1 Kentucky Speedway Pit Notes Friday, September 19, 2014

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1 1 Kentucky Speedway Pit Notes Friday, September 19, 2014 Day One of the closing weekend of racing at The Kentucky Speedway in 2014 opened under beautiful weather conditions, featuring clear skies and a 75-degree ambient temperature. The Friday schedule has four on-track events scheduled, totaling almost six hours of racing, all leading up to Friday night s running of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards ZLOOP 150. The track came to life at 1:00 p.m. when the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards drivers took to the track for the first time, holding a 90-minute practice session. The drivers return to the track at for Friday afternoon s qualifying session to determine the starting grid for the ZLOOP 150 at 5 p.m. ARCA Racing Series one and only practice session of the day went without incident as cars zeroed in on qualifying setups. 66 DANIEL SUAREZ (ARRIS Toyota) was the quickest driver on The Kentucky Speedway mile-and-a-half tri-oval at mph. In addition to SUAREZ, four other cars passed the 172 mph mark for at least one lap. 25 JUSTIN BOSTON (ZLOOP Toyota) was second-quickest at mph. 69 WILL KIMMEL (Messinas-Circle Track Ford) was third at mph. 72 BRANDON GDOVIC (American Messaging-Windstax Dodge) was fourth at mph. 60 KYLE WEATHERMAN (Roulo Brothers Racing Ford) was fifth at mph. Following a 60-minute intermission, the NASCAR Nationwide Series competitors took to The Kentucky Speedway mile-and-ahalf tri-oval for their Practice ended on schedule at 4:30 p.m. with 38 cars taking part in the session. 33 CALE CONLEY (IAVA Chevrolet) was on the track the longest, turning 51 practice laps, while 74 MIKE HARMON (WCIParts.com Dodge) was on the shortest time, taking a single circuit during practice. Five cars surpassed the 173 mph mark in the session with 60 CHRIS BUESCHER (Roush Performance Parts Ford) topping the speed chart at mph mark.

2 2 The top five laps during the NASCAR Nationwide Series practice session were: 60 CHRIS BUESCHER (Roush Performance Parts Ford) mph 2 BRIAN SCOTT (Shore Lodge Chevrolet) mph 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN (South Point Chevrolet) mph 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) mph 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. (Monster Energy Toyota) mph After a 30-minute break, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards drivers returned to take part in the qualifying competition for tonight s ZLOOP 150. ARCA utilizes the traditional two-lap qualifying system to set the starting grid. Relative local product 41 BEN RHODES (Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet) set the early mark for the ZLOOP 150 with a quick lap of mph to claim the provisional pole. After 20 minutes of qualifying, 55 CODY COUGHLIN (JEGS Toyota) challenged for the top spot with a qualifying effort of mph to claim a provisional spot on the front row. Not to be outdone, 60 KYLE WEATHERMAN (Roulo Brothers Racing Ford) needed only one circuit around The Kentucky Speedway tri-oval to claim the provisional pole with a lap speed of mph. The only driver scheduled to compete in both races this weekend at The Kentucky Speedway, 25 JUSTIN BOSTON (ZLOOP Toyota) followed with his best effort and it was the quickest lap of the evening at mph to stake his claim to the provisional pole. Looking to add to his seven starts on the front row this season, ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards points leader, 98 MASON MITCHELL (Musselman s Wildlife Foundation of Florida-TTS Ford) came across the START-FINISH line at mph to sit second in the provisional running order. There was tension in the air as the fastest car in the lone ARCA Racing Series practice session of the day was the 31st and final car to qualify for tonight s feature. 66 DANIEL SUAREZ (ARRIS Toyota) circuited the track at mph to garner the third starting position for the ZLOOP 150.

