Monday
Richard Childress Racing Post-NSCS, NCWTS & ARCA Race Weekend Recaps
Press Release| RCR Post Race Report — Dover and Toledo |
 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) RACE: Fed Ex 400 TRACK: Dover International Speedway DATE: May 15, 2011 Race Highlights:
The No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet Team Finishes 24th in Dover
Inclement weather on Saturday afternoon forced the starting lineup for Sunday’s FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway to be set per the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rulebook. Richard Childress Racing’s Paul Menard started the CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet from the 20th position. Handling issues plagued the No. 27 Impala early in the 400-lap race and Menard quickly slipped backwards. The Slugger Labbe-led team made chassis and air pressure adjustments during each pit stop in order to neutralize the loose condition that the Eau Claire, Wis., native was battling. Contact with the No. 42 car on the lap-338 restart resulted in left-front fender damage that, ultimately, caused the tire to go flat. The unscheduled green-flag pit stop to change the tire and repair the fender put Menard costly laps down to the leader late in the race. Unable to climb through the field any further, Menard took the checkered flag in the 24th position. He now sits 17th in the championship driver points, a mere five points out of the top 15. Start – 20 Finish – 24 Laps Led – 0 Points – 17 PAUL MENARD QUOTE: “The best the CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet handled was at the very end of the race. Unfortunately, having to come to pit road under green for the left-front flat ended our chances of finishing any higher than we did. Today was a bit of a mystery because the car was so different from what it was in Happy Hour (practice) on Friday. We have a lot of notes to go over before we come back here (Dover International Speedway), but we’ll get it figured out. I know these guys won’t quit until we do.”
Harvick, No. 29 Team Notch Top-10 Finish at Dover Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team scored a 10th-place finish in the FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway but were left wanting more after competing in the top five during the majority of the race. The Budweiser Chevrolet was strong during the early stages of the race as Harvick surged into the top five by lap 25 and was in the third position by the time the competition caution waved on lap 40. Harvick reported the car was perfect and that he was “just cruising.” With rain threatening the area, unstable weather conditions created a variety of track conditions throughout the day. It was during the first long run of the race that the Budweiser Chevrolet drifted to the loose side. A track bar adjustment during a green-flag pit stop on lap 108 seemed to help as Harvick reported the car to be pretty good during the second half of the following run. The Budweiser Chevrolet really came to life in the second half of the race, strengthening the longer a run continued. Harvick picked up the sixth, fifth and fourth positions in successive circuits from laps 263 to 265. He maintained the position after a round of green-flag stops on lap 283. Harvick was poised to score a top-five finish when the sixth and final caution of the race waved on lap 362. He, along with almost all of the leaders, took four tires on the last stop of the day. A number of cars running behind Harvick elected to only take two tires in order to gain track position. The strategy placed Harvick in 15th place for the restart on lap 366. Time ran out before the driver of the Budweiser Chevrolet could regain all that had been lost and was in the 10th position when the checkered flag waved. Harvick remains fifth in the driver point standings following the 10th-place run at Dover. He is 54 points out of first place. Start – 10 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 0 Points – 5 GIL MARTIN QUOTE: “We came in and got four tires and obviously, it is easy to say we should have stayed out right there. But, I really thought with 35 laps to go and the guys that were going to be up front like that, the tires were going to blow through them and it would have caused a caution if you didn’t have tires and you were going to be in big trouble. But the way it played out, it was again, a perfect storm for the guys that stayed out. You live and learn and sometimes you gamble different ways. But, today, the Budweiser Chevrolet was good all day so I’m happy with it.”
