Richard Childress Racing Is Back In The Saddle Again
They’re back. Back to their old ways, back in the championship discussion, back in Victory Lane.
Richard Childress Racing’s mid-season push has them staring at a possible three-race win streak following Paul Menard’s victory at Michigan and Brendan Gaughan’s triumph last weekend at Road America.
“When I came to RCR, I told Richard (Childress) that all I wanted to do was prove I could still win races, and ever since then it has been the best racing of my life,” said Gaughan.
A three-peat win streak, while tough to pull off, is a real possibility considering RCR’s success at Kentucky. The No. 3 team swept the 2012 Kentucky season at the 1.5-mile track, and finished runner-up last fall with driver Austin Dillon. This season Ty Dillon, who won at Kentucky in the Camping World Truck Series last season, commands the famed No. 3 Chevrolet and leads the RCR contingent to the blue-grass state.
All three of RCR’s drivers are in the top-ten in the series points standings; including two in the top five – Dillon (fourth) and Brian Scott (fifth). Gaughan (seventh) is five points back from Trevor Bayne in sixth.
Gaughan’s good luck could linger this weekend; he has the eighth best pre-race Driver Rating (105.9) in the NNS at Kentucky in part by finishing third there in 2012.
Who’s Up? First Time Winners Welcome
Of Kentucky Speedway’s 15 previous Nationwide Series races, first-time winners won five events, David Gilliland (2006), Stephen Leicht (2007), Joey Logano (2008), Austin Dillon (2012) and Ryan Blaney (2013). That begs the question: Which lucky hopeful will be number six?
Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate, Ty Dillon tops the list of possible first-time winners. Dillon has been consistent this season posting ten top-ten finishes in 14 starts. Though this will be Dillon’s series début at the track, his team’s experience at Kentucky might give him the edge. The No. 3 team swept both races in 2012 from the Coors Light pole, and has yet to finish worse than sixth at the 1.5-mile speedway.
Another Rookie standout the cusp of victory is Chris Buescher. Despite missing the season-opener at Daytona, he is eighth in the series standings after posting five top-ten finishes this season including a runner-up finish at Talladega. Two of his five top-tens were on 1.5-mile speedways (ninth at Las Vegas and Charlotte). His average finish in 13 starts this season in 14.2.
Despite a slow start, Dylan Kwasniewski could surprise this weekend. A champion in both the K&N Pro Series East and West, Kwasniewski is now 12th in the NNS standings with one pole and one top-ten finish.
Smith Hangs On, While Elliott Closes Standings Fissure
Regan Smith might be breathing easier for making it out of Road America with the Nationwide Series points lead over second-place Elliott Sadler (-10) – but both front-runners need to watch a rebounding Chase Elliott, who is closing in fast.
Elliott continues to craft a championship run. At Road America, his first attempt at a road course in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he finished fourth and now sits just one point behind second-place Sadler as they head to Kentucky.
Elliott continues to excite those witnessing his rookie campaign. In 14 starts this season he has posted two wins (Texas, Darlington), seven top fives and 11 top-tens. His season-to-date Driver Rating (108.1) and Average Running Position (7.772) lead the series among championship contenders. Between him and Smith, JR Motorsports drivers have led the series’ driver standings this entire season.
Smith posted his first series career pole at Kentucky in 2007 and though this will be Elliott’s series début at Kentucky, he has logged laps in the ARCA/REMAX Series there last season. Plus, Elliott has excelled on 1.5-mile tracks this season. He won in his series début at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season.
Of the top-three in points, Elliott Sadler has had the most success at Kentucky. He has made five starts posting three top-fives, including a runner-up finish in this race last season.
Noteworthy in the Nationwide Series
Earlier this week the Nationwide Series held the second of two test sessions this season. NASCAR let teams choose which two tracks they would prefer to spend the extra testing time, and Iowa and Kentucky were the tracks chosen by teams.
NASCAR Next participant and NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series driver Ruben Garcia Jr. is making his return to the NNS this weekend. Garcia has previously made two starts in the NNS this season with a best finish of 25th (Bristol).
Greg Ives, crew chief for Chase Elliot and the No. 9 team, returns to series after he and his wife, Jessica, welcomed the arrival of their son, Parker Rogers Ives last weekend.
Corey LaJoie is making his return to the series at Kentucky; he has one previous series start to his credit, at Homestead-Miami last season.