Catchfence

Paul Menard - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images

No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet Impala

Race Notes and Quotes

This week’s Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet at Dover International Speedway … Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 351 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen in competition at Kansas Speedway (June) where he started ninth and finished 19^th. Menard also raced this Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway in April where he brought home a fifth-place result after starting from the 19^th position.

Off to Slay “The Monster Mile” … In his eight previous starts at Dover, Menard has finished each of his contested races and completed 98.3 percent of his laps (3,147 of 3,200). He has an average starting position of 22.9 and an average finishing position of 20.9. His best start of ninth and his best finish of seventh were both claimed in last year’s September affair.

Last Time Around … The Eau Claire, Wis., native started his No. 27 Chevrolet from the 20^th position. Handling issues plagued the racer early in the 400-lap race. The Slugger Labbe-led team made chassis and air pressure adjustments during each pit stop in order to neutralize the loose condition, but it was contact with another car on a late-race restart that resulted in left-front fender damage, ultimately causing the tire to go flat. The green-flag pit stop to change the tire and repair the fender resulted in the loss of valuable track position and Menard took the checkered flag in the 24^th position.

A Loopy Year in Review … After 28 races, Menard has an average starting position of 12.5, ranking him eighth among of all drivers and sixth among those competing full time. He maintains an average running position of 16.97, has made 3,036 green-flag passes (ranked sixth of all drivers), has spent 3,597 laps racing in the top 15 (ranked 18th of all drivers), is ranked fourth in the Loop Data category of Quality Passes (1569 green-flag passes while running in the Top 15). He has also completed 95.3 percent of his laps (7,669 of 8,043).

2011 Season Statistics:

Starts: 28

Win: 1

Top-five finishes: 4

Top-10 finishes: 7

Best start: 2nd (Pocono Raceway, June and Chicagoland Speedway)

Best finish: 1st (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Laps led: 81

About Pittsburg® Paints … PPG Pittsburgh® Paints is a nationally recognized brand trusted by painting contractors, building owners, architects, designers, and homeowners for over 100 years. Products include interior/exterior pains and interior/exterior stains. For additional information, please visit www.ppgpittsburghpaints.com.

Race Rewind … Menard drove the No. 27 SYLVANIA/Menards Chevrolet to a 20^th-place finish in the SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after battling handling issues and track position throughout the 300-lap event.

PAUL MENARD QUOTES:

Do you feel you get a little more comfortable each time you go to Dover International Speedway?

“Yeah, I do. Dover (International Speedway) is a tough place. It’s the kind of race track that you can feel really good about, and then it will bite you and put you back into your place. I really enjoy racing at Dover; it’s one of my favorite tracks, especially when the tires are good and you can move all over the track. I like it because you can run the top, bottom and middle of the track. Hopefully, Goodyear will allow us to do that again this time. In the Spring, the tires were really good and you could move around. It really comes down to tires more than anything there.”

Your RCR teammate Jeff Burton calls Dover International Speedway a rhythm track. What do you think?

“You can drive Dover two different ways. You can throttle up through the center of the corner then get out of the gas and drive it, or you can drive it like a diamond and wait for the car to rotate and drive it straight off. Depending on what your car is doing, you can drive it a couple of different ways. You just get in rhythm and try to click off times.”

What is the sensation of speed like at Dover International Speedway?