Burton, Cat Racing Team Tie Season-Best Finish of 11th at the Monster Mile
A late-race caution period coupled with pit strategy let Jeff Burton and the Cat Racing team see the makings of a promising top-five run disappear in Sunday’s FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway. After being slated in the 16th-place starting position when Saturday’s time trials session was rained out, Burton hung around in the top 15 for the entire first half of the 400-lap showdown. Adjustments made during multiple pit stops helped move the Caterpillar Chevrolet from a tight-handling condition to a slightly loose form that allowed the 21-time Sprint Cup Series race winner to crack the top 10 at lap 230. Stout lap times and lightning-fast pit stops advanced Burton through the field over the ensuing 100 laps, running as high as fourth at lap 337. The 400 miler started playing into the Todd Berrier-led crew’s hands and a long green-flag run to the checkers would have secured the team’s first top-five finish of the season. However, a caution with just under 40 laps to go left teams seeking their best pitting strategy. Four fresh tires was the call from atop the box and a 13th-place restart spot was acquired after one team chose not to pit and others took two tires. After losing a couple spots on the final restart of the day, Burton flexed his muscle and passed a handful of cars to tie his season’s best effort of 11th. In the process, the No. 31 team advanced one position, to 23rd, in the championship point standings. Start – 16 Finish – 11 Laps Led – 0 Points Position – 23 JEFF BURTON QUOTE: “Obviously, we didn’t need that last caution to come out toward the end of the race. Everyone played a different pit strategy and our four-tire call didn’t work out in our favor. Track position was huge but we were able to make up some spots in the closing laps. The No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet was fast and our pit stops were good, too. So, hopefully, we can take what we put together in Dover and carry it through the next few races.”  33 BB&T
Solid Team Effort Leads to Top-10 Finish for No. 33 Team at Dover Clint Bowyerand the No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet team led 29 laps en route to their sixth top-10 finish in the last seven races, finishing sixth in the FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway. Starting from the 22nd position after rain washed out Saturday’s qualifying session, the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet began the 400-lap event loose as it took many laps for the one-mile ova,l known as “The Monster Mile,” to build rubber after rainstorms swept through the night before. Under caution 20 laps into the race, crew chief Shane Wilson decided to bring the No. 33 Chevrolet down pit road to see what would happen to the car’s handling if only two right-side tires were changed. After the stop, lap times and handling did not improve and Bowyer slid back through the field, falling as low as 29th. Over the next 100-plus laps, Bowyer and the team worked hard to figure out how to find grip, making major adjustments during pit stops, slowly picking off competitors one-by-one on the track and, eventually, cracking the top 15. After a brief rain shower caused a caution-flag period on lap 164, Bowyer and the crew received the opportunity to take four fresh tires and make an assault on the top 10. On a lap 217 yellow-flag pit stop, while running 10th, the “Helping Hands” pit crew reeled off a blistering four-tire pit stop, gaining four positions on pit road and getting the No. 33 Chevrolet back on the track in the sixth position. Bowyer then had the necessary changes to the car’s setup that allowed him to work his way into the top five. Another fast pit stop under a lap-333 caution put the Emporia, Kan., native into the lead, earning a valuable championship driver point. Bowyer would lead the next 29 circuits until a caution flag with 37 laps to go. At that time, after seeing what two tires did to the car’s handling earlier in the race, Wilson elected to take four tires instead of two. Five other teams decided to take two tires under the same pit cycle and Bowyer restarted in the sixth position. He would stay in sixth for the remainder of the race and cross the finish line with another solid top-10 performance, gaining a spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings along the way. He now sits eighth in points, 80 markers out of first.
Start – 22 Finish – 6 Laps Led – 29 Points – 8
CLINT BOWYER QUOTE: “Our guys worked really hard in getting the car fixed up. We even got up there and led the race. We’re really working well together and are making better decisions. Obviously, two tires may have won the race. When Shane (Wilson, crew chief) said four and that many guys stayed out or were on two, I still really thought we would be able to get back up through them, especially as greasy and slimy as the track was on restarts. It just didn’t work out in our favor. I am really proud of my guys on the BB&T Chevrolet team. It was a great team effort.”
