NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Quaker State 400 Post Race Report
Kentucky Speedway
June 28, 2014
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished third, 15th and 16th, respectively.
Newman ranks eighth in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Jeff Gordon by 104 points, while Menard ranks 11th and Dillon is 18th.
Brad Keselowski earned his second victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Busch, Newman, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, July 5, which is scheduled to be televised live on TNT beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and is scheduled to be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Finishes 16th in Cheerios Protein Chevrolet at Kentucky Speedway
Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Cheerios Protein Chevrolet to a 16th-place finish in the Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday evening after starting from the 16th spot. Dillon noted a loose-handling condition from the start of the 267-lap event. The RCR team pitted for the first time when the caution flag was displayed on lap 28. Crew chief Gil Martin directed the team to service the yellow and white Chevrolet with four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment designed to help alleviate the handling conditions Dillon was facing. When green-flag racing resumed on lap 34, Dillon was scored in the 14th spot. During the ensuing run, he worked his way into the top-10 and eventually raced his way as high as seventh in the running order. He pitted for the final time on lap 216, taking four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment; placing him 14th for the lap-219 restart. The handling on Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet was extremely loose during the closing laps of the event, relegating him to a 16th-place finish in the Cheerios Protein Chevrolet.
Start – 16th Finish – 16th Laps Led – 0 Points – 18th
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“We were just too loose during the last run, which caused us to lose too much track position at the end. We were a solid top-10 car all day and I’m proud of our team’s efforts. The pit crew was solid all day.”
Paul Menard Finishes 15th at Kentucky Speedway in No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS to a 15-place finish in Saturday’s 400-mile event at Kentucky Speedway. The Eau Claire, Wis., driver started 12th and raced in the top 10 for 89 laps of competition. Menard radioed that the car was quite a bit looser and needed more grip on the restarts. After a stop for four tires, fuel, track bar and air pressure adjustments, Menard felt more comfortable in the Chevrolet. From there, he raced inside the top 20 for the remainder of the 267-lap event with only three additional pit stops. The Slugger Labbe-led team made a split-second decision to come down pit road for two tires and fuel during the lap 216 caution. This pit stop put Menard in a position to race inside the top 15 with 47 laps remaining, and Menard was able to race his way to a 15th-place finish. Up next for the No. 27 team is Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
Start – 12th Finish – 15th Laps Led – 0 Points – 11th
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“Today was tough. We just couldn’t get the front end to turn all weekend like we needed. The Quaker State/Menards Chevy started out loose and was tight on the restarts. By the end of the race we were just way too tight. Slugger had a great call there at the end to come in for two tires and my pit crew had great stops for me all day. I’m looking forward to Daytona next week.”
Ryan Newman Earns Best Finish of Season with Third Place at Kentucky Speedway
Ryan Newman and Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS team had a stellar night in the Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday. After starting seventh, Newman and the Luke Lambert-led team raced in the top-10 for the entire 267-lap event. Utilizing several two-tire and four-tire pit stops to gain track position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the pit crew earned a total of five positions during stops. Such was the case on lap 78 when Newman was running sixth and pitted under caution taking fuel and four tires. He returned to action in fourth place, earning two spots on the stop. From that point on, he remained in the top-five pitting for the last time on lap 213. From there, Newman stayed in the top-three and crossed the start/finish line in third place at the 1.5-mile oval. This was his best-career finish at the track, and the best of the 2014 season. He remains eighth in the driver’s point standings as the series heads to Daytona International Speedway for another Saturday night race.
Start – 7th Finish – 3rd Laps Led – 0 Points Position – 8th
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“We had a great weekend and race here at Kentucky Speedway. We qualified seventh and the car was good all night. Everyone wants to talk about the bumps when we race here, I like to talk about how to race over and through the bumps. We had great pit stops tonight, the crew was awesome and I am happy we finally got the top-five finish we’ve been chasing this year. It was great to have this happen after announcing the Caterpillar extension with RCR earlier this week, too. Let’s see if we can keep it going as we head to Daytona International Speedway this weekend.”