3 3 25 JUSTIN BOSTON (ZLOOP Toyota) Opening statement We re starting from the pole so that is really helpful. Really, all year we ve had tons of speed. The last seven or eight races, we ve really started to get the ball rolling. It s been a lot of fun running the 25 car this year and we ve had a lot of speed. On the competition for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards championship race.. I feel like, overall, we ve been the car to beat. The 98 has been really good and the 90 has been good. It has been really us three battling it out as far as who has the fastest car. I ve got to thank ZLOOP and everybody that puts this on and lets me get in the race car. They ve got the title sponsor of the race and we re starting up front. Everything is going to plan so far. I hope to get a win tonight. That s the plan. To what do you attribute the success of your qualifying and races -- especially the last half of the season? It s a combined effort. When you have mechanical failures almost every race the first five races its hard to build and get that ball rolling. It s been really fun working with Billy Venturini and Kevin Reed did a really good job at the start of the year. Billy and I gelled last year. It s been a continuation of that. He understands exactly what I want out of a racecar before I even say anything, so it helps to have someone like that who understands you and knows what you need in your racecar to go fast. 98 MASON MITCHELL (Musselman s Applesauce-Wildlife Foundation of Florida- TTS Ford) Opening statement It s eight weeks in a row that we have started in the front row. It s pretty critical in the points championship that we have going on because in the ARCA series -- which I think is pretty neat. The top three (qualifiers) get points-- 15, 10 and five. Any little bit we can get late in the race for the championship helps. We now have a 60 point lead going into the race. I think it takes a little bit of pressure off myself and my guys to get the extra edge in the race to pick up more points. I think we have a really good hotrod for the race. I wish we d have gotten the pole. We have five of them this year. I m really looking forward to the ZLOOP 150 tonight. What are your thoughts on the track after testing on Tuesday, as well as practice and qualifying today? We tested here a couple of days ago and we were really good in that test. We changed a lot of stuff on the day that we got to work on our car. We struggled a little bit today in practice. We switched some things back a little bit. We kind of took a swing at it for qualifying, which we have been known to do a few times and thankful it worked out pretty good. We still have a few more improvements that we can do to gain some more speed. I am looking forward to tonight s race and challenging for the win. How important is it to have two races left and 60 points separating you from 15th starter Grant Enfinger? It s very important. I think it s going to set the tone going into Kansas, whoever has the better race tonight. Obviously, we have the lead which helps a little bit. It s nothing to rest on. Both of us have been on edge this season, switching the spot leading the points each and every week. Luckily, we have been able to hold it for a while now. We have two races to go, two important races, and anything can happen.

4 4 A total of 41 drivers tallied laps during Friday s second NASCAR Nationwide Series practice session. What began under bright, clear skies at 6:30 p.m. finished under the lights after 60 minutes of seat-time. For much of the evening s practice session 2 BRIAN SCOTT (Shore Lodge Chevrolet) held the fastest lap at mph. With 10 minutes to spare in the NASCAR Nationwide Series practice, 33 CALE CONLEY (IAVA Chevrolet) circuited The Kentucky Speedway at mph. In the waning moments of the NASCAR Nationwide Series practice, 6 TREVOR BAYNE (AdvoCare Ford) became the third driver to eclipse 175 mph with a quick lap of mph. The top five laps during the second NASCAR Nationwide Series practice session are listed below: 33 CALE CONLEY (IAVA Chevrolet) mph 6 TREVOR BAYNE (AdvoCare Ford) mph 2 BRIAN SCOTT (Shore Lodge Chevrolet) mph 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. (Monster Energy Toyota) mph 60 CHRIS BUESCHER (Roush Performance Parts Ford) mph Pre-race festivities for Friday night s ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards ZLOOP 150 began on schedule at 7:41 p.m. The 34-car field for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards ZLOOP 150, was determined by the results of Friday afternoon s qualifying session. 25 JUSTIN BOSTON (ZLOOP Toyota) starts on the pole after winning the top spot with a mph lap. The race began under partly cloudy skies with an air temperature of 74 degrees, a track temperature of 75 and a relative humidity of 41-percent. Winds were from the SE at 6 mph. The race began at 8:18 p.m. with 34 cars on the track for the start. The race is being televised live nationally on FOX Sports 1.

