XFINITY Series: Bristol Motor Speedway report
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NASCAR XFINITY Series
Drive to Stop Diabetes 300
Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Race Highlights:
- Austin Dillon qualified third and was the highest qualifying Richard Childress Racing driver at Bristol Motor Speedway. Brian Scott qualified fourth, Brendan Gaughan eighth and Ty Dillon 16th.
- Ty Dillon finished fifth, Brian Scott eighth, Brendan Gaughan ninth, and Austin Dillon 16th.
- Next up for the NASCAR XFINITY Series is the Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Catch all the action live on Friday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Fox Sports 1, broadcasted live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Brian Scott Finishes Eighth at Bristol Motor Speedway
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet qualified in the fourth position for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, his fifth top 10 starting position this season. Early on in the 300-lap event, the Richard Childress Racing entry was lacking rear grip when exiting the corners. On the lap 57 caution, the Mike Hillman, Jr.-led team brought the Chevrolet Camaro to pit road for four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments. The adjustments helped Scott and he moved into the fourth position after the green flag on lap 64. The Boise, Idaho-native continued to race out front visiting pit road for another set of fresh Goodyear Racing tires and fuel on lap 121. At the halfway point in the race, Scott was scored in the third spot and held onto the position until the lap 174 caution. After a great restart on lap 189, Scott raced into the second position for 10 laps before settling into the third position after another restart on lap 200. The red flag was displayed on lap 210 for an accident in turn three that required track officials to work on the wall. After 10 minutes, the field restarted with 86 laps to go. Scott settled into the fourth position until lap 242 when lapped traffic got heavy. The field was set up for pit strategy when the caution was displayed with 19 laps to go. The team visited pit road one final time for four tires and fuel. On the restart, Scott was scored eighth and crossed the finish line in that position. The finish marks Scott’s fifth top-10 finish the season.
Start – 4 Finish – 8 Laps Led – 0 Points – 9
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
"I struggle at this track. I can’t figure it out when rubber gets on the track. We needed grip to help us turn and drive-off. We should’ve had a better result for our Shore Lodge Chevrolet."
Points Leader Ty Dillon Records Third Top-Five Finish of the Season
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet Camaro to a fifth-place finish Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway, recording the team’s third top-five finish of the season. The 23-year-old driver retained the NASCAR XFINITY Series points lead for a fourth consecutive week. Dillon qualified 16th earlier that day, but quickly proved he had a race car that was capable of racing inside the top 10. By lap 41, the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro was 10th, and after the first pit stop of the afternoon, Dillon found himself inside the top five. Struggling early in a run, Dillon radioed he needed help on restarts to keep up with his fellow competitors. Crew chief Danny Stockman made small adjustments on lap 121 and lap 175 to correct the issue. In result of the changes, Dillon was competing for the lead by lap 180. A series of cautions would set the No. 3 team back due to take-off issues, but on lap 228 Dillon made a charge to remain inside the top-five. On the race’s final restart on lap 287, Dillon held on to the fifth position and crossed the finish line. Dillon remains the XFINITY Series Points leader as the Series heads to another short-track race next Friday night in Richmond, Virginia.
Start – 16 Finish – 5 Laps Led – 0 Points – 1
TY DILLON QUOTE:
"It seemed as if the car’s balance wouldn’t come to us until a few laps into a run. We got better as the race progressed and stayed competitive on long green-flag stretches. I’m lucky to have a great group of guys around me that can make great adjustments and understand this race track. We’ll take another top-five finish and keep the points lead. We’re in a good spot right now. I want to thank all of our friends at Yuengling for the support and their help organizing a fun weekend."
Austin Dillon Salvages 16th-Place Finish at Bristol
Austin Dillon and the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet team finished 16th at Bristol Motor Speedway after being involved in an incident on pit road in the early stages of the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300. Dillon started the 300-lap affair from the third position and raced as high as second in the first 50 laps. The Richard Childress Racing driver reported to the Rheem team he was too loose in the exit of the turns. A caution on lap 58 slowed the field and crew chief Nick Harrison called Dillon to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. As Dillon was exiting his pit stall, he made contact with another competitor and received right-side damage. Dillon returned to pit road the following lap to repair the damage on the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet and returned to the racing surface in 17th-place. Dillon worked through traffic and was scored in the ninth position on lap 130. Dillon radioed to the No. 33 team on lap 135 he felt a tire going down. The team pitted under green-flag conditions on the following lap for right-side tires. Dillon returned to pit road one lap later for the team to work on the right-rear fender to alleviate any additional tire rub. After his visits to pit road, Dillon was 26th and four laps down to the leaders. In the last 50 laps of the race, Dillon gained one of his laps back and improved his position to 16th before crossing the finish line.
Start – 3 Finish – 16 Laps Led – 0 Owner’s Points – 7
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
"It was a tough day for Rheem team, but I’m really proud of them. We got hit on pit road and had a right-rear tire rub, but we were still fast enough to battle back to a decent finish. These guys worked hard and kept their heads up today. We’ll go get them next weekend in Richmond."
Brendan Gaughan Earns Fourth Top-10 Finish of the Season at Bristol Motor Speedway
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet started the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway in the eighth position, the sixth top 10 starting position for the Richard Childress Racing team this season. The Shane Wilson-led team battled loose-handling conditions at the beginning of the 300-lap event. The RCR team pitted under caution on lap 58, getting four fresh Goodyear tires, Sunoco Racing fuel and adjusting the track bar, restarting them in the 11th position. The adjustments improved the handling of the South Point Chevrolet, advancing Gaughan into the top 10 where he raced for the majority of the afternoon. After a 10 minute red flag, Gaughan restarted fifth and battled to remain in the top 10 for the remainder of the race. The Las Vegas, native crossed the finish line in the ninth position, the teams fourth top 10 finish of the season. Gaughan gained one spot in the driver point standings, moving him up to seventh as the XFINITY Series heads to Richmond International Raceway next Friday night.
Start – 8 Finish – 9 Laps Led – 0 Points – 7
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
"Wish we could’ve given it a little bit more. We tried a little pit strategy during the last caution, but I am from Vegas, so I always like to gamble a little. Our South Point Chevrolet really started coming to us late in the runs today at Bristol Motor Speedway, but we just ran out of time. The big thing is that we are staying consistent, learning and improving every weekend."