Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Clint Bowyer), second (Jeff Burton), 12th (Paul Menard) and 32nd (Kevin Harvick) at Talladega Superspeedway.
- Bowyer’s win in Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 gave team owner Richard Childress his 100th career victory in NASCAR’s elite division.
- RCR has won a series-high of 12 times at Talladega Superspeedway, taking home three of the last four trophies at the famed 2.66-mile track.
- The win is Bowyer’s first of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and fifth in his NSCS career.
- RCR teammates Bowyer and Burton combined to lead 15 times for 51 laps.
- Bowyer led all 43 drivers entered in the race with 125.0 driver rating and gained 24 positions in the final 10 percent (19 laps) of Saturday which was best in the NASCAR Loop Data category of “Closers.”
- Bowyer spent 173 laps, or 92 percent, of 188 laps running in the top 15 (second-only to RCR teammate Jeff Burton’s 174-lap total) and made 307 green-flag passes during the race according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics (259 of those passes were while running in the top 15).
- Bowyer’s average running position of 6.750 was also second to Burton’s 6.596.
- Burton led seven times for a total of 26 laps and earned a 122.3 Driver Rating, ranking him second only to RCR teammate Bowyer in that category, according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics
- Burton posted his 14th top-10 finish in 36 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
- The Caterpillar driver led all drivers by spending 92.6 percent of the laps (174 of 188) running in the top-15 and moved up 22 positions in the final 10 percent of the race, ranking Burton fourth among all drivers in the ‘Closers’ category
- Menard ran as high as second and as low as 38th, maintaining the eighth-highest average running position (13.803) of all drivers according to NASCAR Loop Data statistics.
- Menard spent 121 out of 188 contested laps running in the top 15 (64.4 percent), ranking him eighth out of all drivers according to NASCAR Loop Data statistics.
- Harvick led six times for a total of 13 laps, ranking him sixth of all drivers according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics.
- Despite being involved in an accident, making a trip to the garage for repairs and ultimately finishing in the 32nd position, Harvick maintained an average running position of 23.186, better than six of the other Chase for the Sprint Cup contending drivers.
- The next NSCS race is the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, October 30 and will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 12 Noon EDT.
Menard and the Serta/Menards Team Finish 12th at Talladega Superspeedway
Paul Menard knows every lap at Talladega Superspeedway is a gamble and Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 proved no different as he finished 12th in the No. 27 Serta/Menards Chevrolet at the Alabama-based race track after a late-race restart left the field scrambled. Following a solid qualifying effort on Saturday, Menard lined up in the seventh position to start the 188-lap race. Menard and Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick paired up for the two-car tandem-style racing which has become common at the superspeedways, and were a dominating force for more than 100 laps, proving they could drop back to avoid trouble and power to the front on a number of occasions. Finding the best result with the No. 27 Serta/Menards entry pushing the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet, the duo led the field with Harvick in front on six occasions for 13 laps around the 2.66-mile superspeedway. On lap 104, trouble found the RCR pair with the No. 29 car receiving heavy damage by contact with a competitor’s spinning car. With Harvick requiring repairs first in the pits and ultimately in the garage, Menard found himself looking for a new “dancing partner” as the race returned to green-flag conditions. The No. 27 Chevrolet restarted seventh on lap 110 and then plummeted through the field before finally hooking up with the No. 9 machine of Marcos Ambrose. The Eau Claire, Wis., native and the Aussie methodically worked their way into the top 15 by lap 143 and then into the top 10 only a few laps later. A lap-163 caution allowed the Slugger Labbe-led team to service the signature Menards yellow Chevrolet with right-side tires and fuel. Restarting 10th on lap 167, Menard partnered with Tony Stewart, pushing the No. 14 Chevrolet to the lead in only two circuits. With eight laps remaining, Regan Smith made hard contact with the outside retaining wall, slowing the field for the ninth caution period of the afternoon and setting the stage for a two-lap dash to the checkered flag. Restarting sixth on lap 186, Menard quickly paired with Stewart once again but in the mad scramble to the finish, lost ground and took the checkers in 12th.
Start – 7th Finish – 12th Laps Led – 0 Points – 21
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We had a really fast Serta/Menards Chevrolet all weekend. We brought a brand new car this weekend and the team did a great job building it. We didn’t require any adjustments for handling and the pit stops were solid. I thought we had a good shot at the win, especially drafting with (Tony) Stewart and restarting sixth after the last caution. I’m not exactly sure what happened in the big pack, but Superspeedway racing is always a crapshoot and I think we can be thankful that we are at least loading our car up in one piece.”
