RCR Post Race Report — NCTWS Texas 400

Race Highlights:       

  • Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Joey Coulter), fourth (Brendan Gaughan) and seventh (Ty Dillon).
  • All three RCR entries spent the entire 167-lap event running in the top 15.
  • According the NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon earned the third-highest driver rating (117.6), while Gaughan’s 106.9 driver rating ranked him fifth and Coulter’s 102.7 driver rating ranked him eighth.
  • Combined, the three RCR entries posted the fastest lap of the race for 16 circuits with Coulter earning eight of those laps, Gaughan with five and Dillon with three.
  • Coulter’s third-place finish represents his best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career finish in his 32nd starts.
  • Coulter ranked third in the Closers category, gaining two positions in the final 10 percent of the race.
  • Coulter made 48 green-flag passes during the 167-lap event ranking him fourth amongst his competitors.
  • Gaughan maintained the sixth-best average running position of 6.263 according to NASCAR’s Loop Data statistics.
  • Gaughan ranked seventh in the Loop Data category Fastest on Restarts with an average speed of 169.064 mph. 
  • Dillon led for 22 of 167 laps.
  • Dillon earned the best average running position (3.7) in the 35-truck field while Gaughan and Coulter ranked sixth and seventh, respectively.
  • Johnny Sauter earned his first victory of the 2012 season and was followed to the finish line by Matt Crafton, Coulter, Gaughan and Nelson Piquet Jr.
  • The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, June 28. The eighth race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Brendan Gaughan Scores Fourth-Place Finish at Texas Motor Speedway

 

Brendan Gaughan and the No. 2 South Point Hotel & Casino team notched a fourth-place finish under the lights in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway. Rain forced NASCAR officials to cancel qualifying Thursday, lining the drivers up based on championship owner point standings, positioning Gaughan sixth for the start of the 167-lap event. As the green flag waved, Gaughan relayed to the South Point Hotel & Casino crew the Chevrolet was loose all the way around the track. Throughout several pit stops, the Gere Kennon-led team made a number of adjustments to improve the handing on the No. 2 Chevrolet and the Las Vegas native competed in the top 10 for the majority of the night. By lap 136, Gaughan overtook the fourth position and when two trucks in front collided, the caution-flag was displayed moving the No. 2 machine into the second position. On the restart, the No. 2 Chevrolet was shuffled back in traffic to the fourth position, where he remained until the checkered flag waved on lap 167.

 

Start – 6         Finish – 4     Laps Led – 0    Owner Points – 6

 

BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTES:

“This was a good night for the South Point Hotel & Casino team at Texas (Motor Speedway). These guys did a great job all weekend and especially on pit road. We had a truck to compete for the win, and I’m proud to be with this team.”  

 

 

 2011 CC Team Logos NCWTS 3 BPS 150 px     

 Ty Dillon Brings Home Seventh Consecutive Top-10 Finish

 

Ty Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops team finished seventh in Friday night’s Texas 400 at Texas Motor Speedway despite leading laps and dominating throughout the 167-lap event. Due to inclement weather in the Fort Worth, Texas area, NASCAR officials were forced to cancel NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying on Thursday, setting the starting lineup by current owner point standings. The 20-year-old driver started in the third position and remained there until a caution flag was displayed on lap 33. Crew chief Marcus Richmond called Dillon to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. A fast stop by the Bass Pro Shops team vaulted Dillon to the lead for the restart. After maintaining the top position for the next 17 circuits around the 1.5-mile race track, Dillon reported that a tight-handling condition developed on his black and orange Chevrolet. Despite additional adjustments, the tight condition continued to plague the Richard Childress Racing entry and they slipped to fourth in the running order. The Richmond-led team was called into action on lap 129, arming Dillon with four more fresh tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment during the caution period. Restarting from the first position, Dillon led for another five laps. While battling to remain the leader, contact was made with another competitor, causing the RCR driver to lose control of his Chevrolet and slightly tap the outside retaining wall with the right-rear fender on lap 138. Suffering minimal damage, the No. 3 team decided to remain on the racing surface in the ninth position. Dillon was able to improve two positions in the last portion of the race to finish seventh, marking his seventh-consecutive top-10 finish to start the 2012 season.

 

Start – 3          Finish – 7       Laps Led – 22            Points – 3

 

TY DILLON QUOTE:

“It’s a little disappointing that we finished seventh tonight at Texas (Motor Speedway). We had a fast No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet that was capable of winning and a late-race incident cost us the top spot. I’m really proud of the guys and Marcus (Richmond, crew chief) made a lot of great calls. We learned a lot from tonight’s race, and I can’t wait to get to Kentucky (Speedway) in two weeks.”

  

         2011 CC Team Logos NCWTS 22 RCR 150 px

Joey Coulter Brings Home Career-Best Finish at Texas Motor Speedway

   

Persistence paid off for Joey Coulter and the No. 22 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team, as a continuous effort to improve the truck’s handling produced a third-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday evening. Rain on Thursday cancelled qualifying for the Texas 400, setting the field by owner point standings and leaving Coulter with an 11th-place starting position. From the green flag, Coulter reported a loose-handling condition on the Chevrolet truck, causing him to drop to 14th in the running order early in the 167-lap event. The No. 22 crew executed near-perfect pit stops throughout the race, creating a streak of four consecutive stops in which the team picked up two or more on-track positions. Fueled by crew chief Harold Holly’s encouragement, Coulter gained positions on the racetrack as well, excelling during long green-flag runs. In the closing laps, Coulter raced in a side-by-side battle for position, ultimately taking the checkered flag in the third position, just .006 seconds shy of second place. Friday night’s third-place finish was Coulter’s best career finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He gained two positions in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship standings and currently sits eighth, 53 points behind the leader.

 

Start – 11              Finish – 3              Laps Led – 0          Points – 8   


JOEY COULTER QUOTE:

“I’m excited to be able to celebrate a third-place finish at Texas (Motor Speedway). We battled with handling issues for the majority of the night, but Harold (Holly) and the rest of the No. 22 crew worked hard to make adjustments while firing off great pit stops all night. It was a great finish to my 22nd birthday, and I’m looking forward to getting back to it at Kentucky (Speedway) after a short break.”