RCR Post Race Report — North Carolina Education Lottery 200

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News

Race Highlights:

Richard Childress Racing teammates finished seventh (Joey Coulter), 10th (Ty Dillon) and 12th (Brendan Gaughan).
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Coulter made 60 green-flag passes during the 134-lap event and Gaughan made 56 passes.
Coulter ranked second in the Closers category, gaining three positions in the final 10 percent of the race.
Dillon earned his career-first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole award.
Gaughan spent 88.1 percent of the race running in the top 15 while Coulter spent 85.1 percent in the top 15, ranking them six and seventh, respectively.
Dillon earned a driver rating of 106.3, ranking him fourth overall.
Dillon was the fastest driver early in a run.
Justin Lofton earned his career first Camping World Truck Series victory and was followed to the finish line by Brad Keselowski, Todd Bodine, Jason Leffler and Ron Hornaday.
The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway on Friday, June 1. The sixth race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Brendan Gaughan Overcomes Pit Road Penalty to Finish 12th at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Brendan Gaughan and the No. 2 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team recovered from a pit road penalty to bring home a 12th-place finish during the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday night. The Las Vegas native started the 134-lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from the 11th position and worked his way into the top five before coming onto pit road for scheduled pit stop on lap 72. After the stop, NASCAR issued a pit road penalty to the team for leaving the pit wall too early. The penalty caused Gaughan to restart the race from the tail end of the longest line, in the 22nd position, with 59 laps remaining in the race. In the closing laps, the No. 2 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team continued to advance forward in the field, settling into the 12th position when the checkered flag fell. The No. 2 team now sits seventh in the Camping World Truck Series owner’s championship point standings.

Start – 11 Finish – 12 Laps Led – 0 Owner’s Points – 7

BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:

“That wasn’t the finish I was looking for tonight at Charlotte Motor Speedway; we were just too tight all night. We had a few issues on pit road, but the guys bounced back and we were able to make up track position in the end. I have to thank everyone at Richard Childress Racing for this opportunity and the whole South Point Hotel & Casino crew for getting the truck ready to race tonight.”

Ty Dillon Salvages 10th-Place Finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Sporting a special National Wild Turkey Federation paint scheme in conjunction with Bass Pro Shops, Ty Dillon and Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Chevrolet team finished 10th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Dillon posted the fastest qualifying time earning his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole award. The 20-year-old driver led a total of 25 laps during the 134-lap affair but was plagued with a cut right-front tire that forced the No. 3 team to visit pit road for an unscheduled stop on lap 65. After receiving four fresh Goodyear tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment, Dillon rejoined the field in the 28th position, one lap down to the leaders. A timely caution occurred five laps later granting Dillon the wave around placing the Chevrolet team back on the lead lap. Another caution flag slowed the field on lap 83 and Richmond called the Richard Childress Racing driver to pit road for another round of adjustments and four fresh tires. Dillon restarted 16th as he began to work his way forward in the field. He improved his position to eighth before a series of caution periods occurred in the final stages of the race, mixing the field and resulting in a 10th-place finish for the rookie team. Dillon improved one position, to third, in the Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings, 16 markers outside the top spot.

Start – 1 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 25 Points – 3

TY DILLON QUOTE:

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of my crew chief, Marcus Richmond, and all the guys. They worked really hard to make this truck fast and it showed by earning the pole award. We had a really fast Bass Pro Shops truck but we couldn’t bring home the finish to show for it.”

Joey Coulter Fights Back and Earns Top-10 Finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway

After suffering an initial setback with a radiator hose issue, Joey Coulter and the No. 22 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team claimed a seventh-place finish in Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. The one-day show at Charlotte Motor Speedway began when Coulter ran a qualifying lap at 180.699mph, placing him third on the starting grid. Coulter’s impressive driving ability was on display as he overcame adversity from the first report of problems with his water pressure gauge as the caution flag flew on lap 23. After spending extra time on pit road to correct the problem, Coulter restarted one lap down to the leader in the 32nd position. Coulter’s determination proved invaluable as he methodically passed trucks under green in an attempt to regain track position. When the caution flag was displayed on lap 83, Coulter was awarded the lucky dog pass, returning to the lead lap. That proved to be all he would need. In the final 51 laps, Coulter continued to prove the strength of the No. 22 RCR Chevrolet, as he improved his position on track. With 20 laps to go, Coulter found himself in the 12th position, and continued to report his happiness with the speed and handling of the RCR truck. As the final laps winded down, Coulter continued to pick off additional spots. After a caution for debris on lap 125, Coulter restarted in the ninth position. In the final five laps of the race, Coulter gained an additional two spots, ultimately placing him seventh as the checkered flag flew. Coulter gained two positions in the driver’s championship point standings, landing in 10th position, 55 points behind the leader.

Start – 3 Finish – 7 Laps Led – 0 Points – 10

Joey Coulter Quote:

“With just a little bit of luck, I knew our No. 22 RCR Chevy would be there in the end. Right now the shop is providing me fast trucks, which not only have the speed but also handle extremely well. The combination of a little good luck with these RCR Chevrolet trucks will produce the top-five finishes and wins that our No.22 team has been in search of. Overall, it was a good night for the entire team and a good night in the points.”

RCR

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