RCR Post Race Reports

Race Highlights:

  • RCR teammates finished 15th (Jeff Burton), 22nd (Kevin Harvick), 26th (Clint Bowyer) and 30th (Paul Menard).
  • Menard has completed each of his nine contested NSCS races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Menard gained one position on the half-mile concrete race track in the final 50 laps, tying for eighth in the Loop Data Statics category of Closers.
  • Menard remains behind Brad Keselowski (three wins) and Denny Hamlin (one win) for the wild card spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
  • Burton ran as high as seventh and as low as 33rd during the race, finishing 15th.
  • Burton made 112 passes under green-flag conditions ranking him third in that category.
  • Bowyer made 63 green-flag passes during the race according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics.
  • Bowyer was third in the “Closers” category by improving his position twice over the last 50 laps of the race according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics
  • Brad Keselowski won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway by 0.951 seconds over Martin Truex Jr. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five.
  • The next NSCS race is the Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 4, televised live on ESPN beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards

 

Bad Luck Plagues the No. 27 Sylvania/Menards Chevrolet Team at Bristol

 

 

Starting from the seventh position in Saturday’s 500-lap annual affair under the lights of Bristol Motor Speedway, Paul Menard and the No. 27 Sylvania/Menards team were relegated to a 30th-place finish

 

 

following an early pit road penalty and a series of wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time events, very typical at the half-mile bullring. Following the rock and roll and very patriotic kickoff to the 266.5 miler, Menard took the green flag and settled into the ninth spot. He came to pit road during the lap-nine caution period for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment, ordered by crew chief Slugger Labbe to combat the loose-handling condition that the driver of the No. 27 Chevrolet Impala was facing. He was penalized for exiting pit road too fast, costing the No. 27 team valuable track position and relegating him to the 35th spot on lap 37. By lap 60, Menard had advanced to the 27th spot and was turning laps as fast as the leader. As he battled to remain on the lead lap, Slugger asked his driver if the adjustments had assisted in the car’s balance. It was at lap 100 that the team realized that Menard was unable to communicate with them over the radio. As the yellow flag was displayed on lap 102, the No. 27 team scrambled to communicate to Menard that they wanted him to come to pit road. Shortly following the caution, Menard’s voice was heard over the team radio and he reported that the wiring had been jostled out by some zip ties on the interior of the car. With the communication blackout remedied, it was back to work with the over-the-wall crew changing four tires, making a wedge adjustment and packing the car with Sunoco E15 fuel. Menard returned to the track and restarted in the 27th position on lap 110. He climbed to as high as 20th, but was plagued by a persistent loose-handling condition that caused him to slip back to 28th. The Sylvania/Menards Chevrolet suffered a number of tire rubs due to fender-to-fender racing around the Bristol, Tenn.-based facility. On lap 298, melee broke out when the No. 00 entry spun on the track. The car in front of Menard came to an abrupt stop. With no time to react, Menard made hard contact with the No. 11 entry, resulting in significant damage to the No. 27 Chevrolet. Several trips were made to pit road, where the Sylvania/Menards crew worked to make repairs. Restarting 32nd on lap 311, Menard was only able to climb back to 30th by the time the checkered flag flew on lap 500.

Start – 7 Finish – 30 Laps Led – 0 Points – 20

PAUL MENARD QUOTES:

“If it could go wrong tonight, it did for the No. 27 Sylvania/Menards team. I put us back in the field with the pit road penalty, and was just never able to make it back. Track position here is so important, especially with the long green-flag runs at such a short track. This was definitely not what we needed in our effort to make the Chase (for the NASCAR Sprint Cup). We have two races to go and really need to capitalize on things. I think a second win is going to be what it takes for us. But, we have a great team and I know we can do it.”

