NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks Post Race Report
Dover International Speedway
June 1, 2014
Race Highlights:
Austin Dillon Earns 21st-Place Finish in No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet at Dover International Speedway
Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon earned a 21st-place finish in No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The Welcome, N.C., driver started the 400-lap race from the 23rd spot and advanced into the top 20 before the first round of pit stops on lap 67. Dillon maintained his position within the top 20 until pitting for right-side tires under caution on lap 159, helping him advance into the top 10. The red flag was displayed shortly after the caution so that NASCAR and track officials could make repairs to the racing surface, which developed a pot hole in turn two. Following a 25-minute red flag for repairs, green flag racing resumed on lap 164 with Dillon in the eighth position. Dillon was running in the 14th spot with approximately 70 laps remaining when he ran out of fuel under green-flag conditions. He immediately brought the No. 3 Chevrolet down pit road but could not read his gauges while coasting and was issued a penalty for speeding down pit road. Once pitted, his car stalled in the pit box, causing further problems for the team. Dillon fell back to the 24th spot, two laps down to the race leader, following the pit stop. He battled his way to the 21st position for the race's finish and is now 15th in the point standings.
Start - 23rd Finish - 21st Laps Led - 0 Points - 15th
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
"I'm proud of all of the guys for working so hard today and this weekend. This is a hard one to take. We had our best car all year today and I really think we were on our way to a top-10 finish in the American Ethanol Chevrolet. We ran out of fuel. What can you do about it? On to the next one. We're All In!"
Paul Menard Earns Second-Straight Top-10 Finish at Dover in No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet
Paul Menard drove Richard Childress Racing's No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet SS to a 10th-place finish in Sunday's 400-mile event at Dover International Speedway. The Eau Claire, Wisc., driver started 15th and was fast from the start, scored as the fastest car on track several laps in a row. Menard quickly found his way to the top 10 and raced in the top five by lap 132. On lap 159, Menard radioed the team concerned about a chunk of concrete missing in the track. After a 25-minute red flag to patch the track, the green flag flew and Menard restarted in the seventh position. The Slugger Labbe-lead team raced in the top five, passing the halfway mark in the fifth position. Menard lost handling of the car after a pit stop for two tires. On the final caution, the No. 27 team opted to stay out and was able to bring the Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet home tenth. Today's top-10 is the team's seventh of 2014 and moves the No. 27 to 14th place in the championship standings. Up next for the No. 27 team is next Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway.
Start - 15th Finish - 10th Laps Led - 0 Points - 14th
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
"We definitely had our best Dover car yet. The Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet took 10 to 15 laps to come to me but we could really race after that point. We struggled on restarts because of the time it took for the air pressures to settle in but we could really move forwards once they did. The guys gave me great stops on pit road which helped keep us in the top five early in the race. It was a great race for us and another top 10 finish doesn't hurt."
Mechanical Issue Costs the No. 31 Caterpillar Team Top-10 Finish
At Dover International Speedway
Ryan Newman drove Richard Childress Racing's No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS to a 31st-place finish at Sunday's 400-lap event at Dover International Speedway. The South Bend, Ind., driver started 14th and in the early stages, battled an extremely loose-handling condition to race in the top 25. By halfway, the No. 31 competed in the top 20 but still needed more adjustments for a chance to contend with the top-10 competitors. The team's hard work paid off as Newman moved into the top 10 on lap 291. Unfortunately a mechanical issue occurred when the No. 31 visited pit road for what was to be the team's final service of the day. The problem slowed Newman and he was forced to the garage for quick repairs. He returned to the track 14 laps down to the leader to finish in 31st position. The result places Newman in 11th place, just three markers out of the top 10 in the driver championship point standings. Up next for the No. 31 team is next Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway.
Start - 14th Finish - 31st Laps Led - 0 Points - 11th
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTE:
"When the race started, we had our work cut out for us. We were so loose it cost us quite a bit of track position. The CAT crew worked extremely hard to get our Chevrolet competitive and Luke (Lambert - crew chief) made all the right calls. We made our way into the top 10 with about 100 laps to go. I'm so proud of what we were able to accomplish. Through adversity, we were capable of turning things around to produce a top-10 car. It's a shame we had a mechanical problem that cost us the decent finish."
