RCR Post Race Reports from Pocono

• RCR teammates finished 10^th (Paul Menard), 14^th (Kevin Harvick), 17^th (Jeff Burton) and 18^th (Clint Bowyer).
• Menard had an average running position of 12.3 in the 200-lap event.
• The 2011 Brickyard 400 winner spent 176 of the 200 laps running in the top 15 during Sunday’s Good Sam RV Insurance 500.
• Menard remains 14^th in the NSCS championship point standings, 13 points behind teammate Clint Bowyer in the 12^th position.
• Despite the Brickyard 400 win, Menard now sits behind Brad Keselowski (two wins) and Denny Hamlin (one win) for a wild card spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
• Harvick was the race’s eighth best Closer, advancing two positions in the last 10 percent (20 laps) of the race.
• Harvick ran 68 percent of the contested laps in the top 15.
• Burton recorded the 10^th best average running position in the 500 miler with 12.1.
• Burton spent 86.5 percent of the 200 laps running inside the top 15.
• Bowyer spent 143 laps of the race running in the top 15.
• Bowyer made 122 green-flag passes during the race according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics.
• Keselowski earned his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the 2011 season, and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman.
• The next NSCS race is the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, August 14, televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 12 p.m. EDT.

Menard Claims 10^th-Place Finish at Pocono

Paul Menard and the No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet team followed up their historic Brickyard 400 victory with a top-10 result in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway. Despite threatening skies and storms in the Long Pond, Pa. area, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was able to start their 200-lap event as scheduled with Menard in the seventh position as the 43-car field took the green flag. The bright yellow and black machine maintained its position in and around the top 10 for the majority of the day as Menard spent 176 of the 200 laps running in the top 15. With each pit stop throughout the day, crew chief Slugger Labbe made calls for minor adjustments on the No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet to assist Menard with the handling through the three distinct turns at ‘The Tricky Triangle.’ Though rain finally made its way into the area just after 3:30 p.m., causing a red-flag condition on lap 122 for close to two hours, NASCAR worked feverously to dry the track in hopes to run the race to its scheduled 200-lap distance. The effort paid off as the teams returned to green-flag conditions around 5:20 p.m. A quick ensuing pit stop by the Menards crew brought the No. 27 Impala to life. After restarting the event on lap 131 in the 11^th position, the Eau Claire, Wis., native picked off positions and climbed into the sixth position just two laps later. As the laps ticked away at the 2.5-mile track, a tight-handling condition developed on the CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet. Labbe and crew provided additional adjustments during the final pit stops of the day and Menard was able to claim his seventh top-10 finish of the 2011 season while maintaining the 14^th position in the NSCS point standings.

Start – 7 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 0 Points – 14

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

‘It was a good follow-up to last week’s win. We fought hard for this top-10 finish. The (No.) 27 pit crew gained us some spots on the stop coming off the red flag that really help out a bunch. The race for the final Chase spots is shaping up to be really competitive and we’re fighting hard to put ourselves in position to take one of those spots.”

 

Harvick, Budweiser Team Earn Top-15 Finish at Pocono

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team finished 14^th in Sunday’s Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway. Harvick started the race from 10^th position and worked his way up to seventh by lap two. Several laps later, he radioed to the crew that the car was “too loose everywhere,” prompting crew chief Gil Martin to call for chassis and air pressure adjustments on the team’s first trip to pit road at lap 14. The No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet restarted in 11^th position after losing several positions on pit road. The loose condition persisted and, a quarter of the way through the race, Harvick tried adjusting his line around the track to gain ground and was able to pick up a couple positions before the team pitted again at lap 63 for fresh tires, fuel and additional chassis adjustments. Over the course of the next two runs, Harvick radioed to the team that the car’s handling was better, but still too loose. He was running in the 12^th position when the caution flag waved for rain at lap 122. As the rain intensified, NASCAR officials waved the red flag and the pace car brought the field down pit road. On-track activity was halted for a little less than two hours as officials used jet dryers to dry the track after the rain subsided. The No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team pitted at lap 128 before the race restarted to get four fresh tires and make a chassis adjustment. During the following run, Harvick radioed to the team that the car was too tight exiting the turns. The team hit pit road again under green-flag conditions at lap 151 for tires and adjustments and he reported being too loose on the subsequent run before the next trip to pit road at lap 171. Once the field cycled through green-flag stops, the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet was in the 16^th position. The caution flag waved at lap 179 with Harvick in the 16^th position. He radioed to the team that the car was better and he could use more forward drive, but was still too loose. The team made their final pit stop at lap 181, taking four tires and fuel. Several cars stayed out and some took only two tires, placing Harvick in the 20^th position when the field restarted at lap 184. In the closing laps, he was able to pass several cars and worked his way up to the 14^th position before taking the checkered flag at lap 200.

