NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
SpongeBob SquarePants 400
Kansas Speedway
May 9, 2015
Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished 10th, 18th and 22nd, respectively, in the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway.
- Menard ranks 12th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Kevin Harvick by 131 points, while Newman ranks 13th and Dillon is 25th.
- Jimmie Johnson earned his third win of the 2015 season and was followed to the line by Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano.
- Dillon and Menard are scheduled to compete in the Sprint Showdown on Friday, May 15, 2015 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which is scheduled to be televised live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.
- Newman is scheduled to compete in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 16, 2015 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which is scheduled to be televised live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 7 p.m. ET and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Earns 22nd-Place Finish in Dow Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon earned a 22nd-place finish in the No. 3 Dow Chevrolet in the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday evening after starting from the 28th spot. Dillon reported a loose-handling condition during the early stages of the 267-lap event, which caused the driver to fall one lap down to the race leader and as low as 31st in the running order. Crew chief Gil Martin took advantage of a pit stop under green-flag conditions on lap 81 to make sweeping changes to the car’s handling through air pressure and chassis adjustments. The team took the wave-around and rejoined the lead-lap cars when the caution flag was displayed on lap 94. Shortly thereafter, the field was stopped on pit road due to a thunderstorm. The mid-race stretch gave Dillon an opportunity to address his car’s handling with his Dow Racing team. Once the track was dry and green-flag racing resumed, the team implemented their plan to further improve driving conditions. Relief for Dillon came in the form of a pit stop under caution on lap 121. During the closing laps of the race, Dillon raced as high as 17th and posted the fastest lap times of the field. Short on fuel, he pitted under green on lap 255 but the caution flag was displayed to the field as he exited his pit stall, trapping him one lap down to the race leader and in the 20th position with nine laps of racing remaining. Dillon finished 22nd in the Dow Chevrolet and ranks 25th in points leading into the non-points-paying Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 15.
Start – 28 Finish – 22 Laps Led – 0 Points – 25
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“It’s a shame the caution came out during our pit stop trapping us a lap down, because we were running really fast lap times at the end. We were on a roll, and if we could have kept that momentum up I think we would have ended up with a top-10 finish, easy. That’s just been our luck so far this season. I’m proud of everyone on the Dow Chevrolet team. We’re giving it everything we have and we will get our luck turned around.”
Paul Menard Finishes 18th at Kansas Speedway
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet SS to an 18th-place finish in Saturday night’s rain-delayed SpongeBob SquarePants 400. The RCR driver started 22nd and quickly noted a loose-in and tight-center handling condition. When the NASCAR-mandated competition caution was displayed on lap 25, Menard was scored 17th and came to pit road for right-side tires and fuel. By lap 52, the Wisconsin native was 11th and recording lap times faster than the leaders. Crew chief Justin Alexander radioed for Menard to come down pit road on lap 77 during green-flag pit stops so the No. 27 pit crew could change four tires, add fuel and make an air pressure adjustment to the Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevy. Just 21 laps later, the red flag was displayed for rain which put the event on hold for two hours. When green-flag racing resumed, Menard restarted 13th and noted the improving handling condition of the car. A fuel-only stop on lap 212 put the team in the fourth spot and in contention for a top-five finish with just 55 laps remaining. A pit-road penalty during the last pit stop of the night forced Menard to restart from the rear of the field on lap 261. Six laps later, Menard crossed the finish line in 18th. This marks the team’s eighth top-20 finish of the season and puts them 12th in the driver point standings. Up next for the No. 27 team is Friday night’s Sprint Showdown exhibition event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Start – 22 Finish – 18 Laps Led – 0 Points – 12
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We’re going to be alright. My guys made good adjustments on the car tonight. We continue to have fast cars at the race track so we will be just fine. We will keep our chins up and move on to next week.”
Ryan Newman Works Through Handling Challenges to Earn Second-Straight Top-10 Finish at Kansas Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS to a 10th-place finish in Saturday night’s rain-delayed SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver lined up 15th and raced in or around the top 20 before rain red flagged the event two laps shy of 100 circuits for two hours and 16 minutes. Newman’s biggest handling issue was loose throughout the corners. Crew chief Todd Parrott called for chassis adjustments on laps 121, 174 and 197. The service on 197 greatly improved the No. 31 Chevrolet and enabled Newman to climb into 14th position. At lap 209, Parrott called for a fuel-only service stop. The Quicken Loans driver restarted seventh but got shuffled back through the field and into 17th position. With 10 laps to go under caution, the Quicken Loans pit crew serviced the team’s Chevy one final time. Newman returned to the track in 17th place and faced a six-lap dash to the finish. In true Newman style, he fought back to cross the finish line in 10th place. The top-10 result marks his second-straight top-10 and seventh of the season. Newman moves up one position to 13th in the championship standings and is only eight points out of 10th place. Next week is the Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Caterpillar and Quicken Loans will both be on board as co-primary sponsors.
Start – 15 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 0 Points – 13
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“We had a very loose Quicken Loans Chevrolet for this race. Todd Parrott and the team never gave up. We made quite a few chassis changes and tried a fuel-only strategy, but it came down to the final service to get us in position to make up the track position. All and all, it was a frustrating day but to come out of it with another top-10 finish just shows this entire RCR organization what kind of team we have in place. I’m proud of every single one of my guys and the personnel back at the shop. A win is coming. We just have to keep chipping away at it.”
