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Race report

Sadler takes fourth in Montreal for Richard Childress Racing

Elliott Sadler

Elliott Sadler

Action Sports Photography

Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Elliott Sadler), ninth (Austin Dillon) and 11th (Brendan Gaughan).

Sadler leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings by 22 points over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Sam Hornish ranks third, with Dillon fourth in the standings, trailing his RCR teammate by 35 points.

The No. 2 Chevrolet team is second in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, six points shy of the No. 18 team's lead, with the No. 3 team fifth in the standings and the No. 33 team seventh.

Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.

Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

Elliott Sadler Notches Top-Five Finish in Final Road Course Race of Season at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Elliott Sadler and the No. 2 OneMain Financial team scored a fourth-place finish Saturday afternoon at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal after surviving two green-white-checkered attempts in the final road course event of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. After starting from the 17th position, fuel strategy came into play right away as the the OneMain Financial team pitted on lap one to top off with fuel. Back on track in the 39th position, Sadler maneuvered his way through the field and moved into the 12th position on lap 17. Crew chief Luke Lambert utilized a caution on lap 22 to bring the No. 2 Chevrolet down pit road for four tires and fuel, positioning Sadler in the 18th position to restart the race. The Emporia, Va., driver continued to work his way around the 14-turn course, and when a full-field caution came out on lap 44, Lambert stuck to the pit strategy and instructed Sadler to remain on the course as other teams opted to pit, positioning the OneMain Financial Chevrolet in the lead for the restart. After leading for six laps, Lambert called Sadler down pit road for the final green-flag pit stop of the day for four tires and fuel. This pit stop put the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet past their fuel window for the remaining laps, and provided the team insurance for the possibility of green-white-checkered attempts. Sadler reentered the track in the 18th position and moved his way up to the ninth position with seven laps to go. A multi-car incident on lap 72 brought out the caution with the No. 2 Chevrolet in the fifth position, setting the stage for the first green-white-checker finish attempt. Green-flag action was soon halted again for another incident, moving Sadler to the second position for the second attempt. The No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet was shuffled back in traffic after the green flag dropped for the final time, and crossed the finish line in the fourth position, earning the team's ninth top-five of the season.

Start - 17 Finish - 2 Laps Led - 6 Points - 1

ELLIOTT SADLER QUOTE: "I am so proud of this OneMain Financial team. We fought our butts off all day, and a fourth-place finish in Montreal is pretty good. We had some trouble off restarts, but the car eventually came to me. This is always such an exciting race, and the Canadian fans are awesome. I was so glad to see so many excited fans in the stands, cheering us on. There is still a lot of racing left on the schedule. I'm really looking forward to the event at Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend. I know the OneMain Financial team is looking for a sweep there this season. Overall, this was a great weekend for our team, and we are going to keep pushing toward our goal."

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 AdvoCare Team Score Their First Top 10 Finish in Road Course Competition

Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing's No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet team played fuel strategy to their advantage on Saturday afternoon at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, scoring a ninth-place finish in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Dillon earned a 19th-place starting position despite flat-spotting his tires by spinning during the final lap of his qualifying session on Friday afternoon, prompting crew chief Danny Stockman to call the young driver down pit road on lap three for four tires and fuel. The early-race, green-flag pit stop dropped dropped the AdvoCare team to 36th in the running order and put the team on a different pit strategy than a majority of their competitors. However, a series of mid-race cautions placed Dillon back on a routine pit cycle and he climbed to the 11th position by lap 32. Throughout the race, Stockman instructed Dillon to conserve fuel as team engineers Ryan Sparks and Jeff Curtis continually crunched numbers, ultimately determining the black No. 3 Chevrolet would run out of fuel if the race was extended past the advertised, 74-lap distance. Scored in the 13th position with nine cars in front of the AdvoCare Chevrolet also dangerously low on fuel, Dillon drove to pit road while under caution on lap 75. The RCR team serviced the car with one can of Sunoco Green E15 fuel and Dillon rejoined the competition in the 23rd position. He survived two additional restarts and dodged several cars in front of him who slowed on the race track as they ran out of fuel in the closing laps to post a ninth-place finish.

Start - 19 Finish - 9 Laps Led - 0 Points - 4

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE: "What an up-and-down weekend for the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet team. I am so proud of us for rebounding from the day we had on Friday. We changed engines and transmissions on Friday and only got about a half of a lap of practice in, then we came to the track refreshed and determined on Saturday, using strategy and working as a team to get a top 10 finish on a road course. Even though Road America, Watkins Glen and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve have been a struggle for me as a rookie, I do like road course racing. I feel like I'm improving every time I go out there and I enjoy the challenge."

Late-Race Incident Relegates Gaughan to an 11th-Place Finish in Montreal

Running the final road course race on the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule, Brendan Gaughan survived a late-race incident to bring home an 11th-place finish Saturday afternoon in the No. 33 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Starting from the 11th position at the Montreal, Quebec-based road course, Gaughan quickly moved his way up to the top 10 early in the NAPA Auto Parts 200. Throughout the event, crew chief Ernie Cope urged Gaughan to conserve fuel under caution laps to allow for a two-stop pit strategy, enabling the Las Vegas native to move into the third position by lap 62. A late-race caution on lap 70 of the scheduled 74-lap event positioned the No. 33 Chevrolet in the fourth position; however, on the lap 72 restart, Gaughan was the victim of a three-car pile-up, sending the South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet for a spin and losing valuable track position in the process. Gaughan maneuvered the black and gold Chevrolet down pit road to change four tires and repair minor damage on the car. Returning to the track, Gaughan battled to regain track position during the two green-white-checker attempts, bringing the South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet home in the 11th position.

Start - 11 Finish - 11 Laps Led - 0 Owner's Points - 7

BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE: "Ernie and the entire No. 33 team provided me a fast South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet this weekend. It's unfortunate we got caught up in the mess at the end, but that's all part of road course racing. We had the lap times that we needed to finish in the front, and that's what's important. I'm excited to get back in the car at Kentucky Speedway in September."

Source: Richard Childress Racing

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