5 5 98 MASON MITCHELL (Musselman s Applesauce-Wildlife Foundation of Florida- TTS Ford) got off to a good start, holding a second lead over 25 JUSTIN BOSTON (ZLOOP Toyota) for the first of 100 laps. Both 19 DAVID SEAR (Sear Financial Chevrolet) and 00 WAYNE PETERSON (MyKDCompany.com Chevrolet) were unable to complete a lap under green flag conditions. The 00 car experienced braking failure. 40 MARK MEUNIER (Carter 2 Motorsports Dodge) fell off the pace and went behind the wall with motor failure after completing six laps. Our first caution of the evening came on lap 18, courtesy of 97 ROGER CARTER (Carter 2 Motorsports Dodge), who slid through the grass on the front stretch and to a halt at the exit of pit row. 66 DANIEL SUAREZ (ARRIS Toyota) is the race leader at the night s first caution. Second in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards points race, 90 GRANT ENFINGER (Motor Honey-Casite-Allegiant Travel Chevrolet) went behind the wall after completing 20 laps. Starting the night 50 points behind points leader 98 MASON MITCHELL (Musselman s Applesauce-Wildlife Foundation of Florida- TTS Ford), apparent engine failure spoils his chances at challenging for the series championship with one race to go in the season. After 17 laps of racing, the night s first caution consumed seven laps (18-24). With the green flag waving, 66 DANIEL SUAREZ (ARRIS Toyota) led the field back to racing on Lap 25. After starting 10th, 52 MATT TIFFT (Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet) climbed to second on Lap 43. With 41 BEN RHODES (Alpha Energy Solution Chevrolet) and 52 MATT TIFFT (Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet) challenging to make a three-car contest with 66 DANIEL SUAREZ debris on the front stretch caused the night s second caution on lap 47.

6 6 Twenty-six of the 28 cars on the track came to the pits for service during the night s second caution. Both race leader 66 DANIEL SUAREZ and third-place car 52 MATT TIFFT took four tires and fuel on their respective pit stops. 41 BEN RHODES was the first car off of pit row after taking service for fuel and tape on the grill, but no tires. Subsequently, RHODES led the field to the green flag when racing resumed on lap 53. The second caution of the night totaled six laps. Laps were run with the yellow flag in the air. Two-thirds of the way through the race (lap 67), 41 BEN RHODES extended his lead to better than four seconds (4.019) in front of second-place running 66 DANIEL SUAREZ. On lap 73 caution came out for the third time as a result of 72 BRANDON GDOVIC spinning coming out of Turn 2. GDOVIC was able to avoid contact and remain in the field after taking two fresh right-side tires. After leading 26 laps, 41 BEN RHODES elected to yield the lead and enter pit row to receive four tires and fuel on lap DANIEL SUAREZ relinquished second place in order to pit and take on tires and fuel. After running on the lead lap for the first 75 circuits, 3 KARL WEBER (Silveus Insurance Group Chevrolet) needed to be pushed behind the wall after encountering engine failure. 15 BRENNAN POOLE was next in line and became the leader on lap 74. POOLE led the field to the green flag on lap MASON MITCHELL restarted second. 55 CODY COUGHLIN was third. 52 MATT TIFFT was fourth and 88 JUSTIN ALLISON rounded out the top five when green flag racing returned. The caution saw 41 BEN RHODES restart in 11th place. Two laps later, RHODES climbed to sixth in two short laps. He knifed through the field to claim fourth by lap 82.

7 7 41 BEN RHODES was third on lap 87 when he hit the wall while racing alongside 52 MATT TIFFT. The hard-charging rookie made contact with the wall in Turn 2 and is not expected to return to competition. The fourth caution of the night lasted five laps, consuming laps before returning to racing. Maintaining the lead through the caution, 15 BRENNAN POOLE returned the field to the green flag on lap MASON MITCHELL restarted second. 55 CODY COUGHLIN was third, while 52 MATT TIFFT restarted fourth and 69 WILL KIMMEL rounded out the top five at the restart. 15 BRENNAN POOLE led the final 27 laps to earn his first win of the season on the ARCA Racing Series by Menards. The win of tonight s ZLOOP 150 marked the sixth of his career. POOLE cruised on the final lap to a second victory over 52 MATT TIFFT. After restarting seventh with nine laps to go, 66 DANIEL SUAREZ finished fifth in his first career ARCA start. 55 CODY COUGHLIN finished the night in fourth, while 98 MASON MITCHELL came in third. 52 MATT TIFFT finished second. The top 10 finishers of the race were: BRENNAN POOLE (Zaxby s Toyota) MATT TIFFT (Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet) seconds MASON MITCHELL (Mussleman s-wildlife Foundation of Florida-TTS Florida) CODY COUGHLIN (JEGS Toyota) DANIEL SUAREZ (ARRIS Toyota) WILL KIMMEL (Messinas-Circle Track Ford) JUSTIN ALLISON (HavacoSales.com Ford) KYLE WEATHERMAN (Roulo Brothers Racing Ford) JUSTIN BOSTON (ZLOOP Toyota) TOM HESSERT (Barbera s Autoland Dodge) There were four cautions totaling 25 laps during the race. The caution laps were (CARTER mishap), (Debris), (GDOVIC mishap), (RHODES mishap). - Kentucky Speedway

