RCR Post Race Report — New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Race Highlights:

• Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Austin Dillon), fourth (Brian Scott) and 32nd (Paul Menard).
• Dillon is third in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Regan Smith by 12 markers, while Scott is eighth in the standings, 60 points behind Smith.
• The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks fifth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 2 team 10th in the standings and the No. 33 team 13th.
• According to NASCAR’s Post Race Loop Data Statistics, Dillon was third-Fastest on Restarts (122.814 mph), earned a Driver Rating of 107.3, ranking him fourth and was one of four drivers who spent 100 percent of the race running in the top 15.
• Scott ranked third in Quality Passes with 28, fourth in Green Flag Passes with 36 and fifth in the Closers category, advancing five positions in the final 10 percent of the race.
• Menard led the field in Quality Passes with 31 and ranked third in Green Flag Passes with 40.
• Kyle Busch earned his seventh victory of the 2013 Nationwide Series season and was followed to the finish line by Brian Vickers, Dillon, Scott and Michael Annett.
• The next Nationwide Series race is the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, July 21. The 18th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Satellite Radio.

   

Brian Scott Qualifies for NASCAR Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash with Top-Five Finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

 

Driving the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro, Brian Scott Earned his first top-five finish of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season by taking the checkered flag in the fourth position Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after starting in the fifth spot. By finishing fourth, Scott earned a spot to vie for a $100,000 bonus in Nationwide Insurance’s Dash4Cash at Chicagoland Speedway next Sunday afternoon. The Boise, Idaho-native took the green flag from the fifth spot and quickly charged forward in the opening segment of the 200-lap event. Scott moved up to the third position by lap five and stayed there until the afternoon’s first caution period on lap 35. Crew chief Phil Gould took the opportunity to bring the Shore Lodge Camaro driver down pit road for routine service and a chassis adjustment. Scott restarted in the fifth spot on lap 40. Over the next run, Scott reported that the changes made him too free as he fought to stay inside the top-10 during the longest green-flag run of the afternoon. As green-flag stops began to cycle through, Scott visited pit road on lap-112 for four tires, a full tank of fuel and additional chassis adjustments. As the laps ticked away, Scott was solidly inside the top 10. The caution flag was displayed with two laps remaining, setting the field for a green-white-checkered (GWC) finish. After failing to successfully complete the first two attempts at a GWC finish, the field lined up for the final restart with Scott in eighth spot. As the competition beat and banged through turn one, the Richard Childress Racing driver slipped by and charged inside the top five. Scott took the checkered flag in the fourth position, earning his career best finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 

  

 

Brian Scott Quote:

“We had a great Shore Lodge Camaro all weekend from practice to qualifying and in the race. On the final restart I knew I needed to be aggressive, and it showed by going from eighth to fourth in the first turn. The crew worked hard all weekend and we got a top-five out of it, earned a spot in the Dash4Cash. Now we head to Chicagoland Speedway, which is one of my best tracks.”

 

 

Third-Place Finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Earns Austin Dillon $100,000 Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash Bonus

 

Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to a third-place finish in the CNBC Prime the Profit 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon and jumped from fifth to third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Point Standings, just 12 points shy of the lead. By besting the performances of fellow Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash competitors Elliott Sadler, Sam Hornish, Jr. and Kyle Larson, Dillon earned a $100,000 bonus and qualified for the next Dash 4 Cash race at Chicagoland Speedway. The Welcome, N.C.-driver started the 200-lap race from the 11th position and fought for track position in the early stages of the event as he battled a loose handling condition on late exit to the corners of the one-mile oval. Dillon was scored in the eighth position when he pitted for four tires and fuel on lap 118. The caution flag was displayed just three laps later, prompting many teams to visit pit road. However, the Danny Stockman-led No. 3 AdvoCare team determined that they had enough fuel to make it to the end of the event and stayed out on the track, moving to fourth for the lap-127 restart. Dillon advanced to second on the restart before falling back to third. He survived three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish and a race that was extended 13 laps past its advertised distance, causing serious fuel mileage concerns for many teams, to earn a third-place finish and a $100,000 Nationwide Insurance Dash4Cash Bonus.

 

 

 

 

 

Menard Finishes 32nd after Late-Race Incident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

 

Making his second NASCAR Nationwide Series start of the season, Paul Menard was on his way to a solid finish in the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet when he was caught up in a multi-car incident in the closing laps of Saturday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, relegating him to a 32nd – place finish. Starting 16th, Menard methodically moved through the field and was scored in 10th at lap 41. Maintaining a position in or around the top 10 for the majority of the scheduled 200-lap affair, Menard relayed to crew chief Ernie Cope that his No. 33 machine was tight though the center of the corners and loose off when he accelerated. Pitting on lap 110, Cope called for four fresh tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments in an attempt to remedy the handling condition. The chassis adjustments seemed to help and Menard had worked his way up to sixth at lap 120. The caution flag was displayed just three laps later and the Wisconsin native brought the No. 33 Camaro down pit road to top off with fuel, giving him enough to make it to the end of the race without needing to pit again. Restarting in 12th, Menard gained several spots before a lack of good drive off eventually caused him to slip back to 14th on lap 141. As the laps wore on, the car again began to handle to Menard’s liking and he was back inside the top 10 for the second of three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish on lap 206. Shortly after the green flag flew, the 32-year-old driver was involved in a multi-car accident, causing the No. 33 machine to make contact with the outside wall. Heavy damage to the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet prevented Menard from finishing the race, relegating him to a 32nd-place finish.

 

Start – 16          Finish – 32          Laps Led – 0          Owner Points – 13

 

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

“Ernie (Cope, Crew Chief) and the guys worked hard to get the car to handle to my liking and we were on our way to a solid finish. It’s just unfortunate we got caught up in a wreck so late in the race and our results didn’t show what the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet was capable of doing.”

 

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