RCR Nationwide Post Race Report — Texas Motor Speedway

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Nationwide Series
O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
Texas Motor Speedway
April 12, 2013

Race Highlights:

Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Austin Dillon), fifth (Kevin Harvick) and 11th (Brian Scott).

Dillon is third in the Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Sam Hornish, Jr. by eight markers, while Scott is tied for fourth in the standings, nine points behind Hornish.

The No. 3 Chevrolet team ranks fourth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, with the No. 2 team sixth in and the No. 33 team seventh.

According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon had the third-best Average Running Position, ranked third in the Closers category, earned the third-best Driver Rating (113.2), was the third-Fastest Driver Early in a Run (177.648 mph), the fourth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run (174.175 mph), fourth-Fastest on Restarts, had the fourth-best Green-Flag Speed and spent 100 percent of the laps in the top 15.

Harvick ranked sixth in Average Running Position (9.165), was the fifth-Fastest Driver Late in a Run (174.142 mph) and was the seventh-Fastest on Restarts.
Scott ranked fourth in Green Flag Passes with 56.

Kyle Busch earned his fourth victory of the 2013 Nationwide Series season and was followed to the finish line by Brad Keselowski, Dillon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Harvick.

The next Nationwide Series race is the NASCAR 250 at Richmond International Raceway on Friday, April 26. The seventh race of the 2013 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPNEWS beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Satellite Radio.

Brian Scott Drives the No. 2 Husky Liners Camaro to an 11th-Place-Finish Under the Lights at Texas Motor Speedway

Brian Scott earned an 11th-place finish in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Husky Liner’s Chevrolet Camaro Friday evening at Texas Motor Speedway, after battling a loose-handling condition for a duration of the 300-mile NASCAR Nationwide Series event. The 25-year-old Boise, Idaho, native took the green flag from the 20th spot and worked his way forward after the field had settled in to a lengthy green-flag run. Proving strong on long green-flag runs, Scott moved up to the 11th position by lap 92. During a caution period on lap 120, he brought his Husky Liners Camaro to the attention of the Phil Gould-led crew for much needed chassis adjustments to improve the loose-handling condition. Following the restart, Scott reported the adjustments helped the handling of his No. 2 machine, allowing him to maintain track position. Scott engaged in a heated battle with the No. 31 team for the 10th spot during the final 10 laps, but ultimately settled for an 11th-place finish.

Start – 20          Finish – 11          Laps Led – 0          Points – 4th

BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:

“It was a tough night for us; we never had a car that was great on the restarts. We were too free at the start, but it eventually came around on the long runs. Once the race shook out we were able to turn solid laps, but just didn’t have what we needed on the restarts. We’ll take 11th and move on to Richmond (International Raceway). I can’t thank Husky Liners enough for coming on board this weekend.”

Austin Dillon Drives the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet to a Third-Place Finish at Texas Motor Speedway

Austin Dillon and the Danny Stockman-led No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet team earned a third-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday evening, securing the team’s third top-10 finish in as many races at the 1.5-mile speedway. Dillon started the race third and never slipped lower than 12th in the running order despite struggling with a loose-handling condition during the early stages of the 200-lap event. A series of routine pit stops under caution allowed the team to make track bar and air pressure adjustments to improve the car’s handling. Dillon was running fifth when the caution flag was displayed on lap 93, prompting the team to pit for fuel only during a pit cycle in which several other race teams took tires, positioning Dillon third for a lap-98 restart. A long green-flag run ensued and Dillon developed a loose-handling condition as a result of running on old tires, slipping to eighth in the running order. Handling improved following a lap-122 pit stop under caution for four tires and fuel, allowing Dillon to spend the final 60 laps of the race advancing positions. He ultimately earned a third-place finish and is now third in the driver point standings, just eight points outside of the lead.

Start – 3                       Finish – 3                     Laps Led – 0                     Points – 3rd

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:  “It’s going to be a tight points battle all season. Sam Hornish, Jr. has been tough all year, but was unlucky tonight so it was good that we were able to gain some points. We just have to keep chugging. We started off a little slow this season, but I think it’s just going to get better from here. We started off this race backing up. We were a little bit free and kept going backwards, but Danny Stockman and the guys made some adjustments that got the car turning good and we got some bite off the corners. When we did that the AdvoCare Chevrolet really started moving forward. I’m proud of our Richard Childress Racing team for working together so well.”

Kevin Harvick Finishes Fifth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Event at Texas Motor Speedway

Kevin Harvick drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet Camaro to a fifth-place finish in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night. The two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion started the 200-lap event from the seventh position and remained a fixture in the top 10 during the early laps of the race. Harvick began to slip back in the field following a fuel-only pit stop under caution on lap 66 when several teams opted to take fresh tires. As the green-flag run progressed, Harvick’s worn tires resulted in a loose-handling condition that caused him to fall back to 26th in the running order. When the caution flag was displayed on lap 93, crew chief Ernie Cope directed Harvick to pit road so the RCR pit crew could service the green and white Chevrolet with four tires, fuel and make a round of chassis adjustments to combat the handling issues the driver was facing. Harvick was scored in the 23rd position for the ensuing restart and worked his way toward the front of the field, returning to the top 10 by lap 108. The RCR driver climbed as high as third in the running order, but ultimately crossed the finish line in the fifth position.

Start – 7          Finish – 5         Laps Led – 0          Owner Points – 7th

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:

“Man, what a race. For a while there I didn’t think we were going to finish as well as we did. We struggled a bit tonight trying to find the right setup for the the Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet, we started the race way too tight and we were too loose at the end. I really got concerned following that fuel only pit stop in the middle of the race when we fell so far back in the pack. The tires were worn out and the car was so loose that I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to recover, but the team worked hard to get me moving in the right direction and we were to get a decent result.”