Harvick and the No. 29 Team Finish 32nd at Talladega after Mid-Race Accident
Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Jimmy Johns team’s plan for the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway unraveled at lap 104 when Harvick was caught up in another driver’s accident. After making several trips to pit road and eventually going to the garage for repairs, Harvick finished the race in the 32nd position. Due to the need to race in pairs at the superspeedway, the No. 29 Jimmy Johns team went into Sunday’s race with a plan to work with Richard Childress Racing teammate Paul Menard and the No. 27 Serta/Menards team throughout the 500-mile race. The plan worked early as Harvick and Menard hooked up and drove to the lead at lap 16 where they stayed for three laps before settling into a comfortable pace. The Harvick-Menard tandem worked together during the next several circuits around the track when things started heating up and getting dicey at the front of the field, so the duo drifted back a little in the running order after the first 50 laps of the race. Not wanting to get too far behind the leaders, Harvick and Menard started moving closer to the front of the field prior to the third caution at lap 79. Harvick was racing in the top 20 with Menard close behind when disaster struck at lap 104. Another drafting duo triggered an incident which sent cars spinning and across the hood of cars in front of Harvick. With nowhere to go, the Bakersfield, Calif. native was caught up in the accident and eventually came to a stop on the apron of the track. Harvick drove the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet back to the pits where the team went to work on the front end of the car in an attempt to fix the damage. Harvick lost a lap in the midst of the work and would lose another when, after returning to the track, the No. 29 car started smoking as the field came out of turn four to take the green, requiring a return trip to pit road to try to determine the source of the smoke. When Harvick returned to the track he was two laps down to the leader and in 37th place. The smoking problem persisted on the No. 29 Chevrolet, causing NASCAR to black-flag the team at lap 128, forcing Harvick to take the car to the garage so the team could fix the issue. After quickly assessing and fixing the problem with assistance from member of all four RCR teams, the No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet returned to the race, in the 37th position, eight laps down to the leaders. As the laps wound down and the attrition rate continued to build, Harvick was able to pick up five positions before the checkered flag waved to finish the race in 32nd place. The 32nd-place finish cost Harvick valuable points and positions in the championship point standings. He now sits in fifth place, 26 points out of the lead.
Start – 13 Finish – 32 Laps Led – 13 Points – 5
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“It is a little bit frustrating. You do what you think is right at this particular race track and you hope for the best. We had a lot of great runs in the weeks leading up to this and I guess the odds were against us coming into this one. Obviously, that wasn’t the day we wanted. But, but the way the rest of those guys raced, it didn’t devastate us. We wanted to be in the front. We thought that was the safer place to be in case the thing went green. I thought I was around a pretty good group of cars there. I don’t know what happened. It is just one of those deals.”
Burton & Caterpillar Racing Team Finish Second After Strong Day at Talladega
Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Racing team led seven times for 26 laps in the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway but were passed by Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer coming to the checkered flag were narrowly passed to earn a season-best second-place finish. Burton qualified 25th early Saturday afternoon with a second-lap run of 53.318 seconds at an average speed of 179.602 mph on the 2.66-mile tri-oval. The green flag waved below a clear blue sky at 1:23 p.m. Central Time on Sunday and Burton took the lead on laps four and six with tandem-drafting partner Bowyer in tow. The first of the race’s nine caution flags slowed the field on lap 26. The drafting partners changed places soon after, with Bowyer leading four times for 13 laps between laps 30 and 75. Burton was back in the lead for two circuits beginning on lap 84 and then four more laps beginning on lap 102. The duo stayed hooked up throughout the race and periodically exchanged the lead. Burton assumed the lead again on lap 146 (for three laps) and again on lap 158 (for six laps). Cautions late in the race allowed for pit stop strategy to play a role, with crew chief Luke Lambert calling for two tires on lap 165. Burton pushed his teammate to the front one lap later, took the lead for his own on lap 179 after the next-to-last caution led the field coming off turn 4 on the final lap. Bowyer made a last-second move while coming to the line and beat the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet to the finish line by 0.018-of-a-second.
Start – 25 Finish – 2 Laps Led – 26 Points – 24
JEFF BURTON QUOTE:
“That’s (restrictor) plate racing. The Caterpillar Team was in position to win the race and Clint (Bowyer) did a great job. I thought he made his move a little too early and, as it turned out, he did it perfect. We had a great day. Part of me wants to cry and part of me wants to cheer. Any time you leave (Talladega Superspeedway) and the car is in one piece you should be happy, but to come that close after the year we have had is pretty disappointing.”