8 8 66 DANIEL SUAREZ (ARRIS Toyota), who finished fifth: We made some adjustments. We got stuck a little bit in traffic. That hurt us a lot. Maybe it s a rookie mistake. We need to keep learning and see what happens in the next race. How do you feel about the competition on the ARCA series? (The competition) is great. I'm really happy to have all this learning process through this series. It s only one race. I'm looking forward to more races. - Kentucky Speedway 55 CODY COUGHLIN (JEGS Toyota), who finished fourth: From the drop of the green flag we were just a little too free in and a little too tight in the center. Dave and everybody gave me some great adjustments in the pits. To finish fourth and make head ground is cooler than running second all night. We showed we can make stuff better and turn it in to something great. On having a good finish at an intermediate track In the ARCA deal this year we ve run the best on the speedways. I think we ve run top five at both one-and-a-half mile tracks, so that s cool since they race at them a lot at upper levels. I m really pleased with it. We ll keep on plugging forward. - Kentucky Speedway 98 MASON MITCHELL (Mussleman s-wildlife Foundation of Florida-TTS Florida), who finished third: It was a really good night. We led some laps early and got some extra bonus points. We struggled a little bit early on in the race and came on really strong towards the end of the race. The team kept making adjustments and tuning on the car. We kept making improvements and kept gaining ground as the night went on. I think we could have competed for the win, but we just had a bad restart there at the end. I can t thank my guys enough for a solid run. On his point lead going into the final race of the season next week in Kansas: Yeah we got some help tonight through some bad luck of some other guys, but I ll take it. I m really looking forward to Kansas and can t wait for that race to be over. On his post-race altercation with Josh Williams: I had to back up a little to make the sharp turn into the garage and someone wasn t real happy with me. We will take this same car to Kansas after a great points day and try to win a championship. - Kentucky Speedway 52 MATT TIFFT (Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet), who finished second: We bottomed out a little bit and had a panel come out. After that, the car tightened up a little bit. I kept trying to get adjustments made to it. It just wasn t the same as it was in the beginning. We just kept trying to use that bottom line and when that happened, I couldn t do any more and just moved up top. I ended up OK after that. We just needed a little bit more. Could a longer race have gotten you closer to the 15? It s hard to tell, especially when you get something knocked out like that. You never know what s going to happen, even if the race was longer. You never know what s going to happen in traffic. I don t want to say the what ifs, but we still came in second and that s our best finish this year.

9 9 On the near miss for the win We had speed. We just have to minimize mistakes and we are going to be in Victory Lane one of these days. - Kentucky Speedway 15 BRENNAN POOLE (Zaxby s Toyota), race winner: This is unbelieveable. Michigan was really special for me. Bill Venturini asked me, What are a couple of ARCA races you want to win? I told him Michigan was number one on my list. We got that last year. Then I won a dirt race and then to win at a Bruton Smith track. I've never raced at a Bruton Smith track on a big stage like this so this is just incredible. I can't believe I'm here. Victory Lane here in Kentucky is awesome. I remember being a little kid racing Legend cars right out there on the little track and going to Victory Lane, so to be here today in the ARCA series is mind-blowing. How did you feel about your car this week? It felt like we were up pretty good on the tests we had on Wednesday. We tested Wednesday and the car was pretty good. So, we just quit. For practice, I actually spun out and we kind of lost our minds a little bit for a moment. We had to adjust on the car and we kind of adjusted ourselves out. In practice we just weren't really good. My crew chief, Matt Weber made some great decisions before we went out and qualified. We qualified eighth and kind of felt the car was pretty good. We were excited to start the race. In the beginning of the race it was just so hard to pass tonight in traffic. It was just unbelievable. I could get a huge run through the middle in the corner and drive right beside somebody and then just lose the whole nose and not be able to complete the pass. But one of our changes was when I felt like we would change gears and try to help us later in the race. I think the gear change helped me run faster out front once I got to clean air and helped me stay in front of the guys behind me. So I felt like that was a good decision. It just made it tougher to pass when I back in traffic earlier in the race. My pit guys did an incredible job and they got me all that track position and they got me into clean air and we were a rocket ship from there on out. - Kentucky Speedway

