Dollar General 300
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Charlotte Motor Speedway
October 11, 2013
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished second (Austin Dillon), fourth (Kevin Harvick) and 12th (Brian Scott).
Dillon leads the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings by eight points over Sam Hornish, Jr. while Scott is seventh in the standings, 93 points behind the leader.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks third in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 33 team sixth in the standings and the No. 2 team 10th.
According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Dillon was the third-Fastest Driver Late in a Run (172.460 mph) and ranked third in Fastest Laps Run (21).
Harvick was second-Fastest on Restarts (171.414 mph) and earned the third-best Driver Rating (116.4).
Scott ranked first in the Closers category, advancing one position in the last 10 percent (20 laps) of the race and was fourth in Green-Flag Passes with 55.
Kyle Busch earned his 11th Nationwide Series victory of 2013 and was followed to the finish line by Dillon, Hornish, Harvick and Matt Kenseth.
The next Nationwide Series race is the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 2. The 31st race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Brian Scott Finishes 12th Under the Lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Charter Media team finished 14th under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Friday evening’s Dollar General 300. Scott started the 200-lap event from the 11th position and maintained a spot within the top 15 while battling a severe tight condition through the opening segment of the event. Crew chief Phil Gould instructed the Boise, Idaho-native to pit road under green-flag conditions for routine service along with a wedge adjustment to alleviate the tight condition on their first stop. Through the course of the evening, Scott climbed as high as seventh, until the caution-flag flew on lap 111. While exiting his pit stall under the caution period, the 25-year-old Richard Childress Racing driver made contact with another competitor costing the driver valuable positions on pit road. During the ensuing run he battled to maintain position inside the top 15. As the laps wound down, the Charter Media Chevrolet driver kept his focus on improving his position ultimately bringing home a 12th-place finish.
Start – 11 Finish – 12 Laps Led – 0 Points – 7th
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“We had a strong Charter Media Chevrolet tonight, but just had a lot of bad luck on pit road and slight damage that caused the handling to go away midpoint in the race. We got trapped in by the No. 01 and suffered damage, then on track our right side skirt got ripped off. All in all, not the greatest night. We’ll look at everything and move on to Texas (Motor Speedway) in a couple weeks after a few off weeks.”
Austin Dillon Earns Second-Place Finish in No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to a second-place finish in the Dollar General 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday evening, after starting from the fourth spot in the 200-lap event. The Welcome, N.C. driver maintained his fourth-place starting spot throughout the early stages of the race, advancing to the top spot on laps 50 and 51 when crew chief Danny Stockman made the call to stay out and lead to gain a valuable championship bonus point before pitting on lap 53. Following his lap-53 pit stop, Dillon was scored in the third position, but dropped to 10th in the running order after pitting on lap 90 under caution for four tires and fuel. During the next run, the RCR competitor was the fastest driver on the track and climbed to eighth before the caution flag was displayed again on lap 111. During the caution period, Dillon advised his team that the car needed to be tighter in order for him to pass additional cars on the racetrack, prompting a pit stop for fuel and a chassis adjustment. Restarting in the seventh position on lap 117, he advanced to fourth before making his final pit stop under caution flag conditions on lap 156. Solid work by the AdvoCare pit crew positioned him in the second spot, where he ultimately finished the race.
Start – 4 Finish – 2 Laps Led – 3 Points – 1st
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“That was a heck of a race. I told Sam Hornish, Jr. that I felt like that was the best race I was a part of all year long. It was just such a good battle there between us and I feel like we can race each other clean.”
Kevin Harvick Finishes Fourth at Charlotte Motor Speedway
in his 300th NASCAR Nationwide Series Start
Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Fast Fixin’ Chevrolet team captured a fourth-place finish in the Dollar General 300 Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway after leading laps and battling handling issues throughout the 200-lap event. Starting from the 10th position, the California native found speed in his Richard Childress Racing machine moving into the top five by lap three. Harvick maintained his position toward the front of the pack during the early laps as he battled a tight-handling Chevrolet. The Fast Fixin’ pit crew made adjustments to the car during scheduled four-tire pit stops on laps 51 and 90 that allowed the two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion to drive to the front and take over the race lead on lap 105. Harvick paced the field for eight circuits before coming to pit road for right-side tires and fuel under caution. Varying pit strategies placed the No. 33 machine in eighth for the lap 117 restart. Harvick quickly returned to the top five in the running order and remained near the front of the field until misfortune struck on pit road in the form of a dropped lug nut on the left-front tire, costing the team valuable track position. Lining up seventh for the ensuing restart, the RCR driver persevered during the final laps working his way back into the top five, while continuing to battle a tight-handling condition, and brought home a fourth-place finish in his 300th Nationwide Series start.
Start – 10 Finish – 4 Laps Led – 8 Owner Points – 6th
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“I’m proud of everyone on our Fast Fixin’ Chevrolet team tonight. We had a great car, but had a little trouble on pit road at the end that cost us a few spots on the track. The team worked really hard and we were able to make up some ground, but still came up a little bit short.”