).
Kyle Busch earned his second victory of the 2013 Nationwide Series season and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Larson, Brian Vickers, Hornish and Harvick.
The next Nationwide Series race is the Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, March 23. The fifth race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Satellite Radio.
Brian Scott Earns Second Career Bristol Motor Speedway Top-10 Finish
Brian Scott drove to his second career top-10 finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event, after battling a tight-handling condition for a portion of the race. The 25-year-old competitor took the green flag from the eighth position and remained inside the top 10 for the first part of the 300-lap affair. Scott drove down pit road on lap 104 so the Phil Gould-led pit crew could change four tires, add fuel and make chassis adjustments during a caution period. Back under green, the Boise, Idaho, native reported that the adjustments helped his Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro though the corner of the track. With 34 laps remaining, the field was slowed for an eighth time. Scott remained on track during the yellow-flag laps, restarted in the sixth position and quickly moved up to fourth on the restart. With 11 laps remaining, he was pinched into the outside wall causing slight damage that affected the car’s handling and relegated him to a 10th-place-finish.
Start – 8 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 0 Points – 3
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“We had a good car and track position in the end when we needed it. We had every possibility of coming home with a top-five-finish, just got into the wall after making contact with one of our teammates. After that we were just a little too tight, but it’s another top-10 and it’s Bristol (Motor Speedway) where anything could happen. I’ll take a top-10 out of Bristol any day. I’m really excited about California (Auto Club Speedway) next week. I feel like it’s a great track, we’ll go there and get the top-five that eluded us today.”
Dillon Salvages 11th-Place Finish at Bristol Motor Speedway
Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to an 11th-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon despite incurring damage to his Chevrolet during a mid-race incident. Dillon started the 300-lap affair from the second position and looked strong from the start of the race, settling into the top-five despite a tight-handling condition on exit to the corners. He dropped to 10th in the running order following a lap-60 pit stop under caution for left-side tires and a chassis adjustment, but quickly raced his way forward in the field. The Welcome, N.C. driver was in the seventh spot when a multi-car incident blocked the half-mile track in front of him, although he tried to brake to avoid the melee, Dillon made contact with another car, necessitating multiple trips down pit road so that the RCR team could make repairs to the No. 3 Chevrolet. Dillon fell one lap down to the race leader in the process, but gained his lap back by earning the Lucky Dog when the caution flag was displayed on lap 177. Green flag racing resumed on lap 183 with Dillon in the 17th position. The team spent the remainder of the race working for position, with Dillon ultimately earning an 11th-place finish.
Start – 2 Finish – 11 Laps Led – 0 Points – 6
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“I downshifted as much as I could when that wreck happened just in front of us but there was no way to avoid it. We just barely clipped it and had enough damage to create problems for the rest of the day. I’m proud of this No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet team for turning what could have been a very bad day into an 11th-place finish. It could have been a lot worse. This is what championship teams are made of. It’s still early in the season and we have a lot more racing to do.”
Harvick Earns Fifth-Place Finish in NASCAR Nationwide Series at Bristol Motor Speedway
Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Armour Vienna Sausages team collected a fifth-place finish in the 300-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon. The Bakersfield, Calif., native took the green flag from the seventh spot and quickly began a charge toward the front of the field, settling into second on lap 33. Harvick reported a loose-handling condition during the early stages of the race, but maintained a position in the top five. As the event progressed, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular informed his team that the car’s handling had switched from loose to tight, as he continued to run solid lap times, taking over the top spot on lap 196. Persistent handling issues caused Harvick to relinquish the lead on lap 237. The No. 33 Richard Childress Racing team used the final caution period to make one final attempt at improving the car’s handling, taking four fresh tires and adding fuel. Harvick lined up eighth for the final restart and picked up three positions before the checkered flag waved, capturing a fifth-place finish.
Start – 7 Finish – 5 Laps Led – 43 Owner Points – 8
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“We just got too tight at the end and weren’t able to get back out front. The Armour Vienna Sausages Chevrolet was fast today, but we lost the handling at the end. It was a fun race and the team worked hard, but we came here to win and we just couldn’t get it done today.”