Start – 10 Finish – 14 Laps Led – 0 Points – 5

 

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

“We were extremely loose from the start of the race. Then in traffic, the car wouldn’t turn the front, but just snapped the back as it came up off the corner. We really struggled with getting it right and had a couple of pit stops where we lost some track position. It just wasn’t the result we were looking for this weekend, but the Budweiser team will work on it this week in the shop and move forward to Watkins Glen.”

 

Burton, Cat Racing Team Finish 17^th at Pocono Raceway

A loose-handling No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet in Sunday’s 500 miler at Pocono Raceway left Jeff Burton and the Cat Racing team with a disappointing 17^th-place result. Burton took the green flag from the eighth position and was scored 13^th when the first caution of the day was displayed on lap 12. Burton radioed to his crew that the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet was loosing grip and, as a result, crew chief Luke Lambert summoned the black and yellow Chevrolet to pit road for two right-side tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, returning him to competition 16^th in the running order on lap 16. The veteran driver jumped to seventh by lap 19 before the second caution of the day was displayed three laps later. With track position valuable at the 2.5-mile facility, the South Boston, Va., native was instructed to stay out under the caution period. Burton took the green flag from the sixth position for the lap-22 restart and began to climb up the leaderboard before developing tight-handling conditions in turn three. He slipped a few positions to seventh until relief came as the RCR entry was called to pit road for a green-flag pit stop on lap 39. The Cat Racing team quickly serviced the No. 31 Chevrolet with four Goodyear tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment and sent Burton back on track in the 13^th position but he continued to battle a lack of rear grip and inability to turn in the corners. Another round of green-flag pit stops occurred on lap 62 and more adjustments were made in hopes of rectifying the ill-handling racer. The 21-time Sprint Cup Series race winner had moved into the top 10 by lap 70 but rear grip was still an issue. A lap-100 caution allowed the team to make changes, including multiple chassis adjustments that left Burton 16^th on the lap-104 restart. The changes seemed to help the handling on the Caterpillar Chevrolet, but the skies opened and heavy rain began falling over the Long Pond, Pa.,-based facility. After a lengthy red flag that lasted nearly two hours, drivers were called back to their cars to resume racing action. As the field went under yellow-flag conditions, Burton hit pit road for two tires and fuel, granting them a third-place starting position for the lap-131 restart after his competitors took four tires on their stops. Unfortunately, Burton continued to battle loose conditions for the remainder of the race and slipped back to 17^th before taking the checkered flag.

Start – 8 Finish – 17 Laps Led – 0 Points – 24

JEFF BURTON QUOTE:

“Today was a long, hard fought day. The Caterpillar Chevrolet was strong in the early going but, as track conditions started changing, the handling made it difficult to drive through the corners. We had good pit stops today and took a gamble with a two-tire call near the end because track position is so valuable. But, the No. 31 Chevrolet was so loose that I couldn’t keep it up front. We’ll all learn from this and now set our sights on next weekend’s road course race.”