 

 

No. 29 Realtree/Bad Boy Buggies logo

Harvick and the No. 29 Realtree/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet team score 22nd-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Realtree/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet team scored a 22nd-place finish in the IRWIN Tools Night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harvick started the night from the 15th position and battled handling problems from the beginning of the race. The No. 29 Chevrolet Impala started off tight at the beginning of the run and a few laps later Harvick would radio to the team that he was loose. Crew chief Gil Martin called for the Harvick to stay out when the caution flag waved for the first time at lap 31, earning valuable track position. Harvick restarted in the seventh position and remained inside the top 10 until the caution flag waved again at lap 103. Martin called Harvick in for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment and thanks to a solid pit stop, the No. 29 Chevrolet restarted in the seventh position when the field took the green at lap 110. As the laps clicked off, Harvick started dropping back as he battled an extremely loose-handling condition. By lap 178, he was running in the 26th position and at lap 200 he went down a lap to the leader. Harvick brought the No. 29 Realtree/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet down pit road at lap 239 for service and as the field cycled through green-flag stops, he went down a second lap to the leader before the caution flag waved again at lap 297. The No. 29 team elected to gamble on pit strategy and opted to stay out instead of pitting so that Harvick could take the wave around to gain one of his laps back. He restarted in the 24th position at lap 310. Just as the No. 29 team reached a point where they were going to have to pit for fuel, they caught a break as the caution flag waved at lap 360. Harvick brought the car in for four tires, fuel and additional adjustments and restarted in the 24th position when the field took the green at lap 368. The caution flag waved again at lap 413 and once again, Martin called for Harvick to stay out and take the wave around to get back on the lead lap. The No. 29 Chevrolet restarted in the 23rd position at lap 420. At lap 463, Harvick went down a lap to the leader again, then switched to focusing on saving fuel as the team was going to be close on the finish. Harvick was able to save enough gas to make it to the checkered flag and finished in the 22nd position.

Start – 15 Finish – 22 Laps Led – 0 Points – 5

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:

“The No. 29 Realtree/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet struggled tonight. We just couldn’t get the car to handle well at all. We tried everything and nothing seemed to help. It was just a frustrating night to say the least, but we’ll get it figured out over the next few weeks leading into The Chase.”

 

2011 CC Team Logo NSCS 31 CAT

 

Burton and Caterpillar Team Persevere to Post top-15 Finish at Bristol

Jeff Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Racing Team battled a loose-handling condition throughout the IRWIN Tools Night Race to finish 15th in the 500-lap event at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night. The South Boston, Va. native took the green flag at the half-mile concrete oval in the 21st position and learned early on the handling on the yellow and black machine was too loose for his liking, dropping him back to the 26th spot by lap 50. When the caution flew on lap 103, crew chief Luke Lambert made the call for a two-tire pit stop on the CAT Chevrolet, vaulting Burton from his 26th running position to line up ninth for the restart on lap 110. With each pit stop came an additional adjustment to the No. 31 Chevrolet, which assisted Burton with the handling in the opening laps of the runs, only to have the loose-handling condition return later, resulting in loss of track position. After a long green-flag run during the middle stages of the event found Burton and the Caterpillar Chevrolet one lap down to the leaders in the 22nd position, a pit stop under the lap-299 caution allowed for larger chassis changes to the No. 31 machine. When the yellow flag was displayed next on lap 362, Lambert made the call for Burton to remain on track to receive the wave around, allowing the No. 31 Chevrolet to regain the lost lap and restart from the 19th position on lap 368. Burton was able to maintain track position during that run and once the final caution of the event flew on lap 415, he brought the Cat machine down pit road to the attention of the 31 pit crew for a chance to make one final adjustment. Armed with four fresh tires for the restart on lap 420, Burton took the green flag in the 19th position and fought his way up to 13th with just 25 laps remaining. Unfortunately, the loose condition once again returned to the Caterpillar Chevrolet, dropping Burton to 15th at the checkered flag.

Start – 21 Finish – 15 Laps Led – 0 Points Position – 24

JEFF BURTON QUOTE:

“We battled a loose handling CAT Chevrolet all night long. Luke made a good call early on to regain us track position, but we just got too loose late in the runs. We were looking for more out of tonight’s race but we’ll build on this top-15 finish and move on to Atlanta.”

