Richard Childress Racing–Pocono 400

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Pocono 400 Post Race Report
Pocono Raceway
Sunday, June 8, 2014
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon and Paul Menard finished seventh, 17th and 26th.
Newman ranks 11th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing current leader Jeff Gordon by 87 points, while Dillon ranks 15th and Menard ranks 17th.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. earned his second victory of the 2014 season and was followed to the finish line by Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 15, which is scheduled to be televised live on TNT beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
 
Austin Dillon Earns 17th-Place Finish in No. 3 Dow Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway
 
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon earned a 17th-place finish in the Dow Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway after starting the 160-lap event from the 11th position. Dillon noted a loose-handling condition off turn two and a tight-handling condition in turn three from the start of the event, prompting crew chief Gil Martin to direct a chassis adjustments during routine pit stops throughout the event. Shortly after pitting for four tires and fuel under green-flag conditions on lap 57, the caution flag was displayed for debris, pinning Dillon one lap down to the race leader. He opted to take the wave around to rejoin the lead lap cars, restarting 25th when green-flag racing resumed on lap 64. During a lap-83 restart, Dillon changed lanes before the start-finish line and was issued a pass-through penalty. He fell one lap down to the race leader after coming down pit road, dropping to 31st in the running order. He took the wave around again during a lap-117 caution to rejoin the lead lap cars. With 30 laps remaining, Dillon was scored in the 25th position, and drove his way to 17th for the race’s finish.
 
Start – 11th       Finish – 17th    Laps Led – 0    Points – 15th  
                                                  
 
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
“It was a really long race for us, but I learned a lot and I feel like we are building a pretty good notebook for the future. The Dow Chevrolet was loose in turn two and tight in turn three but Gil Martin helped make adjustments that really helped us towards the end of the race.”
 
 
 
  2011 CC Team Icon 27 NSCS Menards
 
Paul Menard Finishes 26th at Pocono Raceway in No. 27 Moen / Menards Chevrolet
 
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 27 Moen/Menards Chevrolet SS to a 26th-place finish in Sunday’s 400-mile event at Pocono Raceway. The Eau Claire, Wisc., driver started 23rd and battled a loose-handling race car for 27 laps before green-flag pit stops. Crew chief Slugger Labbe and the No. 27 pit crew were able to remedy the loose condition on pit road with four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. Just four laps later, the afternoon’s first caution-flag flew giving the Labbe-led team an opportunity to return to pit road for fuel only. Menard would race in the top-20 and the top-10 through lap 88 of 160 circuits, stopping on lap 73 for two tires only. On lap 116, Menard communicated to his team his Chevrolet was experiencing a mechanical issue, which ultimately lead to a 26th-place finish for the Moen/Menards team. Up next for the No. 27 team is next Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway.
 
Start – 23rd             Finish – 26th             Laps Led – 0                Points – 17th
 
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“Today was a tough day. We fought a loose car early in the race, but Slugger (Labbe) was able to make a call for adjustments that helped. I’ve never experienced a mechanical issue like we did at the end of the race, so that made finishing a challenge. I know we will bounce back next weekend in Michigan.”
 

 
Ryan Newman Turns In Seventh-Place Finish at Pocono Raceway
 
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 WIX Filters Chevrolet SS to a seventh-place finish in Sunday’s 160-lap race at Pocono Raceway. The South Bend, Ind., driver started 15th and the Luke Lambert-led team used several pit stops in the early stages to improve the handling when Newman reported an extremely loose-handling Chevrolet. By halfway, the No. 31 team competed in the top 10 and needed a little more improvement in handling to contend for a top-five spot. In the process, the team also implemented a fuel strategy plan. Newman’s final stop happened on lap 130 for a routine service for four fresh tires and fuel. Then, with less than 20 laps to go, a multi-car crash occurred behind Newman while he was in the 11th position. The caution set up a 12-lap shootout to the finish and when the checkered flag waved, Newman earned his seventh-place finish. Today’s result is the team’s fifth top 10 of the season and keeps Newman in 11th place in the championship standings. Up next is the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Father’s Day next Sunday.
 
Start – 15th           Finish – 7th                    Laps Led – 0                Points – 11th
 
 
 
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE: 
“Our WIX Filters Chevrolet handled pretty well throughout the race. We got a little behind in the beginning, but I am thinking it may have been a set of tires that cost us to lose some track position. After that, we just fine tuned our car and worked our way up to the front. We needed this top-10 after last week’s disappointing result. Now it’s off to Michigan for the Quicken Loans 400. We have them on board with us next week and a lot of Quicken Loans team members will be with us and we’re looking forward to putting on a great show for them.”