 

 

Bowyer Shakes Off Illness, Comes Home 18^th at Pocono

Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 Good Sam Club Chevrolet team brought home an 18^th-place finish in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway. After qualifying 14^th on Saturday, the Richard Childress Racing driver woke up Sunday morning feeling under the weather. As the green flag dropped on the 200-lap event, Bowyer fought a tight race car in the middle of the turns while lacking grip upon exit of the three corners that make up the Long Pond, Pa.-based facility, resulting in the loss of a few positions that placed him 17^th on the leaderboard. For the next 30 laps of the race, the Emporia, Kan., native worked his way back into 11^th in the running order until entering the top 10 on lap 47. While running in the top 10, Bowyer radioed to crew chief Shane Wilson that his engine temperatures were running higher than normal. On the next green-flag pit stop, the “Helping Hands” pit crew pulled enough tape off of the front grill to allow more airflow into the engine, getting temperatures somewhat back to normal. As the race continued past the halfway mark at lap 100, the track temperatures cooled off dramatically as the sun succumbed to dark rain clouds. The drastic change in track conditions benefited the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala and Bowyer found himself running as high as sixth before a huge rain storm on lap 124 forced NASCAR officials to display the red flag, stopping cars on pit road and allowing drivers to get out of their cars for one hour and 41 minutes. Jet dryers came out on the 2.5-mile track after the rain stopped and returned the track to safe racing conditions. The red-flag conditions couldn’t have come at a better time for Bowyer as the 2008 Nationwide Series champion was suffering from dizziness in the car and needed food and water. Upon returning to on-track competition, Wilson immediately called Bowyer down to pit road for four fresh Goodyear tires and Sunoco E15 fuel under caution. The sun came out again shortly after the lap-132 restart, and Bowyer, in the 15^th position, radioed in that his Chevrolet Impala was again tight in the middle of the corners and loose off. Wilson and Company tried to make air pressure and chassis adjustments to the racer during two more green-flag pit stops, but Bowyer wasn’t able to pass any additional competitors on the track. A caution flag with 19 laps to go gave the “Helping Hands” pit crew an opportunity to prepare the red and yellow machine for the final run to the checkered flag. The team changed right-side tires only and the four-time Sprint Cup Series race winner restarted 15^th with 16 laps to go. The remainder of the event was run under green-flag conditions and the RCR driver brought home an 18^th-place finish. Bowyer remains 12^th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings with only five races remaining before the cutoff for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and is currently 41 points out of the top 10.

Start – 14 Finish – 18 Laps Led – 0 Points – 12

CLINT BOWYER QUOTE:

