Friday Night Lights for the XFINITY Series in Texas
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NASCAR XFINITY Series
O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
Texas Motor Speedway
Friday, April 10, 2015
Race Highlights:
- Austin Dillon qualified third and was the highest qualifying Richard Childress Racing driver at Texas Motor Speedway. Brian Scott qualified seventh, Brendan Gaughan 12th and Ty Dillon 16th.
- Austin Dillon finished fifth, Brian Scott 10th, Ty Dillon 12th and Brendan Gaughan 33rd.
- Next up for the NASCAR XFINITY Series is the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Catch all the action live on Saturday, April 18 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Fox Sports 1, broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Brian Scott Leads Laps Early, Finishes 10th at Texas Motor Speedway
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Albertsons / Reser’s Chevrolet qualified in the seventh position for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300. In the first night race on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule, Scott took over the race lead on lap 22 leading the next 26 laps. The 27-year-old started to lose the handling in the rear of the car falling to the ninth position when the caution was displayed on lap 63. The team detected a tire issue and rebounded with four fresh tires and a chassis adjustment on the pit stop. Scott went on to battle with right-rear grip racing around the 10th position for the remainder of the 200-lap race. Scott picked up two positions on the closing laps and crossed the finish line in the 10th position. The 10th-place finish marks Scotts fourth top-10 finish of the season and moves Scott to ninth in the championship point standings as the Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend.
Start – 7 Finish – 10 Laps Led – 26 Points – 9
Brian Scott Quote:
"That was a tough break for such a strong beginning to the race. We just lost the handling on our Albertsons / Reser’s Chevrolet and it just fell off. I want to thank this No. 2 team for all of their hard work. We’ll get this figured out and be strong before too long."
Ty Dillon Retains Points Lead, Finishes 12th at Texas Motor Speedway
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Bulwark / Wayne Workwear Chevrolet Camaro to a 12th-place finish Friday night under the lights of Texas Motor Speedway, remaining the NASCAR XFINITY Series points leader. Dillon, who qualified 16th earlier in the day, spent most of the 200 lap event inside the top 15. The 23-year-old driver noted he was having trouble entering the corners of the race track and subsequently effected his exit of the corner. Crew chief Danny Stockman and team went to work to improve the No. 3 Camaro’s balance. The plan seemed to pay off on the lap 137 restart as Dillon moved inside the top 10. A late caution on lap 168 forced Dillon to pit road for a final pit stop. In the end, the No. 3 Bulwark / Wayne Workwear Chevrolet Camaro crossed the finish line 12th. Dillon remains the XFINTIY Series driver point standings leader.
Start – 16 Finish – 12 Laps Led – 0 Points – 1
TY DILLON QUOTE:
"We struggled in the beginning getting into the corners but Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and the guys did a great job adjusting. We just seemed to be a little off tonight. We’re happy to keep the point leads but definitely need to keep working hard. Can’t thank VF Imagewear enough for the support this weekend; it was great to see their executives and customers at the race track today."
Austin Dillon Earns Top-Five Finish in Texas
Austin Dillon and the No. 33 Ruud Chevrolet Camaro earned a fifth-place finish in Friday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. Dillon qualified the black-and-red Chevrolet third for the 200-lap event. The Richard Childress Racing driver remained a fixture in the top 10 of the running order for the first portion of the race despite battling a lack of grip. Crew chief Nick Harrison called Dillon to pit road on lap 111 under green flag conditions for four tires, fuel and a round of chassis adjustments. The pit strategy allowed Dillon to remain on the racing surface when a caution flag slowed the field on lap 127, placing the Ruud team second in the running order. The Welcome, N.C., native continued to battle lack of grip in the closing laps of the race and crossed the finish line in the fifth position, collecting his fourth top-five finish of the season.
Start – 3 Finish – 5 Laps Led – 1 Owner’s Points – 5
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
"We made a couple of mistakes today, but ended up battling back to finish fifth. We started to get a little hot at the end of the race, and I think we just lost some speed because of it. I’m really proud of this Ruud team. They worked hard all weekend and put together another fast car. Nick (Harrison, crew chief) and the guys will keep working towards making us better each week."
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 33rd at Texas Motor Speedway
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 WIX Filters Chevrolet Camaro took the green flag for the NASCAR XFINITY Series event at Texas Motor Speedway in the 12th position. Gaughan battled a tight handling Chevrolet for the majority of the evening. On lap 57, the Las Vegas native felt a tire going down and immediately visited pit road. The unexpected pit stop resulted in the WIX Filters Chevrolet returning to the track two laps down in the 31st position. Just shy of the halfway point of the 200-lap event, Gaughan had returned to the lead lap and found himself inside the top five. The 39-year-old driver raced inside the top 15 for the remainder of the evening. With only 31 laps remaining, Gaughan was involved in an on-track incident that ended the team’s night and resulted in a 33rd-place finish. Gaughan and his Richard Childress Racing team are now eighth in the driver point standings as the XFINITY Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend.
Start – 12th Finish – 33rd Laps Led – 3 Points – 8th
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
"The Richard Childress Racing team faced a lot of adversity today at Texas Motor Speedway. It is really unfortunate that we were collected in the late-race incident with the No. 14 that ended our day. The team and I enjoyed having WIX Filters back on board the No. 62 Camaro this weekend. We’re going to keep our heads up and move on to Bristol."