Bowyer Gives RCR 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Victory with Win at Talladega
Clint Bowyer, driving a special No. 33 Chevrolet paint scheme to celebrate the Chevrolet Centennial, edged out Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton in a photo finish to win the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, giving team owner Richard Childress his 100th career victory in NASCAR’s elite division. The now five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner started the 188-lap event in the third position and, following the original team plan instituted during Friday’s practice session, immediately found his RCR stablemate Burton to draft as a two-car tandem, which has become the norm at restrictor-plate facilities such as Talladega and Daytona International Speedway. Once the two RCR entries began drafting together, it was apparent that both Chevrolets would be considered among the favorites to take the checkered flag in the end. Throughout the first half of the event, the Bowyer and Burton combo never fell out of the top 15 in the running order, showcasing the strong horsepower of Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines while taking turns pushing each other to the front and using different lines on the race track to build a strategy for the final 10-lap sprint to the finish. Under a caution-flag period on lap 130, the two RCR drivers decided it was faster if Bowyer pushed Burton to the end of the race. That specific strategy continued until the two Chevrolet Impalas were separated on pit road during the final two-tire pit stop of the day on lap 165. On the ensuing restart, the Emporia, Kan., native dropped back through the field to hookup again with Burton and once lined up the two cars were scored in the 24th and 25th positions, respectively. The caution flag was displayed again with 13 laps to go, giving Bowyer and Burton the opportunity to carry out the plan they originally decided to use while planning strategy during the middle part of the race. Once gain, they immediately went to the front of the lead pack and were running one-two when the final caution flag of the day was displayed, setting up a two-lap dash to the finish. After taking the green flag, Bowyer and Burton pulled away from every other competitor on the track running single file. While exiting turn four, the 32-year-old driver made his move to the inside of the No. 31 Chevrolet and the two drivers battled each other in a drag race down the frontstretch to the finish line, rubbing fenders and bringing the crowd of more than 105,000 to their feet. Bowyer beat Burton to the finish line by a mere 0.018 seconds, the 11th-closest finish in NSCS history as both RCR drivers combined to lead a total of 15 times for 51 laps. Bowyer also remains 13th in NSCS driver championship point standings.
Start – 3 Finish – 1 Laps Led – 25 Points – 13
CLINT BOWYER QUOTE:
“I told him Richard (Childress), ‘this is Chevrolet’s 100th Anniversary, what an awesome paint scheme.’ I am so proud of the paint scheme and the fact this is Richard’s 100th race that he has won in the (NASCAR) Sprint Cup Series. So I told him ‘congratulations and I guess I’m going to have to race my ass for the 101st (laughs).’ But just thank you to Cheerios, Hamburger Helper, everybody involved with this car. BB&T too, they’ve been a long supporter of ours and it meant a lot to me to get all these guys back in victory lane before we cap off this season. It was a good day. I need to thank my teammate Jeff Burton. We were really good together. We thought about it, talked about it a lot before the race and things really did play out just how we planned. We were really good on the restarts and kept getting together before the other cars and I think that is what ultimately won the race.”
TAKE US THROUGH THE LAST LAP:
“It was pretty calm day to be honest with you. It was methodical and I wanted to stay up front. I told Jeff (Burton) that we needed to stay up front and stay racing with these guys. That way, when the time comes we would have practiced, were ready for it and could race like the end of the race needs to be raced. That restart we got bunched up before everybody else and I was really worried about the Nos.14 and 27 Chevys, the Nos. 4 and 83 cars were also hooked up too. I didn’t think it was going to happen like that, but sure glad it did. Obviously, I was trying to figure out where to pass him and I said, ‘aww, I’m at least going to give him a shot at it.’ I decided to try it early and knew it was going to be a drag race to the finish.”
CREW CHIEF SHANE WILSON QUOTE:
“This deal is really good. We’ve worked hard and been close so here and there. We missed the Chase (for the NASCAR Sprint Cup) this year, but this group is a good group and it is a shame that it is going to end, but that is just the way it is. I’m proud of everybody today across the board at RCR and ECR. We all had really good cars today and I’m just happy.”