“The No. 33 Good Sam Club Chevrolet, like me, had an up and down day. I woke up very sick this morning and struggled to stay hydrated in the car. We were better than the 18^th-place finish, but it’s so hard to pass on any track lately and track position means everything. It’s a reoccurring theme for us. We just can’t seem to catch a break with pit strategy at all.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series RACE: Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 TRACK: Pocono Raceway DATE: August 7, 2011   Race Highlights: RCR teammates finished fifth (Austin Dillon) and sixth (Joey Coulter). Coulter earned his ninth top-10 finish in his 14th NCWTS start and was the highest finishing rookie. Coulter posted an average running position of 4.698, ranking him second among all drivers in the field. Dillon moved up four positions in the last five laps, ranking him fourth in the “closers” category according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics. Dillon remains second in the NCWTS point standings, now trailing point leader Johnny Sauter by five markers. Coulter moved up one position, to seventh, in the standings. He trails the point leader by 52 markers and is 10 points outside of sixth place. Kevin Harvick earned his 10th career NCWTS victory and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Busch, James Buescher, Johnny Sauter, Dillon and Coulter. The next NCWTS race is the VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, August 20, televised live on SPEED beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 12:15 p.m. EDT. Austin Dillon and RCR’s No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Team Earn Top-Five Finish in NCWTS at Pocono Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon finished fifth in the rain-delayed Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 at Pocono Raceway, securing his fifth top-five finish of 2011 for the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops team. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams faced the threat of ominous weather at Pocono Raceway on Saturday afternoon, with various weather services predicting rain at the Long Pond, Pa.,-based track shortly after the 1 p.m. local time green flag. Still, teams started the race with hopes of completing the 50-lap sprint to the finish before rain set in. Dillon started eighth and was able to work his way up to fifth before pitting under caution on lap 14 for fuel only. He was scored in seventh following his pit stop, but rain moved into the area, causing NASCAR officials to park the trucks on pit road. After a lengthy delay, the race was rescheduled for 9 a.m. on Sunday with 17 of 50 laps complete. Approximately 20 hours after the scheduled start time, racing resumed with a much improved weather forecast. Dillon took the green flag in fifth and immediately began working with spotters Andy Houston and Mike Dillon to maneuver his way around the 2.5-mile track. He was running sixth when the caution flag was displayed on lap 60, prompting crew chief Danny Stockman to call Dillon down pit road so that the RCR team could service the black No. 3 Chevrolet with four tires and fuel. Dillon was ninth when green-flag racing resumed on lap 34 and dropped to as far as 16th in the running order, battling with a chassis that did not run well in traffic. He was able to race his way to up to eighth in the closing laps of the race before a late caution set the field for a green-white-checker finish and extended the race past its advertised distance. Dillon used the last laps of the race to advance further in the running order, moving up to fifth before taking the checker flag on lap 53. Start – 8 Finish – 5 Points – 2 Laps Led – 0 AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES: “I felt like we had a better truck than a lot of guys in front of us, but I just couldn’t get going on the restarts. The draft here is huge. I was sitting in 16th or 18th with about five laps remaining, so to finish fifth is quite an accomplishment. I’m proud of the Bass Pro Shops team.”     Coulter Finishes Sixth in First NCWTS Attempt at Pocono Richard Childress Racing’s Joey Coulter continues to make strides as a first-year driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, finishing sixth in the rain-delayed Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 at Pocono Raceway and earning Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors. After qualifying 12th on Saturday morning, Coulter started the 14th of 25 races on the NCWTS schedule from the outside of row three in the No. 22 RCR Graphics Center powered by Roland Chevrolet and ran in the top 10 during the opening segment of the race, never falling below seventh in the running order. He was seventh when the caution flag was displayed for heavy rain showers in the area on lap 14, during which time most teams decided to make pit stops for various combinations of fuel, tires and chassis adjustments. Crew chief Harold Holly advised Coulter not to pit and, by staying out, the team advanced to second in the running order. However, inclement weather did not subside and NASCAR officials delayed the completion of the race for approximately 20 hours. Green-flag racing resumed on Sunday at 9 a.m. and Coulter took the green flag in second on lap 21. He spent the next 10 laps battling for position among the top three until the caution flag was displayed on lap 31 with Coulter in third. Coulter pitted for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment during the caution period, restarting 12th on lap 34. He worked his way back into the top 10 within one lap and was running sixth when the final caution of the day was displayed on lap 48, extending the race past its advertised distance and setting the field for a green-white-checker finish. Coulter maintained position during the final restart to finish sixth, earning his ninth top-10 finish of the season. Start – 12 Finish – 6 Points – 7 Laps Led – 0 JOEY COULTER QUOTES: “That was, by far, the most fun I’ve had racing. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is so exciting, lap after lap at Pocono. I feel like I learned so much today and had a blast the entire time. To be able to race with veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers and feel competitive just shows how strong RCR’s truck program is. I want to thank the RCR Graphics Center and Roland for coming on board this weekend. Their logo looked pretty cool on the hood of my truck.”

ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards

RACE: Pennsylvania ARCA 125

TRACK: Pocono Raceway

DATE: August 7, 2011

 

Race Highlights:

• RCR teammates finished first (Ty Dillon) and second (Tim George Jr.).
• Dillon earned his seventh win of the season in the ARCA Racing Series, his ninth-career ARCA win in 16 races.
• George started seventh and ran as high as second during the 50-lap contest.
• Dillon became the first driver to win three consecutive ARCA victories since Parker Kligerman’s four straight wins in 2009.
• Dillon led the most laps (34) in Sunday’s Pennsylvania ARCA 125.
• Dillon increased his point lead to 410 over Grant Enfinger.
• George advanced one position to fifth in the point standings, 230 markers outside the fourth spot.
• Dillon won by 0.833 seconds over George, Chris Buescher, Tom Hessert and Grant Enfinger. The next ARCA Racing Series race on the 2011 schedule is the Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday, August 21 with live timing and scoring available at www.ARCARacing.com.

