NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Coca-Cola 600 Post Race Report
Charlotte Motor Speedway
May 25, 2014
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates Paul Menard, Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon finished eighth, 15th and 16th, respectively.
Newman ranks 10th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Jeff Gordon by 71 points, while Dillon ranks 15th and Menard 16th.
Jimmie Johnson earned his first victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jamie McMurray.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the FedEx 400 benefitting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, June 1, which is scheduled to be televised live on FOX beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Earns 16th-Place Finish in No. 3 Cheerios Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon earned a 16th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night after starting the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ longest race of the season from the 32nd position. The Welcome, N.C. driver began moving forward from the beginning of the 400-lap race, despite battling handling conditions throughout the event, moving into the top 25 by lap 25. Dillon fell one lap down to the race leader on lap 77, but rejoined the lead lap cars by earning the Lucky Dog Award on lap 234. He pitted on the ensuing caution so the RCR team could service his No. 3 Chevy with four tires, fuel and repair a fender rub. Dillon restarted 16th on lap 241 and worked his way as high as 10th in the running order. In the closing laps, he once again fell one lap down to the race leader ultimately finishing 16th. Dillon enters the Sprint Cup Series’ next event at Dover International Speedway 15th in the point standings.
Start – 32nd Finish – 16th Laps Led – 0 Points – 15th
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“I’m proud of everyone’s effort on this Cheerios Chevrolet team this weekend, especially during practice. We made a lot of gains during practice that really helped us during the race. It was not a bad finish considering all of the challenges we battled during the race. We’re looking forward to going to Pocono Raceway to test next week, and to Dover International Raceway to race.”
2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards
Paul Menard Earns Eighth-Place Finish in No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevrolet at Charlotte
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevrolet SS to an eighth-place finish in Sunday’s 600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Eau Claire, Wisc., driver started 21st after the 1.5-mile track’s knockout qualifying session on Thursday. Menard raced in the top-20 for 49 laps of competition. On lap 82, Menard had to short pit due to a vibration causing the No. 27 Serta/Menards team to lose a lap to the leader. Menard was able to get his lap back on the lap 285 caution after several pit stops for adjustments. Once back on the lead lap, the Slugger Labbe-led team raced all the way up to second place before having to pit for fuel during the caution on lap 379. Menard restarted seventh on the final restart and was able to bring the Serta/Menards Chevrolet home in the eighth spot. Up next for the No. 27 team is next Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Dover International Speedway.
Start – 21st Finish – 8th Laps Led – 0 Points – 16th
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a great finish tonight in Charlotte considering where we started. It was a hard fought race the for No. 27 Serta/Menards team, but with some strategy and adjustments we were able salvage what could have been a tough night. This is a long race so you can never count yourself out no matter what happens. The guys did a great job on pit road and gave us good stops when we needed them, which helped get us back on the lead lap. This race in Charlotte is a tough one, but we finished strong.”
Cut-Down Tire Ends Ryan Newman’s Bid for a Top-10 Finish Resulting in 15th Place at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS to a 15th-place finish in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver had his work cut out for him after starting 42nd because of an issue in qualifying. With 400 laps at his disposal, Newman quietly picked off positions climbing from 42nd to 13th in the first 115 laps. From that point on, Newman raced no lower than 15th place, but needed chassis changes to contend for a top-10 spot. The Luke Lambert-led teams made a series of adjustments to fine tune the Quicken Loans Chevrolet and, on lap 280, Newman solidly competed in ninth place. Unfortunately on the lap 293-restart, the No. 31 driver reported a tire going down. It cost Newman a lap to the leader and left him in 23rd position. With 20 laps remaining, the No. 31 raced in 16th place and gained one more position before the checkered flag waved. The top-15 result moves the No. 31 RCR team to 10th place in the championship point standings.Up next for the No. 31 team is the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway.
Start – 42nd Finish – 15th Laps Led – 0 Points – 10th
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE: “This Quicken Loans team persevered this weekend. We had quite a bit to overcome, but we never gave up. We started from the back after an issue in qualifying and had a Chevrolet good enough to race all the way up to ninth position before we had a tire cut down on a restart. I have to hand it to this team; we never gave up through all the adversity. We just need to shrug off this bad luck. I will never stop fighting and nor will my crew, we’ll be fine.”