 

33 Hamburger Helper

 

Bowyer Finishes 26th at Bristol, Remains in Hunt for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

After starting 16th, Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 Hamburger Helper Chevrolet team finished 26th in the IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Immediately following the start of the 500-lap event at the facility deemed the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” the Richard Childress Racing driver radioed to his crew chief Shane Wilson that his Chevrolet Impala was having trouble passing other competitors and it needed more grip in the middle of the 30-degree banked turns of the Bristol, Tenn.,-based bullring. Wilson chose to change two right-side Goodyear tires and make a chassis adjustment during a lap-33 caution flag period. However, on the ensuing restart, the four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner began to slide back through the field complaining of a loose-handling racer and eventually fell one lap down to the leaders before the next caution flag was displayed on lap 105. Under this caution, Wilson directed the “Helping Hands” pit crew to make wholesale chassis adjustments to the No. 33 Chevrolet. On the next 164-lap green-flag run which included two pit stops, Bowyer couldn’t find the necessary grip to improve his lap times and position on the track and dropped four laps down to the leaders in 37th position. However, the No. 33 team never gave up and played their strategy in an effort to get back on the lead lap by accepting the “wave around” pass from NASCAR officials during a lap-299 caution-flag period. Back on the track three laps down, the 32-year-old Bowyer relayed that his No. 33 Chevrolet had no grip at all, but he started to pick off the competitors that were on the same lap, working his way up to 31st. Once again, the RCR driver took another “wave around” pass on the final caution flag period of the day on lap 415 and restarted 28th. Over the final 80 laps, the Emporia Kan., native improved two more positions and crossed the finish line in 26th position, two laps down to the leaders. Bowyer, still deep in the hunt for the final Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berth, now sits 12th in the NSCS driver championship point standings with only two races remaining before the Chase cutoff. He currently sits 22 points out of the top 10.

Start – 16 Finish – 26 Laps Led – 0 Points – 12

CLINT BOWYER QUOTE:

“To come out and be this far off was the last thing we needed right now. We had the opportunity to gain major ground on the other Chase (for the NASCAR Sprint Cup) contenders and we blew it. There is obviously something wrong with our Bristol package. We were just too loose all night long and I couldn’t find any grip out on the track. We aren’t out of this thing yet, but we must get better these next two weeks to survive.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

RACE: O’Reilly 200

TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway

DATE: August 24, 2011

 

Race Highlights:

  • RCR teammates finished sixth (Joey Coulter) and 23rd (Austin Dillon).
  • Coulter led the field in quality passes (passing a truck under green-flag conditions while running in the top 15) with 31, according to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics.
  • Coulter had an average running position of 7.955, ranking him fifth, while Dillon’s running position of 12.425 ranked him 12th.
  • Coulter posted the fastest lap twice.
  • Coulter now leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings by 17 points over Cole Whitt.
  • Dillon dropped one position, to fourth, in the NCWTS point standings, now trailing point leader Johnny Sauter by 29 markers while Coulter moved up two positions, to sixth, in the standings. He trails the point leader by 55 markers and is 13 points outside of fifth place.
  • Kevin Harvick earned his 12th career NCWTS victory and was followed to the finish line by Sauter, Todd Bodine, James Buescher and Timothy Peters.
  • The next NCWTS race is the Atlanta 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, September 2 televised live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 7:45 p.m.

    2011 CC Team Logos NCWTS 3 BPS 150 px

    Tough Night at Bristol for Austin Dillon

    Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team were running solidly in the top 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday night but fuel issues with less than 20 laps remaining caused the team to make an unexpected pit stop, fall three laps down to the leader and finish a disappointing 23rd. After qualifying in the 17th position on Wednesday afternoon, Dillon & Co. knew they had to work hard in order to make their way to the front of the field. Dillon spent the opening laps experimenting with different lines on the race track, eventually discovering that the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet was fastest in the middle of the track. He was running 11th when the team made their lone pit stop of the night under caution on lap 51 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment designed to loosen up the handling on the truck. Dillon restarted 15th on lap 58 and once again began to move forward in the running order. The 21-year-old driver noted that the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet developed a tight-handling condition as the race progressed, making it difficult to roll through the center of the corners. Dillon was running seventh when the caution flag was displayed on lap 170 of 200, but with 19 trucks on the lead lap the team opted not to pit in order to maintain track position. Dillon noted that the black No. 3 was sputtering and worried about running out of fuel, but according to team calculations they were good through lap 207 so crew chief Danny Stockman advised the sophomore NCWTS competitor to run on the apron of the high-banked, half-mile track until green flag racing resumed. Dillon obliged but when racing resumed at lap 183, the truck lost fuel pickup and Dillon was forced to coast around the track until NASCAR officials displayed the caution flag, losing three laps to the race leader in the process. The team quickly pitted for fuel and right-side tires and finished the remaining 10 laps of the race to post a 23rd-place result.

