Richard Childress Racing–Pure Michigan 400

Solid Performance by Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Automotive Magna Team Earns RCR A Seventh-Place Finish at Michigan International Speedway

“We needed that finish. The guys did a good job. This team has come a long, long way in the past couple of weeks. The Dow Automotive Magna Chevrolet was very drivable throughout the race, we just needed a little more speed to really get after it. We had good pit strategy and adjusted the car well. It’s been a while since we’ve had a race car capable of doing something. RCR has been working hard and we need to hit our stride right when we get to the start of the playoffs. Kyle Larson’s win officially locked us into the playoffs, taking a little bit of pressure off of our backs now.”

– Austin Dillon

Paul Menard’s Day Ends Early After Contact Damages Oil Cooler on Dutch Boys / Menards Chevrolet

“We were fighting hard on that late restart to get the free pass and we got caught up with Michael McDowell off Turn 2. I was able to drive the Dutch Boy / Menards Chevrolet back to Matt Borland and the crew, but the damage to the nose knocked the oil cooler back and we had to push it back to the garage. I hate it for our team, and for all of our Dutch Boy guests here today who have shown us so much support throughout this entire season.”

– Paul Menard

Strong Restart and Pit Strategy Lead to Fourth-Place Finish for Ryan Newman and No. 31 VELVEETA Shells & Cheese Chevy

“We definitely didn’t have the best race car at the beginning of the race and had to work on it during our pit stops through Stage 1 and 2. Luke (Lambert, crew chief) put together a really great strategy by staying out late and hoping for a caution during the final stage. We got a little lucky, had a heck of a pit stop and a strong restart. Sometimes that’s how these races unfold. We’re super happy with a top-five finish but we feel that we’ve got some work to do to make our race cars faster. The good news is we have a few more races before the playoffs begin to get it right.”

– Ryan Newman