XFINITY Series Richmond International Raceway Report
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Richmond 250
Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va.
Friday, April 25, 2015
Race Highlights:
- Brian Scott qualified fifth and was the highest qualifying Richard Childress Racing driver at Richmond International Raceway. Austin Dillon qualified 13th, Ty Dillon 15th and Brendan Gaughan 16th.
- Brian Scott finished seventh, Austin Dillon eighth, Ty Dillon, ninth and Brendan Gaughan 11th.
- Next up for the NASCAR XFINITY Series is the Talladega 300 at Talladega Superspeedway. Catch all the action live on Saturday, May 2 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX, broadcasted live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Brian Scott Finishes Seventh at Richmond International Raceway
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Safeway/Reser’s Chevrolet qualified for the Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway in the fifth position for the Friday night’s NASCAR XFINITY Series feature. Early in the 250-lap event, Scott was battling loose conditions both in the entry and exit of the corners. The team was running in the 10th position and made multiple adjustments during the first pit stop on lap 51. During the second green-flag run, Scott radioed to the team the car was much better and more secure. He began picking away at the competition and was running in the seventh position when the caution came out for the second time on lap 109. The Safeway/Reser’s pit crew made an air pressure adjustment and gained three spots on pit road to restart in the fourth position on lap 121. Gaining one position on track, the Mike Hillman, Jr., led team elected to stay out when the caution waved on lap 144. With a great restart on lap 151, Scott led the field for one lap then moved into the second position for the next 30 laps. The Boise, Idaho native raced in the third position until lap 210 when he moved to fourth. Green-flag stops began, and the Safeway/Reser’s crew made their four-tire stop on lap 233. The race continued under green-flag conditions, and the No. 2 team crossed the finish line seventh. Scott is currently tied for eighth in the driver championship point standings as the Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway next weekend.
Start – 5 Finish – 7 Laps Led – 1 Points – 8
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
"In order to win one of these NASCAR XFINITY Series races, we need to be 100 percent. We haven’t been that yet. We’ll get there and finally win one of these things."
Ty Dillon Cruises to Ninth-Place Finish at Richmond International Raceway,
Extends Points Lead
Extends Points Lead
Ty Dillon drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet Camaro to a ninth-place finish Friday evening, retaining the NASCAR XFINITY Series points lead and extending his lead to eight points. Dillon qualified 15th earlier in the afternoon and raced in-and-around the top 15 for the entire 250-lap race. Fighting a loose-handling issue exiting the corners, Dillon found himself battling for top-10 positioning late in the race. Long green-flag stretches created an even looser race car as he found himself battling to stay on the lead lap. In the end, the No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager team used a green-flag pit stop on lap 216 to improve the car’s handle for the remaining 34 laps. Dillon crossed the finish line ninth, recording the team’s sixth top-10 finish of the season.
Start – 15 Finish – 9 Laps Led – 0 Points – 1
TY DILLON QUOTE:
"Tonight was a pretty decent night for our No. 3 Yuengling Light Lager Chevrolet Camaro. We’ve struggled here in the past, but I think we overcame some of our previous issues and put together a solid performance. We’ll definitely be better when we come back in the fall. We’ll take the points lead and move to Talladega."
Austin Dillon Earns Hard Fought Eighth-Place Finish at Richmond International Raceway
Austin Dillon and the No. 33 Ruud Chevrolet team finished eighth at Richmond International Raceway on Friday night despite battling a tight-handling race car for the majority of the 250-lap event. Within the first five laps of the race, Dillon improved his positon by six spots but soon reported a tight-handling condition developing on the No. 33 Chevrolet. Crew chief Nick Harrison called the Welcome, N.C., native to pit road under green flag conditions on lap 207 for the final stop of the night. The Ruud pit crew serviced the No. 33 machine with four fresh tires, fuel and a round of chassis adjustments to combat the tight-handling Chevrolet. Dillon rejoined the racing surface in the 17th position, two laps down to the leader. As the green-flag pit stops cycled through the field, Dillon gained his laps back and was able to advance in the running order to the seventh position. The tight-handling condition returned and Dillon slipped one position, to eighth, before the checkered flag waved.
Start – 13 Finish – 8 Laps Led – 0 Owner’s Points – 7
AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
"We had a really fast Ruud Chevrolet today. We showed a lot of speed there in the beginning of the run, but it seemed like the more rubber that we laid down on the track, the tighter the car got throughout the night. Nick (Harrison, crew chief) and the guys made some good adjustments, we just didn’t make them big enough there at the end of the race."
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 11th at Richmond International Raceway
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet team qualified 16th for Friday night’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Richmond 250 at Richmond International Raceway. The Shane Wilson-led team made early adjustments to the Richard Childress Racing Camaro and an 11.6-second pit stop put Gaughan in the ideal place to advance his position on the track. The Las Vegas native remained in the top 15 for the first half of the 250-lap event at the 0.75-mile race way. On lap 109, there was an incident on pit road and a brief fire broke out that was quickly doused by the Richmond International Raceway fire crew. As a result of the fire, two crew members from the No. 62 team were transported to the hospital to be evaluated. Gaughan continued to advance his position and earned an 11th-place finish at RIR. Gaughan and his Richard Childress Racing team are now sixth in the driver point standings as the XFINITY Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway next weekend.
Start – 16 Finish – 11 Laps Led – 0 Points – 6
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
"An emotional night for this entire South Point team and I here at Richmond. When I saw the flame and that none of the guys were near my car, I tried to get away as fast as I could. That race car only had more fuel in it that could potentially ignite and I didn’t want that to happen. Don’t tell me these guys aren’t professional athletes, they are the toughest, most athletic guys I have seen. We had a strong finish and now I am going to go check on my boys."