NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 Post Race Report
Phoenix International Raceway
November 9, 2014
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished 11th, 23rd and 38th, respectively.
Newman is tied for first in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, while Dillon ranks 20th and Menard ranks 21st.
Kevin Harvick earned his fifth victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Homestead-Miami 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 16, which is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Finishes 38th After Mechanical Failure Stalls Strong Run at Phoenix International Raceway
Austin Dillon earned a 38th-place finish in the No. 3 Cheerios Chevrolet on Sunday afternoon at Phoenix International Raceway after a mechanical issue caused the Richard Childress Racing driver to retire to the garage area for a portion of the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Dillon started the 312-lap race from the 25th spot and reported a loose-handling condition to crew chief Gil Martin during his initial run. The team successfully addressed the handling issues Dillon was facing during a series of pit stops for tires, fuel and wedge adjustments. Following a pit stop for left-side tires on lap 124, Dillon was scored in the 16th spot. Shortly thereafter, Dillon dropped to 27th as he noted a lack of right-side grip. On lap 185, Dillon cut a right-front tire, bringing out the caution flag. The team immediately directed Dillon down pit road, where they evaluated his car and noted his cut tire was caused by a mechanical issue that required a trip to the garage area for repairs. Dillon missed 28 laps before returning to the race in the 40th position. He ultimately gained two additional spots to finish 38th in the Cheerios Chevrolet.
Start -25th Finish – 38th Laps Led – 0 Points – 19th
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“Congratulations to Ryan Newman on making the final round in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, It’s exciting to be part of a team that has a chance at the championship next weekend. We had a part failure on the right front which ended a solid run for our Cheerios team today, it’s unfortunate. One race left this season, on to Homestead-Miami Speedway.”
2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards,
Paul Menard Finishes 23rd at Phoenix International Raceway in Richmond/Menards Chevrolet SS
Paul Menard and the No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet SS team finished 23rd at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday. The Richard Childress Racing team started from the 11th position and maintained a spot within the top 15 for well over half of the 312-lap event. Throughout the duration of the race, Menard fought a loose-handling Richmond/Menards Chevrolet that needed more drive off the corners. The Justin Alexander-led team remedied the problem multiple times on pit road with a combination of wedge and track bar adjustments, along with two-tire and four-tire stops. On lap 222, another competitor got loose inside the No. 27 Chevrolet sending Menard up the track and shuffled him to the back of the field. Minimal damage caused the car to tighten up and handling became difficult, but a pit stop on lap 289 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment helped Menard regain track position and ultimately cross the finish line in the 23rd position. Up next for the No. 27 team is Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Start – 11th Finish – 23rd Laps Led – 0 Points – 21st
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“We deserved a better finish than that today. We had a fast car all weekend. Justin (Alexander, crew chief) did a good job with adjustments all day to get the handling better. We recieved a little damage there at the end and just ran out of laps to have a better finish.”
Ryan Newman Clinches Championship Round Berth at Phoenix International Raceway with 11th-place Finish
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Cat Global Mining Chevrolet SS to an 11th-place finish in Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. The South Bend, Ind., driver started 20th and raced into the top 10 by lap 88. Crew chief Luke Lambert kept his eye on the prize, which was a top-10 finish in order to earn one of four coveted spots in the final round of the Chase and a chance to compete for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. For the majority of the 312-lap event, Newman raced comfortably in the top 10, but lost some traction with 50 laps to go racing in 17th place. Both Newman and Lambert remained poised and steadily began to pick up spots on the track when the caution flag waved with 25 laps to go. However, it came down to the final lap to determine the fate of the No. 31 team’s championship bid when Newman crossed the finish line 11th to earn the final transfer spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Next Sunday, Newman and the No. 31 Caterpillar team will compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finale for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Start – 20th Finish – 11th Laps Led – 0 Points -1st (tied)
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“I’m whipped, I haven’t been this tired after 312 laps around this place in a long time. I’m just proud of these guys at RCR and ECR Engines, Caterpillar, Quicken Loans, Kwikset, WIX Filters, Chevrolet and everybody else for this opportunity. I didn’t want to do what I did at the end, but I did what I had to do and kept it as clean as I possibly could. As I said before, he (Kyle Larson) did the same thing to me in a truck race for about $9,000 to win. To me, there is a Sprint Cup Championship on the line and I kept it as clean as I could.”