Great Clips 300
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Atlanta Motor Speedway
August 31, 2013
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Kevin Harvick), eighth (Austin Dillon) and 10th(Brian Scott).
Dillon is second in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Sam Hornish, Jr. by 10 points, while Scott is eighth, 67 points behind the leader.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks fourth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 2 team 10th and the No. 33 team 12th.
According to NASCAR’s Post Race Loop Data Statistics, Harvick maintained the highest Average Running Position (2.851), had the best Driver Rating (149), was the Fastest Driver Late in a Run (166.476 mph), led the field in the categories of Fastest Laps Run (57), Green Flag Speed (168.289 mph) and Laps Led (132).
Dillon ranked third in Average Running Position (3.692), was the third-Fastest Driver Early in a Run (170.966 mph), was third-Fastest on Restarts (167.947 mph) and maintained the fourth-best Driver Rating (112.9).
Scott ranked third in Green Flag Passes with 68.
Harvick earned his first Nationwide Series victory of the 2013 season and was followed to the finish line by Kyle Busch, Sam Hornish, Jr., Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson.
The next Nationwide Series race is the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway on Friday, Sept. 6. The 25th race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio channel 90.
Brian Scott Earns 11th Top-10 Finish of 2013 Season at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Armour Vienna Sausages crew earned their 11th top-10 finish of 2013 in the Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday evening. Scott started from the 12th position and battled a tight-handling condition for a better part of the 195-lap event before taking the checkered flag in the 10th spot. From the drop of the green flag, the Richard Childress Racing driver reported that his blue and gold Chevrolet was too tight and wasn’t able to run the bottom of the track through the corners, but continued pace in the ninth position. The evening’s first caution flag was displayed on lap 36 and provided crew chief Phil Gould the opportunity to bring Scott to pit road for four tires and fuel, along with a chassis adjustment. The Boise, Idaho-native restarted 17th as the field spread out for a lengthy green-flag run, and made his way to the 10th spot before making a scheduled pit stop under green-flag conditions on lap 144. As the final laps wound down, the caution flag flew with just 13 laps remaining. Scott came to pit road for four fresh tires for the sprint to the finish. Upon the restart, he jostled for position and battled closely with the No. 7 car to the line ultimately taking the 10th spot.
Start – 12 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 0 Points – 8th
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“We had a really strong Armour Vienna Sausages Chevrolet tonight, but were just too tight at the beginning of the race. During the last long green-flag run the car handled well and we were laying down lap times as fast as the leaders. The guys worked hard and I can’t wait to get back to Richmond International Raceway next Friday night.”
Austin Dillon Earns Top-10 Finish in NASCAR Nationwide Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Austin Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to an eighth-place finish in Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Welcome, N.C., driver started the 300-mile event second and maintained a position within the top 10 throughout the duration of the race, never falling lower than ninth in the running order. He spent the first half of the race running within the top three positions, leading lap 42 to gain a championship bonus point. Shortly after the race’s halfway point, Dillon slipped to sixth as the AdvoCare Chevrolet developed a tight-in, loose-off condition. The final caution flag of the event was displayed on lap 182 with Dillon in the fourth position, prompting crew chief Danny Stockman to call his driver down pit road for one final set of tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The RCR driver was positioned fourth for the final restart on lap 189 but a tight-handling condition persisted for the final five laps of the race, resulting in an eighth-place finish. Dillon remains second in the Nationwide Series driver championship standings, 10 points shy of Sam Hornish Jr’s lead.
Start – 2 Finish – 8 Laps Led – 1 Points – 2nd
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“We had a really fast AdvoCare Chevrolet tonight and I really thought we were on our way to a top-three or four finish, but our car was pretty tight on the last restart and it caused us to lose track position. I feel like we’re still in solid contention in the point standings and I’m excited to race under the lights at Richmond International Raceway next Friday night.”
Kevin Harvick Victorious Under the Lights of Atlanta Motor Speedway
Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Bad Boy Buggies team drove to Victory Lane Saturday night following the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway after leading 132 of the 195-lap event. The California native started the 300-mile affair from the 20th position and quickly alerted the team that his Chevrolet was too loose during the initial run. Despite battling handling issues, Harvick drove into the top-five of the running order before crew chief Ernie Cope called his driver to pit road under caution on lap 37 for four tires, fuel and a variety of chassis adjustments. Harvick lined up in the sixth position for the ensuing restart and drove his way into the lead on lap 59. While running out front during the final laps, Harvick reported a vibration in the left-rear tire, prompting the team to make a final pit stop on lap 185 under caution for four tires and fuel. The quick work on pit road allowed the two-time Nationwide Series Champion to restart first with seven laps remaining in the event. Harvick held off the competition during the final laps and picked up his first Nationwide Series victory of 2013 season.
Start – 20 Finish – 1 Laps Led – 132 Owner Points – 12th
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“Our Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet was really good tonight. We were a touch too tight at the end, but we were in control of the race during the final restart and were able to do what we needed to do. We had a great car on long runs. It took us five or six laps to get going, but all-in-all we were able to keep up a good pace and were able to hold off the competition. We knew we had a good car after practice, but I didn’t qualify well and we were all a bit frustrated. In the end, that didn’t really matter.”