10 10 The track came to life at 4:10 p.m. when the NASCAR Nationwide series drivers took to the track for qualifying for the 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300. Qualifying in the heat of the day is the only time the drivers are be on the track until Saturday night s feature. Qualifying races opened under clear skies with an air temperature of 81 degrees. The relative humidity was 58-percent with a breeze that was unfurling the flags with gusts out of the southwest at 14 mph.. A total of 41 cars are entered to take part in Coors Light Qualifying for the 40 spots available in the final starting grid. The first 25-minute Knock Out qualifying period would determine the first 16 positions (25-40) in the field. 6 TREVOR BAYNE (AdvoCare Ford) set the lap to beat in the first two minutes of qualifying with a quick lap of mph. A total of 15 drivers had registered laps during the first six minutes of qualifying before 13 CARL LONG (OCR Gaz Bar Dodge) slid sideways at the exit of Turn 4 to cause the red flag to appear with 18:51 remaining in the qualifying period. Unable to replace tires after the one-car incident, 13 CARL LONG (OCR Gaz Bar Dodge) was unable to qualify for the 40-car field and is the lone car not advancing to tonight s race. 6 TREVOR BAYNE (AdvoCare Ford) owned the fastest lap in the first period at mph with 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. (Monster Energy Toyota) in second at mph. The fastest five cars in the opening round of qualifying races all eclipsed the 173 mph mark. 6 TREVOR BAYNE (AdvoCare Ford) mph 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. (Monster Energy Toyota) mph 33 CALE CONLEY (IAVA Chevrolet) mph 2 BRIAN SCOTT (Shore Lodge Chevrolet) mph 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) mph

11 11 87 JOSH REAUME (Lilly Trucking Ford) was holding a provisional qualifying position and was the lone driver not to register a qualifying lap. He will start at the rear of the field in the No. 39 spot. \ After a short break, the remaining 24 cars returned for a 10-minute qualifying period to determine spots in the lineup. One minute in to the second round, 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. (Monster Energy Toyota) found additional speed with a quick revolution of mph. Six cars reached 174 mph or faster in the second round of qualifying. The top six cars in the second round are listed below: 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. (Monster Energy Toyota) mph 60 CHRIS BUESCHER (Rousch Performance Parts Ford) mph 33 CALE CONLEY (IAVA Chevrolet) mph 11 ELLIOTT SADLER (OneMain Financial Toyota) mph 6 TREVOR BAYNE (AdvoCare Ford) mph The final five minutes of qualifying for positions 1-12 began with 11 ELLIOTT SADLER (OneMain Financial Toyota) set the benchmark at on his first hotlap. Shortly after 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. (Monster Energy Toyota) registered a quick lap of mph to take the provisional pole, 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) grabbed the provisional top spot with a lap of mph. 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) earned his second Coors Light Pole Award of the 2014 season with a lap of mph. His previous pole came at Las Vegas (3/8/2014). The final competitor to record a lap in third round of qualifying, 9 CHASE ELLIOTT (NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet) posted a mph lap in the final seconds to take over ninth place. Three of the final 12 drivers to qualify registered a single lap. The other nine entries ran two laps apiece to wrap up qualifying and establish the starting order for tonight s 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300.

