RCR shows XFINITY Series power at Kentucky
VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300
Kentucky Speedway
Race Highlights:
- Ty Dillon finished second and was the highest finishing Richard Childress Racing driver in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Brandon Jones finished fifth, Brendan Gaughan sixth, and Brian Scott 13th.
- Richard Childress Racing driver Brain Scott started second, Ty Dillon fourth, Brendan Gaughan sixth and Brandon Jones 22nd.
- Next up for the XFINITY Series is the Hisense 200 at Dover International Speedway. Catch all the action live on Saturday, October 3 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC Sports Network, broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Brian Scott Leads at Kentucky Speedway but Finishes 13th After Contact
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet team qualified on the outside pole for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway. The second-place starting position was the 17th top-five start for the Richard Childress Racing team this season. Scott led 49 laps during the scheduled 200-lap NASCAR XFINITY Series event and ran inside the top-five for two-thirds of the race before contact with another competitor on the lap 126 restart. The incident created a vibration in the No. 2 machine forcing them to pit road. The green-flag stop on lap 142 forced Scott to fall one lap short to the leader. The Mike Hillman, Jr.-led team took the wave around during the caution on lap 169 to regain a lead lap position. Scott restarted 19th with 29 laps to go and battled tight-handling conditions from the earlier contact. The 28-year-old made up six positions in the closing laps to bring home a 13th-place finish in the Series 27th race of the season.
Start – 2 Finish – 13 Laps Led – 49 Points – 7
Brian Scott Quote:
"We had a fast Shore Lodge Chevrolet. We’ll go get them at Dover International Speedway."
Ty Dillon Finishes Second at Kentucky Speedway, Narrows Points Lead
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet Camaro to a second-place finish Saturday evening at Kentucky Speedway, recording the team’s ninth top-five finish of the season and remains second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver point standings. Dillon, who qualified fourth earlier in the afternoon, led a total of 43 laps, including five of the final eight. He battled a loose-handling condition for a majority of the scheduled 200-lap race, but managed to race inside the top five and compete for the lead. Crew chief Nick Harrison used pit strategy to keep Dillon out front, including several two and four-tire pit stops, which put the 23-year-old driver off sequence. In the closing laps, Dillon raced himself into the lead after a solid green-flag restart on lap 192. A quick caution on lap 196 re-racked the field forcing the race to end in a green-white-checkered. Dillon was shuffled back to second place on the final restart, where he would eventually finish. The second-place finish was Dillon’s ninth top five this season and he remains second in the XFINITY Series driver points standings, trailing the leader by only 19 markers.
Start – 4 Finish – 2 Laps Led – 43 Points – 2
TY DILLON QUOTE:
"First of all, we’re happy tonight with our finish. Earlier this season we weren’t fortunate enough to even be in this position. But we made changes and we’re really hitting our stride. This one really hurts. It hurts for my team, knowing that we were that close to winning this thing. But we’ve got to look at today as a positive, it was a good points day. We’re trending in the right direction."
Brandon Jones Leads Laps and Finishes Fifth at Kentucky Speedway
Brandon Jones and the No. 33 Barrett Jackson Premium Auto Care/Menards team finished fifth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 under the lights at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night. Marking his fifth and final XFINITY Series start of the season with the Richard Childress Racing team, Jones started the scheduled 200-lap event from the 22nd position. By lap two, Jones had improved his position by seven spots. And by lap 10, Jones was running in the top-10 of the running order. A lap-85 yellow flag slowed the field and the Danny Stockman-led team visited pit road for four tires, fuel and a small chassis adjustment. Quick work by the Barrett Jackson Premium Auto Care/Menards pit crew boosted Jones in the line up to the fourth position. Jones battled three-wide on the restart and drove off with the lead for the first time in his XFINITY Series career. The Atlanta native paced the field for the next 16 circuits around the 1.5-mile track. Jones slipped from the lead on an ensuing restart, but continued to run within the top five until he was called to pit road for a routine green flag pit stop on lap 150. While on pit road, the No. 33 team fell one lap down to the leader, but was able to take the wave around four laps later when the caution flag was displayed. In the closing 35 laps, Jones improved his position by 12 spots earning his first career top-five finish in the XFINITY Series.
Start – 22 Finish -5 Laps Led – 16 Owner’s Points – 5
BRANDON JONES QUOTE:
"That was a lot of fun. I’m so proud of this Barrett Jackson Premium Auto Care/Menards team. We didn’t get the qualifying spot we wanted but we battled there in the beginning of the race and took over the lead. To be able to lead laps in my first 1.5-mile race in the XFINITY Series is awesome. Danny (Stockman, crew chief) made some great calls and put us up front. This gives me a lot of confidence going into next year in my first full-time ride in the XFINITY Series."
Brendan Gaughan Earns 13th Top-10 Finish of 2015 at Kentucky Speedway
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino team collected their 13th top-10 finish of 2015 with a sixth-place result at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night. The Las Vegas native started the scheduled 200-lap event from the sixth position and remained inside the top-10 through the first 46 circuits around the 1.5-mile speedway. On lap 46, Gaughan reported to crew chief Shane Wilson he was struggling with entry into the corner while running in 11th place. A caution period on lap 84 allowed the NASCAR XFINITY Series regular to bring his Camaro to the attention of his crew for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. As the laps wound down, Gaughan took full advantage of restarts on laps 172, 187 and 192 to climb inside the top-10. The evening’s final caution period set up the field for a green-white-checkered finish. Gaughan utilized momentum through the corners to bring home a sixth-place finish. The No. 62 team remains ninth in the XFINITY Series point standings.
Start – 6 Finish – 6 Laps Led – 0 Driver Points – 9
Brendan Gaughan Quote:
"Once again, Shane (Wilson) and the No. 62 team brought a fast South Point Chevrolet to the track. We were so loose through the corners early in the race, but worked on the handling during each stop. The boys on pit road were great. I love restarts at Kentucky and made sure to take full advantage of them and even though we didn’t get the win, I’m proud of my guys’ hard work."