|
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
RACE: Dover 200 TRACK: Dover International Speedway DATE: May 13, 2011 Race Highlights:
A Loose-Handling No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet No Problem for Austin Dillon Austin Dillon started Friday evening’s 200-mile NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway with an extremely loose-handling Chevrolet, but smart driving by the sophomore driver and calculated adjustments on pit road by the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team allowed Dillon to maneuver the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet to a top-five finish at the Monster Mile. Dillon started the race 17th and reported to the Danny Stockman-led crew within the first two laps that the black No. 3 was extremely loose. When the first caution flag of the race was waved on lap five, Dillon brought his Chevrolet down pit road for a series of air pressure adjustments designed to tighten up the truck. Restarting 29th, Dillon worked with spotter Andy Houston to try and gain track position. Dillon made his way into the top 20 before pitting again under caution on lap 45 for fuel, tires and additional air pressure adjustments as the No. 3 was still loose. When green-flag racing resumed on lap 50, Dillon was scored in the 12th position. He raced his way to sixth in the ensuing laps and joined the NCWTS field in a round of green-flag pit stops on lap 125 for four tires and fuel, and pitted again under caution on lap 156 for track bar and air pressure adjustments. Following the lap-156 pit stop, Dillon restarted ninth on lap 160, advancing to fourth by lap 168, where he remained as the laps wound down. Dillon was running fourth with just nine laps remaining in the race when the truck directly in front of him got loose and spun, making slight contact with the right front bumper of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. Luckily, there was no tire rub and Dillon was able to restart third with just three laps remaining. He dropped to fourth on the restart and finished fourth as the checkered flag was displayed under caution as a result of a wreck that developed in the middle of the field. Start – 17 Finish – 4 Points Position – 6 Laps Led – 0 AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE: “Wow, what a day. The Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet was so loose at the beginning of the race that I almost lost it a couple of times, we even pitted during the first caution on lap five to try and make adjustments. Danny Stockman made the call for great adjustments all day. It really helped tighten up the truck, and helped us get to the front. I’m really glad we were able to finish in the top-five. Good points day for us.”  2011 CC Team Logos NCWTS 22 RCR 150 px Rookie Joey Coulter Caps Off Solid Points Day with Career-Best Finish at Dover In his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Dover International Speedway, rookie Joey Coulter powered his way to a career-best finish by bringing home the No. 22 RCR Chevrolet sixth in the Dover 200. After a strong top-five qualifying effort, the Miami Springs, Fla., native started off the 200-lap event fighting tight conditions on his Chevrolet Silverado. However, Coulter fought hard, never dropped out of the top 10 and made vast improvements in his overall lap times over long green-flag runs on the one-mile concrete oval. After coming down pit road during a lap-47 caution-flag period for four fresh Goodyear tires, fuel and slight air pressure adjustments, Coulter found a groove on the race track that suited his driving abilities. He was able to pass competitors on the track while turning lap times that were fastest of any driver, including the leaders. As the race progressed through the halfway point, Coulter came over the team radio and communicated to crew chief Harold Holly that the truck was really good, but still a little tight in the high-banked turns of “The Monster Mile.” Coulter continued to run in the seventh position until a caution flag was displayed with 22 laps to go for an accident on the frontstretch. Coulter radioed the team and commented that in order to get to Victory Lane, he needed long green-flag runs to get his truck to handle better. After the restart, he worked his way up to sixth. He then entered the top five with five laps remaining before the caution flag waved again for a spinning truck in turn four. On the final restart with three laps to go, Coulter found himself in the fifth position, but was passed by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Kevin Harvick, bringing home a NCWTS career-best sixth-place finish and gaining six positions in the driver championship point standings. The No. 22 RCR Chevrolet team heads back to Charlotte 15th in NCWTS points. Start – 5 Finish – 6 Laps Led – 0 Points – 15 JOEY COULTER QUOTE: “I am really excited about the top-10 finish. This track is really fun. Harold and the guys put together a really fast Chevrolet Silverado for me to drive around this beast of a track and we got our second top-10 finish of the season. The guys were awesome on pit road today and we also gained six spots in points. We really needed a day like this on the No. 22 RCR Chevrolet team. I am looking forward to a home race in Charlotte next Friday.”
|
| ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards RACE: Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care
TRACK: Toledo Speedway DATE: May 15, 2011
Race Highlights:
Tim George Jr. Ties His Career Best Short Track Finish at Toledo Speedway Tim George Jr. went a lap down in Sunday’s Menards 200 ARCA Racing Series race at Toledo Speedway following an early-race incident, but the Richard Childress Racing team’s perseverance and determination helped get the No. 31 Chevrolet back on the lead lap and earned a fourth-place finish. After qualifying was rained out on Saturday, the RCR entry started the Menards 200 from ninth, as the starting field was set based on 2010 car owner points. The first 20 laps of the 200-lap event were run under yellow-flag conditions to accommodate the slightly damp race track from the early morning rain storm. George spent the first part of the race battling in the top 10 when he made contact with another competitor on lap 37. The Gere Kennon-led team quickly went to work to repair the damaged race car but, unfortunately, the team fell one lap down to the race leaders while making repairs on pit road. Another caution flew on lap 58 and, fortunately, the No. 31 Chevrolet was in position to earn the Lucky Dog Award and rejoined the lead-lap cars. Through the next several laps, George worked his way back up through the field and into the top 10. On lap 110, the caution was brought out by a turn three incident, and the black and red Chevrolet was called to pit road for four fresh Hoosier tires. The RCR entry restarted 10th on lap 117 and began moving his way into the top five as the end of the race neared. George was scored in sixth position when the final caution of the day was displayed on lap 188, leaving the field with just eight laps left in the race when the field was waved to the green flag on lap 192. George advanced two positions in the final laps of the race, finishing fourth in the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and advancing from 12th to eighth in the series’ point standings.
