NASCAR Nationwide Series
O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge
Texas Motor Speedway
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Race Highlights:
Austin Dillon qualified third for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge and was the highest qualifying Richard Childress Racing entry at Texas Motor Speedway. Teammates Brian Scott, Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan qualified fourth, eighth and 12th respectively.
RCR teammates Brian Scott, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan finished sixth, seventh, 15th and 16th.
Brian Scott currently leads the RCR drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver point standings in third, Ty Dillon is fifth and Brendan Gaughan eighth.
Next up for the Nationwide Series is the DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans at Phoenix International Raceway. Catch all the action live Saturday, November 8 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.
Brian Scott Earns Career High 21st Top-10 Finish at Texas Motor Speedway
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Country Bob’s Chevrolet Camaro team collected their 28th top-10 qualifying position of the season at Texas Motor Speedway by starting fourth for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge. The Phil Gould-led team fought tight conditions for the majority of the 200-lap event, but continued to maintain a position inside the top-10. Through the four caution flags at the 1.5-mile speedway, the Country Bob’s pit crew made adjustments to better the Chevy Camaro’s handling. Scott brought the Country Bob’s Chevrolet home in sixth place, collecting the teams 10th consecutive top-10 finish and 21st of the 2014 season.
Start – 4th Finish – 6th Laps Led – N/A Pts – 3rd
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“We had a good Country Bob’s Chevrolet today. The rear drive security went away and we lost grip on both ends. The pit crew did their job on pit road all day, but I struggled getting into pit road under green. We are going to keep chomping away at it.”
Ty Dillon Finishes 15th at Texas Motor Speedway
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet Camaro to a 15th-place finish Saturday afternoon in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. Earlier in the afternoon, Dillon qualified eighth, but noted his No. 3 Camaro would need adjusting to keep up with the loose-handling track conditions. Dillon was right, from the start of the race he radioed his car was loose handling and was difficult to turn in each of the corners. Despite the complications, the 22-year-old driver hovered around the top 10 for a majority of the 200-lap race and worked with crew chief Danny Stockman on the correct game plan to improve the car’s handling. On each pit stop, Stockman called for a track bar and air pressure adjustment. In the closing laps, Dillon raced around the top 10 and ultimately finished 15th. Dillon remains fifth in the Nationwide Series driver point standings with two races remaining.
Start -8th Finish – 15th Laps Led – 0 Points – 5th
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“I thought we had a better car than 15th-place, but we just made a few mistakes all around. I’m proud of Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and the team for sticking with it. We were really loose for a majority of the day, but we had some good pit stops. We’ll put this information in our notebook and move on to Phoenix.”
Austin Dillon Earns a Seventh-Place Finish in Grainger Chevrolet SS at Texas Motor Speedway
Austin Dillon earned a seventh-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 33 Grainger Chevrolet. The race marked the 24-year-old driver’s return to the Nationwide Series since earning the Championship in 2013. He started the 200-lap race third and noted a lack of drive off soon after the start of the event. Dillon was scored in the fifth spot when the team made their first pit stop under green-flag conditions on lap 48 taking four tires, fuel and a round of adjustments aimed at improving the handling conditions the driver was facing. As Dillon was exiting pit road, the caution flag was displayed pinning him one lap down to the race leader and forcing him to take the wave around before green-flag racing resumed on lap 61. A long green-flag run ensued and Dillon raced his way from 19th to eighth before the next round of pit stops on lap 98. Dillon restarted ninth as the race reached its halfway point and spent the remainder of the laps within the top five. He was scored in the fourth position with 10 laps remaining, but developed a loose-handling condition in the closing laps and ultimately finished seventh.
Start -3rd Finish – 7th Laps Led – 0 Owner’s Points – N/A
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“During the middle portion of the race, I really thought we had something for them. We were just too loose at the end of the race. I really want to thank everyone at Grainger for coming on board. I love racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and I had fun today. We have one more chance to get a win tomorrow in the Dow Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.”
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 16th at Texas Motor Speedway
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet advanced to the final round of qualifying and started the NASCAR Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway in the 12th position. Throughout the day, the Las Vegas-native fought back and forth with loose and tight handling conditions of his Chevrolet Camaro. During the second caution on lap 50, the Shane Wilson-led team elected to take four Goodyear tires, Sunoco fuel, made an air pressure and track bar adjustment. Gaughan restarted 18th and was up to 15th when the next caution flag flew. The No. 62 Richard Childress Racing teamed gained five spots on pit road, restarting the 39-year-old driver ninth. For the remainder of the 200-lap event, Gaughan battled tight-handling conditions and came home 16th. Gaughan and the No. 62 team remain eighth in the driver point standings with only two Nationwide races remaining in the 2014 season.
Start – 12th Finish – 16th Laps Led – 0 Points – 8th
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“It was great to have Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff on board with us this weekend. Wish we could’ve had a better finish, but it was my mistake on pit road. Like always, I am proud of how the No. 62 team performed and our pit stops were great.”