NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Las Vegas 400
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 8, 2015
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Austin Dillon finished third, 11th and 20th, respectively.
Newman ranks 12th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings trailing current leader Kevin Harvick by 58 points, while Paul Menard ranks 13th and Austin Dillon is 22nd.
Harvick earned his first victory of the 2015 season and was followed to the line by Martin Truex, Jr., Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Denny Hamlin.
The fourth race of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season is the CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, March 15, 2015, which is scheduled to be televised live on FOX beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Austin Dillon Finishes 20th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sporting a special Dow Energy & Water paint scheme on the No. 3 Chevrolet, Austin Dillon raced to a 20th-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The Welcome, N.C., driver started the 267-lap event from the 24th position and showed speed in the early stages of the race, advancing to the 13th spot before a mechanical issue caused the team to pit. Following two lengthy pit stops for repairs and a sub sequential pit road penalty on lap 177, Dillon fell to 24th in the running order and was relegated one lap down to the race leader. He spent the remainder of the laps attempting to race his way into position to earn the “Lucky Dog” award, ultimately finishing 20th. The next Sprint Cup Series event is the CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, March 15 and is scheduled to air live on FOX TV at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Start – 24 Finish – 20 Laps Led – 0 Points – 22
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“We had a fast Dow Energy and Water Chevrolet today and that just shows how hard RCR has worked during the off season. We had a bit of bad luck but we will get it turned around. I want to thank everyone at Dow and especially their Energy and Water division for their support.”
2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards,
Paul Menard Finishes 11th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS to an 11th-place finish in Sunday’s 267-lap event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Wisconsin native started 24th and by lap 12 reported the car was too loose to run the top groove. Crew chief Justin Alexander and the Quaker State/Menards crew came up with a remedy of four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments during the NASCAR-mandated competition caution on lap 25. The No. 27 crew continued to make improvements to the car’s handling throughout the 400.5-mile event with four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments. When the caution flag was displayed on lap 138, Menard reported the Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet was handling the best it had all race. The final restart saw Menard in the 11th position where he recorded the team’s fastest lap times of the day and 69 laps later crossed the finish line in the same spot. The top-15 result places Menard 13th in the driver points standings. Next up for the No. 27 team is Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Start – 24 Finish – 11 Laps Led – 0 Points – 13
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“My guys worked hard all day to get the car where we needed it and by the end of the race it was a fast Quaker State/Menards Chevy. We definitely learned some things today we will remember for the next couple of races.”
Ryan Newman Leads Laps at Las Vegas Motor Speedway En Route to
a Third-Place Finish
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a third-place finish in Sunday’s Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver lined up seventh for the start of the race and drove comfortably in the top 10 for the duration of the 267-lap event. Newman’s Caterpillar Chevrolet only needed fine tuning so the Cat driver took advantage of the ability to adjust the track bar manually, and did so when needed. The final 50 laps consisted of Newman racing in fifth position before taking the lead on lap 231. He held the top spot for 14 circuits. The team’s final stop occurred on lap 245 for two fresh tires and fuel. Newman returned to the track in ninth position and wasted no time in picking up spots. When the checkered flag waved the Cat team finished third. Newman ranks 12th in the championship point standings heading into next Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. Quicken Loans will be on board as the primary sponsor.
Start – 7 Finish – 3 Laps Led – 14 Points – 12
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
“It’s good to finish in the top five. It took until June last year to make that happen, so that’s good progress and an improvement from where we finished here last season. It’s a good run for the Caterpillar Chevrolet, we will keep working on it. It was such a good day for us and the Caterpillar pit crew once again performed so well. It’s nice to be close and I don’t think it’s going to be long until we get to stand in victory lane.”