Tim George Jr. Scores Runner-Up Finish in Sunday’s Pennsylvania ARCA 125

The No. 31 Applebee’s/Potomac Family Dining Group Chevrolet team backed up their first-career ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory in June with a second-place finish in Sunday’s Pennsylvania ARCA 125 at Pocono Raceway. After a day of heavy rain on Saturday, ARCA officials were forced to postpone the start of the 50-lap event until Sunday morning. George took the green flag from the seventh position but was scored 10^th when the first caution of the day was displayed on lap two. An extensive caution period allowed for the RCR driver to regroup for the lap-13 restart, and by doing so, George moved up one position to ninth by lap 19 and a few more positions to seventh on lap 25. The New York, N.Y., native radioed to his crew of a tight condition developing in turn one but preserved until the second caution of the day was displayed on lap 26. George brought his black and red Applebee’s Chevrolet to pit road for service when it opened and crew chief Gere Kennon called for four fresh Hoosier tires, a chassis adjustment and fuel. George restarted seventh on lap 31 and quickly found speed in the ensuing laps. He began picking off positions over the next handful of circuits, finding his way to second with nine laps remaining. In the closing laps, George fought hard to reel in leader Ty Dillon, whose lead had grown to over one second, but despite the solid effort, he crossed the finish line in second, 0.833 seconds behind Dillon.

Start – 7 Finish – 2 Laps Led – 0 Points – 5

TIM GEORGE JR QUOTE:

“Well, it was second. I would have liked to have won again today, but we’ll take second and a 1-2 finish for RCR. We were really good at the beginning of the race, but after the pit stop, the changes Gere (Kennon, crew chief) made to the car proved to be a big difference. When we won (in June) we were really good in turn three. Today, we were good in the tunnel turn as well and I made up a lot of ground there, running two and three wide. I think it made for some great racing for the fans and I hope they enjoyed it.”

“We didn’t have the best pit stop. When they dropped the jack, I spun the tires and lost a few spots I feel could have gained on pit road, but I got them on the track. It was a great run for the Applebee’s/Potomac Family Dining Group Chevrolet.”

 

 

Ty Dillon Finds Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway

Ty Dillon and the No. 41 Richard Childress Racing/Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma Chevrolet team earned their seventh ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards win Sunday in the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 at Pocono Raceway. The 13^th race on the ARCA schedule was postponed until Sunday morning due to heavy rain showers that put a damper on racing activity Saturday afternoon. Dillon started the 50-lap event from the second position and maintained that spot when the first caution flag was displayed on lap two for an incident in turn one. After a lengthy yellow flag, racing resumed on lap 13 and the Lexington, N.C., native took over the lead four laps later. The second caution of the day was displayed on lap 26, and the Scott Naset-led team was called to pit road for four fresh Hoosier tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment to remedy the tight conditions reported on the No. 41 Chevrolet. Quick work by the pit crew allowed the 19-year-old driver to restart from the top spot on lap 31. Dillon quickly distanced himself from the field with a 0.364-second lead over the second-place car. With 10 laps remaining in the 50-lap shootout, Dillon’s teammate, Tim George Jr., moved into the second position and began reeling him in. However, Dillon’s lead was enough for him to earn his ninth-career ARCA victory, giving RCR a sweep for the year at Pocono Raceway in the ARCA Series.

Start – 2 Finish – 1 Laps Led – 34 Points – 1 (leads by 410 points)

TY DILLON QUOTE:

“This is a great win for the team. I’m really proud of everyone. I was really confident in the race car after qualifying. Even though we qualified second, I knew we had a car that could win again. We’ve had such a great year and have been so patient as a young team that was just put together at the beginning of the season. Scott Naset (crew chief) has done an awesome job on preparing these race cars. Getting seven wins in any series is such an accomplishment, and three in a row is incredible.”