NASCAR Nationwide Series
Homestead-Miami 300
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Race Highlights:
- Brian Scott qualified seventh for the Homestead-Miami 300 and was the highest qualifying Richard Childress Racing entry at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- Teammates Brendan Gaughan, Ty Dillon, Paul Menard qualified eighth, 21st and 31st respectively.
- RCR teammates Ty Dillon, Brian Scott, Paul Menard and Brendan Gaughan finished seventh, 10th, 12th and 29th.
- In the final NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings, Brian Scott led the RCR drivers finishing in fourth while Ty Dillon was fifth and Brendan Gaughan eighth.
Brian Scott Earns 10th Consecutive Top-10 Finish in Season Finale Race
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro team collected their 30th top-10 qualifying position of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway by starting seventh for the Homestead-Miami 300. The 200-lap season finale had 11 cautions, which gave the Phil-Gould led team enough time to work on the ill-handling Shore Lodge Chevrolet. A green-white-checkered finish allowed Scott to move up on the final restart, finishing 10th. Scott’s 10th-place finish earned the team’s 10th consecutive and 23nd top-10 finish of the 2014 season, and a fourth-place finish in the driver championship point standings.
Start – 7th Finish – 10th Laps Led – N/A Pts – 4th
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“Our Shore Lodge Chevrolet fought an uphill battle all night. I really have to thank everyone at RCR and ECR for all their hard work this season. Overall, we had a good season and I really appreciate all the work.”
Ty Dillon Finishes Seventh in Nationwide Series Finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet Camaro to a seventh-place finish Saturday afternoon in the final Nationwide Series race of the season, recording the team’s 24th top-10 finish. The 22-year-old driver overcame a difficult qualifying session, where he was positioned 21st but forced to the rear of the field at the initial green flag because they worked on the car after qualifying. Charging through the field, Dillon was scored in the 12th position before the first pit stop on lap 36. From there, he and crew chief Danny Stockman worked together to get the balance right as the sun was setting over Homestead-Miami Speedway. Dillon made contact with the wall on lap 71, but he noted the damage improved the car’s handling and he drove up inside the top five with an improved balance. Dillon slipped back to 26th after going off pit sequence on lap 145, but made another impressive charge through the field with 55 laps remaining to record a seventh-place finish. Dillon was the second Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender to cross the finish line, and finished fifth in the driver point standings for the 2014 season. The rookie driver finished 2014 with a stat line of one win, seven top-fives and 24 top-10 finishes, and three pole awards.
Start – 21st Finish – 7th Laps Led – 0 Points – 5th
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“First, I want to thank WESCO, Bass Pro Shops, Yuengling, VF Imagewear and all of our sponsors affiliated with this No. 3 team for their support this season. I had a lot of fun out here racing tonight. We were able to pass a lot of cars and wiggle our way to the front. That’s a testament to how hard Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and the guys worked after a difficult qualifying run. Next season, we’re going to take the momentum and notes that we have and come out very strong. We’ll be up on that stage next year.”
Paul Menard Finishes 12th at Homestead-Miami Speedway Filling in for Scott Lagasse, Jr.
Paul Menard and the No. 33 Alert Today Florida/Boy Scouts of America Chevrolet Camaro team finished 12th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Eau Claire, Wisc.-native got behind the wheel of the car for the first time on Saturday during NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying after Scott Lagasse was diagnosed with food poisoning. Menard qualified in the 31st position but started at the rear of the field after making adjustments to the car’s driver seat. When the first caution came out on lap 33, Menard had raced his way up to the 23rd position noting handling of the car was worse in turns three and four. Crew chief Nick Harrison called Menard down pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to remedy the condition. A fast pit stop put the No. 33 Chevy team in the 16th spot for the restart. The Richard Childress Racing driver came down pit road six additional times throughout the event for four tires, fuel and a combination of wedge and track bar adjustments. Good stops and chassis adjustments had Menard racing as high as the eighth position and leading the field to the green flag on lap 176. The No. 33 team ultimately crossed the finish line in the 12th spot.
Start – 40th Finish – 12th Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“I’m proud of Nick (Harrison, crew chief) and the guys for making the adjustments we needed before the race. We had a fast car and the pit crew had good stops all night. I hate it for Scott (Lagasse) that he got sick, but hope he’s feeling better soon.”
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 29th in NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Finale
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet qualified eighth for the Homestead-Miami 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Las Vegas-native began reporting a tight handling race car on lap three of the 200-lap event. On lap 34 the Shane Wilson-led team visited pit road under the yellow flag for four Goodyear tires, Sunoco fuel and track bar adjustment. After restarting 10th, Gaughan reported the adjustment had improved the handling of his Chevrolet Camaro. The 39-year-old driver battled in the top 15 until he was involved in a late-race incident during a green-white-checkered finish that forced him to pit road for repairs. Gaughan crossed the finish line 29th for the season finale Nationwide Series. Gaughan and the No. 62 Richard Childress Racing team finish eighth in the driver championship standings.
Start – 8th Finish – 29th Laps Led – 0 Points – 8th
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“Well it wasn’t the way we wanted to end our season. I am so proud of my entire No. 62 South Point team. These guys have done an amazing job this season. We can’t wait to come back next year and battle for championship in the XFINITY Series. Thank you to everyone at RCR for the support. We can’t complain about finishing a season with two wins. We are all going to work hard in the off season and come back in February ready to battle for a championship.”
