RCR Post Race Report – Duels at Daytona

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Race Highlights:

  • Richard Childress Racing teammates Paul Menard finished 11th in Duel No. 1, while Ryan Newman was 11th and Austin Dillon 15th in Duel No. 2.
  • Dale Earnhardt, Jr. earned a victory in Duel No. 1 and was followed to the finish line by Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer.
  • Jimmie Johnson finished first in Duel No. 2 and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Martin Truex Jr.
  • The 2015 Sprint Cup Series begins with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 22. The first race of the 2015 season is scheduled to be televised live on FOX beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

 

Austin Dillon Earns 15th-Place Finish in Duel at Daytona

 

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon earned a 15th-place finish in the second Duel race at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday evening, earning him a starting spot of 30th in Sunday’s Daytona 500. The 2014 Daytona 500 pole sitter started the event from the fourth position and utilized the high line around the 2.5-mile superspeedway during the early laps, running towards the front of the 24-car field. Dillon’s strong showing was thwarted on lap 36 when he was collected in a multi-car incident that resulted in a red flag. The Dow Racing team pitted twice to repair left-front fender damage, but was penalized by NASCAR Officials in the process and held one lap. Dillon returned to the field one lap down in the 20th position. A caution on lap 56 extended the race four laps past its advertised distance and provided Dillon an opportunity to earn his lap back via NASCAR’s “Lucky Dog” award. He restarted 19th and drove to 15th during a green-white-checkered finish to secure a starting spot in Sunday’s Great American Race.

 

Start – 4           Finish – 15       Laps Led – 0    Points – N/A    

                                                   

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE: 
“Cars were just spinning in front of me and I had nowhere to go. It was either make contact or completely destroy the Dow Chevrolet. These RCR cars are definitely built strong, though, because it took the hit well. I feel horrible that Brian Scott did not make it into the Daytona 500. No one told me over the radio that he wasn’t in, and I wasn’t sure I was in because no one came on the radio and told me that I was safe, so I was driving as hard as I could at the end to get to 15th.”

 

 

2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards,

Paul Menard Finishes 11th in Duel Race at Daytona International Speedway

 

Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 PEAK/Menards Chevrolet SS to an 11th-place finish in the first Duel race on Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway. The Wisconsin native started 12th by virtue of his qualifying effort during knockout qualifying on Sunday afternoon. Crew chief Justin Alexander and team put their plan into action when the green flag dropped, which kept Menard in the top 10 for more than half of the 60-lap event. The PEAK/Menards team visited pit road only once, on lap 17, for fuel and minor chassis adjustments to the Chevrolet SS. Menard raced as high as the third position before ending the night in 11th. This finish puts Menard in the 21st position to start the Great American Race on Sunday.

  

Start – 12             Finish – 11            Laps Led – 0                Points – N/A

 

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

“We just needed a little more speed tonight. It’s okay though. We learned some things and can hopefully make some adjustments on it Friday during practice to get the PEAK/Menards Chevy a little faster. I haven’t been that nervous during a race in a long time. It feels good to know we finished in the top 15 and have a starting spot for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.”

 

 

Newman Finishes 11th in second Duel Event to Earn 22nd-Starting Position in Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway

 

Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to an 11th-place finish in Thursday night’s second 150-mile Duel race. The result places the No. 31 in the 22nd-starting spot for Sunday’s Daytona 500. The South Bend, Ind., driver lined up 13th, but dropped to the back of the field after the team made an unapproved change during practice on Saturday. Newman chose to drive a conservative race for the first half of the 60-lap event. The Cat pit crew serviced the No. 31 Chevy under caution in just 12.9 seconds on lap 22. Newman returned to the track in 24th place when the race returned to green on lap 24. Then with 24 laps remaining, the event was red-flagged after a multi-car crash. Newman reported some debris on the grill, but all-and-all his car was in good shape. The Cat crew pitted the car shortly thereafter on lap 38 after crew chief Luke Lambert called for four tires and fuel. The race restarted on lap 40 with the No. 31 scored in 15th. With less than five laps to go, and in the top 10, the No. 31 Chevrolet sustained damage to the nose, left-front and rear bumper after another multi-car crash ensued. Lambert called for two stops on laps 59 and 60 to repair the car in preparation for a green-white-checkered flag finish. The Caterpillar driver lined up in the 17th position and gained six spots before taking the checkered flag in 11th place.

 

 

Start – 13            Finish – 11               Laps Led – 0          Points – n/a

 

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:  

“I don’t know how I didn’t wreck in a bigger way than I did after I saw Danica (Patrick) coming towards us. For a moment I thought we were going to be OK, but we sustained some damage. At this point, I am not sure if we are going to repair this Caterpillar Chevrolet or pull out the back up. It’s all up to NASCAR. Whatever they decide, we’re going to be fine. We definitely have a car that can race in the pack and compete for the win. The goal for the remainder of the weekend is to stay out of trouble and do what we need to do to prepare for Sunday’s Daytona 500. We have a shot at winning this race.”

 

RCR PR

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