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE NO. 31 TEAM AND JEFF BURTON? THOSE TWO NEVER LOST EACH OTHER ON THE TRACK:
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
RACE: Coca-Cola 250 presented by Fred’s
TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway
DATE: October 22, 2011
Race Highlights:
- RCR teammates finished seventh (Austin Dillon) and 20th (Joey Coulter).
- Dillon’s average running position was 4.128, ranked first among all drivers according to NASCAR’s Loop Data statistics.
- Dillon spent 97.9 percent of the race running in the top 15 and led 14 laps.
- Coulter started seventh and ran as high as fourth.
- Coulter ranked sixth in NASCAR’s Loop Data Category for green-flag passes, with 123.
- Coulter is second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings.
- Dillon leads the NCWTS standings by three points over James Buescher with three races remaining in the 2011 season.
- Coulter remains ninth in the NCWTS standings, seven markers outside of eighth.
- Mike Wallace earned his first NCWTS victory since 2000 and was followed to the finish line by Kevin Harvick, Incorporated teammate Ron Hornaday, James Buescher, Ricky Carmichael and Jason White.
- The next scheduled NCWTS race is the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 29 which will be televised live on SPEED beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 1:45 p.m.
Austin Dillon Goes from 18th to Seventh in Final Two Laps at Talladega Superspeedway to Maintain Series Points Lead
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team finished seventh and maintained their points lead in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings despite a late-race penalty in Saturday afternoon’s Coca-Cola 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Dillon started the 94-lap race from the third position and spent the early portions of the race running in the top five as a two-car tandem consisting of Kevin Harvick, Incorporated teammates Mike Wallace and Ron Hornaday occupied the top-two positions on the racetrack. Realizing that speeds increased significantly in the two-truck draft, Dillon partnered with veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch late in the race to make a run at Wallace and Hornaday. Once in the tandem position, Dillon and Busch drove to the front of the field with Dillon scored as the race leader when the final caution flag of the race was displayed on lap 88. With fuel mileage a concern, Dillon slowed under caution and drove to the apron of the track to increase fuel pickup but the truck shut off when the sophomore driver was trying to shift into fourth gear. NASCAR officials penalized the driver for not maintaining minimum speed and sent him back to the 18th position for the lap-92 restart. When green-flag racing resumed, Dillon partnered with the No. 62 truck driven by Brendon Gaughan to draft his way forward in the running order, gaining 11 positions in the final two laps to finish seventh. He maintained his lead in the championship standings by a narrow, three-point margin over James Buescher.
Start – 3 Finish – 7 Laps Led – 14 Points – 1
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE: “We had plenty of fuel to make it to the end of the race but I was trying to be conservative, saving fuel by shutting the truck off during that caution and releasing the clutch. When I released the clutch the truck never came back to me and it stalled. I was able to get the truck restarted and gained my positions back before I got to the start-finish line so I was definitely surprised to find out that I had to restart so far back in the field. It’s all right. We’ll just make it a fun points race. We fought back from 18th to seventh in two laps, so I think we can do anything if we can do that.”
Rookie Joey Coulter Brings Home 20th-Place Finish at Talladega Superspeedway
After running in the top 10 for a majority of the 94-lap event, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Joey Coulter finished 20th in the Coca-Cola 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. The Miami Springs, Fla., native started the race in the seventh position and fell back through the field trying to find a drafting partner for the two-truck tandem, which has become the norm at restrictor-plate facilities like Talladega and Daytona International Speedway. The 21-year-old driver finally found another competitor to draft with and began his ascent through the field, working his way up to the 12th position on lap 50. By lap 70, Coulter was running consistently in the top 10, but was unable to maneuver to the front of the field and draft with Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon as originally planned. For the next 20 laps, Coulter ran in the eighth position until the caution flag was displayed with four laps to go, setting up a green-white-checkered finish at he 2.66-mile superspeedway. On the ensuing restart, Coulter lined up in the sixth position and was ready to push his No. 22 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet Silverado to the front of the field. However, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate was unable to find a drafting partner and was shuffled back through the field, crossing the finish line in the 20th position. He now sits ninth in the NCWTS driver championship point standings.
Start -7 Finish – 20 Laps Led – 0 Points – 9
JOEY COULTER QUOTE:
“I just need to go to drafting school or something. It was very frustrating for me, especially in the end when we got hung out to dry and didn’t get the finish we deserved. We ran this No. 22 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet in the top 10 for most of the day, but I really wanted to get them in Victory Lane. They’ve been a big supporter of me throughout my career.”