    Start – 17 Finish – 23 Points Position – 4 Laps Led – 0

    AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

    “It’s not the ending we were hoping for tonight but it’s something I can’t change so there is no point in getting mad about it. This team is very solid and I still feel like we have a shot at the championship. We won’t give up.”

    22 Truck RCR Graphics Center Logo

    Rookie Joey Coulter Powers His Way to a Sixth-Place Finish at Bristol

    After starting 10th, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Joey Coulter ran 197 of 200 laps in the top-15 and powered his way to a sixth-place finish in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway driving the No. 22 RCR Graphics Center powered by Roland Chevrolet. At the start of the 200-lap event in “Thunder Valley,” Coulter started off with a fast Chevrolet Silverado immediately working his way up to seventh by lap 10 and sixth by lap 45. Under a caution-flag period on lap 54, Coulter reported over the radio to crew chief Harold Holly that he was happy with the handling on his truck, but it was a little tight in the center of the 30-degree banked turns of the half-mile bullring. Holly called the 21-year-old driver to pit road for his only pit stop of the night, a four-tire stop that included minor chassis and air pressure adjustments to accommodate the tight-handling condition. After another quick caution on the ensuing restart, the competitors began to settle down and the first extended green-flag run of the evening happened from laps 71-97. During that run, the Miami Spring, Fla., native reported that his red and black machine handled great, especially on long runs. Over the next 70 laps, Coulter ran consistently in the top six. Under a lap-172 caution flag period, many trucks began to run out of fuel on the racing surface. Holly came over the team radio and assured the RCR driver that the No. 22 racer would have more than enough Sunoco E15 fuel to make it to the end of the race. Coulter lined up fifth on the final restart of the night with 10 laps remaining and raced clean with other competitors before crossing the finish line in sixth place for his 10th top-10 finish of the 2011 season. Coulter was also the highest finishing Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate and gained two positions in the NCWTS driver championship point standings. He now sits sixth, 13 points out of fifth, and leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings by 17 points over Cole Whitt.

    Start -10 Finish – 6 Laps Led – 0 Points – 6

     

    JOEY COULTER QUOTE:

     

    “It was a solid night all around for the No. 22 RCR Graphics Center Chevrolet. The truck was fast all day and I can’t thank Harold (Holly, crew chief) and these guys enough for building me such a strong piece. I wish I was able to get up there to the top five, but we just couldn’t run the bottom line at all. This team is starting to show how strong it is with all of these top-10 runs.”

     

     

     

ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards

RACE: Herr’s Live Life with Flavor! 200

TRACK: Madison International Speedway

DATE: August 26, 2011

Race Highlights:

  • RCR teammates finished fourth (Ty Dillon) and ninth (Tim George Jr.).
  • George started 14th and led 34 of the 200 contested laps.
  • Dillon started third and ran as high as second on Friday night.
  • Dillon remains the ARCA Racing Series point leader with a 410-point edge over second place driver Chris Buescher.
  • George is seventh in the point standings, 95 markers outside the fifth spot.
  • Alex Bowman won by 0.275 seconds over Buescher, Clint King, Dillon and Tom Hessert.
  • The next ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race on the 2011 schedule is the Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Auto Parts at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Monday, September 5 with live timing and scoring available at www.ARCARacing.com.

