Paul Menard Heads to Darlington Raceway Looking For Another Win

NASCAR XFINITY Series – VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero 200
September 5, 2015 – Darlington Raceway – Darlington, S.C.

Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 159 in the VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway. This Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet Camaro was previously utilized by the No. 3 team before switching over to a No. 33 entry. Chassis No. 159 has an average starting position of 12.0 and an average finishing position of 12.3.

The Eau Claire, Wis., native driver has six previous NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Darlington Raceway. Menard is credited with one top-10 finish at the 1.366-mile oval coupled with a 19.8 average starting position and an 18.8 average finishing position.

Menard started from the eighth position, after inclement weather canceled qualifying, and raced his way into the top four, noting the car was in good-handling condition on lap five. Crew chief Danny Stockman called the No. 33 driver to pit road on lap 24 during a caution for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. This put the Richmond/Menards team on a different fuel strategy than other teams. The RCR driver restarted 12th on lap 25 and would not come to pit road again during the event. Menard took the lead on lap 40 and never looked back, crossing the finish line first and visited Victory Lane in front of his hometown crowd. Saturday’s win was Menard’s third-career XFINITY Series victory.

So far this season, the No. 33 team has accumulated some impressive stats with Menard, Austin Dillon and Brandon Jones behind the wheel. In 23 races, the RCR team has garnered four wins, five pole awards, 12 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes with 437 laps led.

Following this weekend’s 147-lap affair, Austin Dillon will return to the driver’s seat of the No. 33 Chevrolet at Richmond International Raceway for the September 11 event.

How do you manage both ends of Darlington Raceway, since they’re so different/unique?
It’s a compromise. You can’t be great at both ends but need to be good at both, otherwise you’re in for a long night. Turns 1 and 2 are very fast, turns 3 and 4 are slower and slicker. It’s a great track, and a lot of fun to drive. – Paul Menard

The margin for error is very small at Darlington. What advice would you give to rookies on how to get around the track and keep calm?
Don’t worry about hitting the wall, everyone will at some point. Just minimize the damage. – Paul Menard

Radio & TV

Coverage of this weekend’s XFINITY Series event at Darlington Raceway will be televised live on Saturday, September 5, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC. It will also be broadcast live on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Results of Darlington Raceway

• Starts: 6
• Wins: 0
• Poles: 0
• Top 5:
• Top 10: 1
• Starting: 19.8
• Finishing: 18.8