Start – 9 Finish – 4 Laps Led – 0 Point Position – 8 TIM GEORGE JR QUOTE: “I was happy to finally get a finish that reflected our efforts at Toledo in the ARCA Racing Series. I feel like we are competitive week in and week out, but today was the first time we were able to capitalize on our strong run. “I actually wasn’t surprised when the (No.) 52 ran over us. We had contact toward the end of our last short track race. This time, at least it was near the beginning. With significant damage, I told myself to stay calm. The guys did a stellar job adjusting to counteract the damage and keep the car in contention for a good finish. This gives us great momentum going to my ‘home’ track next week.”  2011 CC Team Logos ARS 41 RCR 150 px Ty Dillon, No. 41 Hemelgran Team Earn Their Second Victory of the Season at Toledo Speedway A rained out qualifying session left Ty Dillon with a 24th-place starting position in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care, but a fast No. 41 Hemelgarn Chevrolet allowed the talented rookie to drive his way through the field and overcome adversity to win Sunday’s 200-lap ARCA Racing Series race at Toledo Speedway. Cold wind and rain greeted the Richard Childress Racing team on Sunday morning, but a small break in the weather permitted ARCA and track officials to start the race on time. The first 20 laps were run under yellow-flag conditions to account for the damp racing surface. During this time, a number of rookie ARCA entries dropped to the rear of the field for the start of the race, allowing Dillon and the No. 41 Hemelgarn Chevrolet team to advance to 14th by the time the green flag was displayed on lap 20. The Lexington, N.C., native reminded his team they had to be patient as the first caution of the day came on lap 25. Dillon restarted 12th seven laps later. During the ensuing laps, Dillon marched his way into the top 10 and by lap 85 he was scored in the fifth position. The Scott Naset-led team made their first pit stop of the day on lap 111 to accommodate for a loose-handling race car. The No. 41 team went to work, giving the driver four fresh Hoosier tires and a minor tire pressure adjustment. Dillon was in fourth position for the lap-117 restart. By lap 133, the black and white Hemelgarn Chevrolet was pulling away from the rest of the field and contending for the lead, but another caution flew on lap 138. Dillon radioed to his crew and said, “the car’s perfect.” With 58 laps remaining in the race, the RCR entry went to work on the leader. On lap 184, Dillon found himself side-by-side with leader Frank Kimmel, but unable to make the pass, Dillon settled back into second place and continued to notch his way closer to the lead. As the laps wound down, Dillon made contact with the race leader on lap 189, causing the 11th caution of the day. Dillon restarted the race from the point position on lap 192 and survived two more cautions during the last eight laps of the race to earn his second victory of the 2011 season and the fourth of his young career. Start -24 Finish – 1 Laps Led – 12 Points Position – 1 (leads by 95 points) TY DILLON QUOTE: “It was an awesome day. As soon as we unloaded, I felt like we had the fastest car for sure. We even cut short our practice, and I don’t like to do that, but we knew we had the fastest car. Our pit crew did awesome. I went in fifth and came out second. We came in, tightened up and she took off. “I was approaching behind Frank Kimmel for a long time there, probably 40 or 50 laps. I was being as patient as I could. We came up on some lapped cars, and he was starting to get loose; I was getting in deeper and deeper. My car was getting better and better. I hate that it happened that way. I wrecked him. It was my fault, but it’s racing. Stuff like that happens. I really look up to Frank and he’s helped me out a lot this year. Hopefully, we can get over this and everything will be alright.” |
- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release
Article Tags: ARCA, Austin Dillon, Clint Bowyer, FedEx 400, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Lucas Oil 200, Menards 200, Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care, NASCAR, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NCWTS, NSCS, Paul Menard, Richard Childress Racing, Tim George Jr, Toledo Speedway, Ty Dillon
