Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates finished sixth (Jeff Burton), 10th (Paul Menard), 11th (Kevin Harvick) and 22nd (Brendan Gaughan) in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
- Burton’s 6.718 average running position was fifth-best amongst the 43-car field.
- Burton had the fourth-highest driver rating with a 107.3.
- Burton spent 92 percent of the race (460 laps) running in the top 15.
- Menard tied for fifth in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Closers driving from 13th to 10th in the final 50 laps (10 percent) of the Food City 500.
- With an average speed of 112.259 mph during the last 25 percent of laps run since a pit stop, Menard ranked 10th in the NASCAR Loop Data category Fastest Drivers Late in a Run.
- Harvick tied for sixth in the NASCAR Loop Data category Green-Flag Passes, overtaking 49 positions en route to his 11th-place finish.
- Harvick ranked ninth in the Loop Data category Fastest Drivers Late in a Run with an average speed of 112.322 mph.
- Harvick moved up one position to second in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers championship point standings, just nine points behind leader Greg Biffle.
- The event at Bristol served as Gaughan’s 40th-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his third of four races with the Welcome, N.C.-based organization.
- Brad Keselowski scored the win in Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway with Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers completing the top five.
- The next NSCS race is the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 25, televised live on FOX beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 2 p.m. EST.
Paul Menard and the No. 27 Moen/Menards Team Earn a Top-10 Finish in Thunder Valley
Start – 11 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 0 Points – 10
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“Track position was everything today. We stayed out of trouble for 500 laps, but struggled to make it out of the top 15. The Moen/Menards team did a great job in the pits today, too. The last pit stop moved us into the top 10 and I thought we had enough to get into the top five, but the car tightened up a lot at the very end. Still, a top 10 is a solid finish, especially in the points.”
Kevin Harvick and the Budweiser Racing Team Overcome Early Incident to Finish 11th at Bristol
Start – 14 Finish – 11 Laps Led – 0 Points – 2
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
You guys were in the first wreck today. What happened there?“By the time they told me to check up, I was in it. I didn’t even have time to touch the brakes before I was into the car in front of me. All in all, I think we had a fairly decent day considering all the damage. We hung onto the lead lap all day and finished 11th. I think everybody did a good job and I’ve just got to thank everybody on my No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team for fixing the car up and doing the best we could with a wrecked car.”
Jeff Burton Tops Off Consistent Effort with Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Start – 33 Finish – 6 Laps Led – 0 Points – 11
JEFF BURTON QUOTE:
“I really couldn’t be any more proud of the guys working on this BB&T Chevrolet. We qualified poorly on Friday and worked hard to get the car where it needed to be for a top-five run today. It just shows how important track position really is at a place like Bristol.”
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 22nd in the Thunder Valley of Bristol Motor Speedway
Start – 32 Finish – 22 Laps Led – 0 Points – n/a
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“I hate that our day ended that way. We lost our front brakes there toward the end of the race and got into the No. 14 car, which I hate for their team. We had a good day on track and in the pits. Thanks to Gil (Martin), Richard Childress and the entire No. 33 team. I’m looking forward to heading to Fontana next week for our last race on the schedule in the No. 33 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet.“