31 ARCA Applebees

Tim George Jr. Endures Rollercoaster Night at Madison to Finish Ninth

 

A less-than-desired 14th-place starting position plagued Tim George Jr. and the No. 31 Applebee’s/Potomac Family Dining Group team at Madison International Speedway but they were able to persevere through a pit road penalty and a late-race incident to finish ninth in the Herr’s Live Life with Flavor! 200 on Friday night. Shortly after the start of the 200-lap affair, the first caution flag of the night was displayed on lap six, with George very happy with the handling on the No. 31 Chevrolet. He restarted in the 12th position for the lap-nine green flag and began to move through the field. After enduring four caution periods by lap 65, George was scored eighth in the 31-car field. The New York, N.Y., native made his first trip to pit road during the lap-86 caution period. With no changes needed on the black and red Chevrolet, the Gere Kennon-led team made a quick stop for four tires and fuel and headed back out onto the racing surface in sixth place. George continued his march through the field and was scored second at the halfway mark. On lap 106, the Pocono ARCA 200 event winner was making the pass for the lead when he made contact with the leader to bring out the yellow flag. Fortunately, the No. 31 machine only suffered minimal hood damage and became the new leader. George led the next 34 circuits around the Oregon, Wis.-based facility before slipping back to second on lap 142. Kennon called for the No. 31 machine to come to pit road during the ensuing caution on lap 158 for right-side tires and fuel, but as George was leaving pit road, he failed to stop for an official stop sign at the exit of pit road resulting in a penalty. The RCR entry was forced to start from the tail end of the longest line when green-flag racing resumed on lap 162. He took the green flag from the 14th position and moved into the top 10 by lap 173 before being involved in an incident the following lap. George returned to pit road to assess the damage and was able to return to racing action for the lap-179 restart in 14th position. In the final 20 laps of the 200-lap contest, George picked off five spots and brought home the No. 31 Applebee’s/Potomac Family Dining Group Chevrolet to a ninth-place result.

 

Start – 14 Finish – 9 Laps Led – 34 Point Position – 7

 

 

TIM GEORGE JR. QUOTE:

 

“It was a disappointing night for the No. 31 Applebee’s/Potomac Family Dining Group Chevrolet team. We had a fast car and led some laps, but that penalty and on-track incident hurt us at the end of the race. We have to look at the whole picture and that is a top-10 finish.”

 

2011 CC Team Logos ARS 41 RCR 150 px

 

Ty Dillon Overcomes Adversity to Earn a Top-Five Finish at Madison International Speedway

 

 

Ty Dillon and the No. 41 Hemelgarn/Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma team had high hopes for the Herr’s Live Life with Flavor! 200 at Madison International Speedway on Friday night before two pit road penalties hindered the RCR entry resulting in a fourth-place finish. Dillon started the 200-lap contest from the third position and quickly settled into his racing rhythm, gaining one spot by lap nine. The Lexington, N.C., native began reeling in the leader over the next 60 circuits on the half-mile oval before attempting to make the pass for the lead just as the lap-86 caution was displayed. Dillon brought his black and white Chevrolet Impala to pit road for four tires, fuel and a tear off. The young driver won the race off pit road, but was soon informed he was too fast entering and was regulated to the 14th position at the tail end of the longest line, for the lap-92 restart. Over the next 15 laps, Dillon improved his position to seventh place. Another caution was displayed to the field on lap 129. Crew chief Scott Naset discussed with his driver different pit strategies for the remainder of the race and ultimately deciding to stay out during the ensuing caution resulting in Dillon restarting sixth on lap 135. The High Point University freshman made his way to third on lap 147 and continued to chase down the leaders when the lap-158 yellow flag was waved. Naset called the No. 41 Chevrolet to pit road for the final stop of the night for four tires and fuel. With a mirror full of cars, Dillon took the lead from pit road, but failed to stop at an official stop sign at the exit of pit road, resulting in another penalty. Dillon was once again forced to restart from the tail end of the longest line for the lap-162 green flag. Restarting in the 15th position with 38 laps remaining in the 200-lap affair, the seven-time ARCA Racing Series event winner charged forward. Dillon increased his position 11 spots, to fourth, in 10 circuits around the Oregon, Wis.-based track. Unfortunately, with two more cautions periods occurring before the checkered flag was displayed, Dillon ran out of time to make any additional passes, resulting in the fourth-place finish.

 

 

 

Start – 3 Finish – 4 Laps Led – 0 Point Position – 1 (leads by 410 points)

 

 

TY DILLON QUOTE:

“This wasn’t the night that we had hoped for when we unloaded here on Thursday. Flash (crew chief Scott Naset) and the guys put together a fast car for me, but those two penalties really hurt us. It’s back to the dirt track next week at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds; we’ll try for a better finish there.”