NASCAR Nationwide Series
Richmond 250
Richmond International Raceway
Friday, April 25, 2014
Race Highlights:
Brian Scott won the Richmond 250 pole position at Richmond International Raceway, his second- career pole at the 0.75-mile track. His teammates, Ty Dillon, Cale Conley and Brendan Gaughan started 11th, 17th and 22nd, respectively.
Scott recorded his 150th NASCAR Nationwide Series start and Richard Childress Racing recorded its 1000th Series start.
Brian Scott earned a fifth-place finish, Ty Dillon a 13th-place finish, Cale Conley a 15th-place finish and Brendan Gaughan a 20th-place finish.
Ty Dillon currently leads the Richard Childress Racing drivers in the Nationwide Series driver point standings in fourth, Brian Scott is sixth and Brendan Gaughan seventh.
Next up for the Nationwide Series is Talladega Superspeedway. Catch all the action live on Saturday, May 3 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.
Brian Scott Earns First Top-Five Finish of Season at Richmond International Raceway
In his 150th NASCAR Nationwide Series start, Brian Scott and his No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro started from the first position at Richmond International Raceway, his second-career pole at the 0.75-mile short track. Scott led the opening 43 laps of competition, after nearly a three-hour rain delay, in the 250-lap race. Initial reports were the Camaro was a little free, but more importantly the team needed to make adjustments to conserve the right-front tire. Scott settled inside the top-five for the majority of the race taking home a fifth-place finish. This is Scott’s highest finish and first top-five earned of the season. Scott remains sixth in the driver championship point standings heading into Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.
Start – 1st Finish – 5th Laps Led – 45 Pts – 6th
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“I think we had a third-place car tonight. I’m really proud of our effort on the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet Camaro team. This isn’t the finish we wanted. We have to clean up our errors and be on the money when it counts.”
Ty Dillon Finishes 13th in Rain-Delayed Richmond 250
Ty Dillon drove the No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet Camaro to a 13th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway pn Friday night, after a three and a half hour rain delay. After qualifying 11th , Dillon and the No. 3 team were forced to wait out heavy thunderstorms that rolled through the area. When the green flag finally dropped at 10:26 p.m. ET, Dillon quickly raced his No. 3 Camaro inside the top-10 before the competition caution on lap 40. During the race’s longest green-flag run (laps 47-149), Dillon made five-quality passes cracking into the top-five on lap 99. The 22-year-old driver, making his third-career NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the 0.75-mile track, battled around the top-10 until the race’s final restart on lap 204. Dillon fought with the car’s rear handling, ultimately forcing him to finish 13th overall.
Start – 11th Finish – 13th Laps Led – 0 Points – 4th
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“I don’t think our finish indicated how good our car was throughout the race. We had one of the fastest cars on the track for a good part of the race, but struggled to finish. It’s frustrating because I know Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and the guys worked hard to adjust to the changing track conditions. I’m thankful for all the fans that stuck around to watch the race after the long delay.”
Cale Conley Earns a 15th-Place Finish at Richmond International Raceway
Cale Conley brought the No. 33 OKUMA America Chevrolet home to a 15th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway in the Richmond 250. The 21-year-old Richard Childress Racing driver took the green flag from the 17th spot, but fought a tight handling condition in the early stages of the 250-lap affair. The field slowed when NASCAR displayed a competition caution at lap 40, allowing Conley to bring his car to the attention of the crew for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Green-flag racing resumed on lap 47 with Conley in the 27th position. The race set in for a lengthy green-flag run which played into the No. 33 driver’s hands as he picked off the competition climbing as high as seventh. Conley continued to battle hard for position and ultimately took the checkered-flag in the 15th position.
Start – 17th Finish – 15th Laps Led – 0 Points – N/A
CALE CONLEY QUOTE:
“It seemed like a long race. At one point, we were really stout and able to climb inside the top-10. We were really tight through the center of the corner and were never able to overcome that condition and somehow gained a loose condition as the run wore on. It took long runs to recover on the restarts and we never got them at the end of the race. We’ll go back to the shop and learn from this. I can’t thank OKUMA America enough for being on board, and I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel at Iowa Speedway.”
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 20th at Richmond International Raceway
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro qualified 22nd for Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway. After patiently waiting out the more than three hour rain delay, Gaughan took the green flag and battled through the field and advanced his position to 13th by lap 58. The Richard Childress Racing team was forced to make a premature stop on lap 101 when Gaughan reported the right-front tire was starting to go down. The No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro fought all night to improve the handling of the race car. The Las Vegas native was nursing a right-front tire near the closing laps and was able bring home a 20th-place finish for the No. 62 team. Brendan Gaughan remains seventh in driver championship point standings heading in to next week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Start – 22nd Finish – 20th Laps Led – 0 Points – 7th
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“Definitely not the finish we were hoping to go home with tonight. The No. 62 team and I were looking to rebound back after our Darlington finish, but instead we will keep pushing forward and improve at Talladega.”