12 12 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) Visit Myrtle Beach.com 300 Coors Light Pole Award winner Did you know that you had won the pole? I knew we had put together a smooth lap. I said off of (Turn) Four that was the best lap we had put together the whole time. We have had a fast car all weekend -- speed wise. I knew if I put together a full lap, we d have a shot at the pole. I m really proud of all my guys at Bass Pro Chevy have had a lot of speed. All of our cars at RCR have been super fast. That s just a testament to the ECR Engines program and the guys back at the shop. Kentucky is already a track that we have a lot of confidence coming to and to get a pole kind of keeps it rolling for us. Now it s time to go win this race and get the points I need to get back in this championship. How much do you expect the track to change between qualifying and tonight? I expect it to be a lot faster. I don t know which way it s going to swing, but the guys who are going to get loose are going to get looser and the guys that are tight are going to get tighter. Hopefully we are kind of in the middle right now and make a couple of adjustments to get dialed in to be able to run up front. Do you have a winning car? Every weekend! - Kentucky Speedway Pre-race festivities for tonight s NASCAR Nationwide Series 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 began at 6:55 p.m. The 40-car field for the NASCAR Nationwide Series 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 was determined by the results of Saturday afternoon s three-round Knock Out qualifying session. 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) will start on the pole after winning the Coors Light Pole award with a mph lap. - Kentucky Speedway You won t need to look far down the starting grid to find the eventual winner of tonight s race, especially considering that only once in the first 15 races has a driver outside the third row come back to win the race. KEVIN HARVICK, who started 11th in the first series race in 2001, is the only person to accomplish the feat. TODD BODINE (2002) started sixth, BRAD KESELOWSKI started fifth last year and KYLE BUSCH (2004), BOBBY HAMILTON, JR. (2003) and DAVID GILLILAND (2006) each started fourth. In 2007, STEPHEN LEICHT opened the race in the fifth spot en route to earning his first career series win. On June 27, 2014, HARVICK rolled off fifth on his way to winning the 14th annual John R. Elliott HERO Campaign 300, presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. The starting grid that was determined in qualifying will stand. No cars were penalized by NASCAR following this afternoon s qualifying.

13 13 NASCAR Nationwide Series driver standings leader 9 CHASE ELLIOTT (NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet) starts ninth and carries an 18-point lead over 7 REGAN SMITH (TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet) who begins 10th. The NASCAR Nationwide Series 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 began under partly cloudy skies with an air temperature of 80 degrees, a track temperature of 82 with a relative humidity of 57-percent. Winds were from the SW at 8 mph. The NASCAR Nationwide Series 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 began on time at 7:47 p.m. with 40 cars on the track for the start. The race is televised live nationally on ESPN News. 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) got off to a good start, holding a second lead over 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN (South Point Chevrolet) after Lap 1 (of 200) of the 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com SAM HORNISH, JR. (Monster Energy Toyota) was in third, followed by 2 BRIAN SCOTT (Shore Lodge Chevrolet) in fourth. 22 LANDON CASSILL (G&K Services Chevrolet) rounded out the top five. All 40 cars were on the track with all on the lead lap. 6 TREVOR BAYNE (AdvoCare Ford) slid through Turn 4 on the second lap of the evening. He was able to regain control and avoid contact. On Lap 4, 72 HARRISON RHODES (CrashClaimsR.us Chevrolet) lost control in Turn 4 to bring on the first caution flag of the race. The race restarted on Lap 8 with 3 TY DILLON in the lead. 39 cars were on the track with 38 on the lead lap. The first caution period of the night used three laps (5-7). The first lead change of the night came on Lap 9 when 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN passed 3 TY DILLON on the outside to take the point on the backstretch. The second caution sequence of the race came as a result of 40 MATT DiBENEDETTO (Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet) losing control in Turn 4 and sliding on Lap 24. He was able to avoid contact and stay in the race.

14 14 The Lucky Dog for the caution was 72 HARRISON RHODES. The caution allowed the field to make the first of at least three pit stops. Under caution, 44 BLAKE KOCH (Centershot Toyota) was credited by NASCAR for leading Lap 26. Under caution, 17 TANNER BERRYHILL (NationalCashLenders.com Dodge) was credited by NASCAR for leading Lap 27. The fifth lead change of the night came on Lap 28 when 3 TY DILLON took two tires and fuel and beat the field out of the pits. 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN was the only car of the race leaders to take four tires and fuel. GAUGHAN restarted in 12th. The race restarted on Lap 30 with 3 TY DILLON leading the field. DILLON was followed by 2 BRIAN SCOTT in second, 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. in third, 33 CALE CONLEY was fourth and 22 MICHAEL McDOWELL fifth. Thirty-five cars were on the track with 34 on the lead lap. The second caution period of the night totaled five laps (25-29). After completing 36 laps, 17 TANNER BERRYHILL, went behind the wall after complaining of vibration in the car. Third-place running 2 BRIAN SCOTT is complaining by radio to his race team of being really loose in between Turns 3 and 4. The leader a quarter of the way through the race, TY DILLON has led 32 of 50 laps complete. After the longest run of green-flag action, the race went to a third caution on Lap 68 for debris in Turn 1.

15 15 43 DAKODA ARMSTRONG was the Lucky Dog. The night s sixth lead change occurred under caution when 51 JEREMY CLEMENTS stayed on the track while the leaders pitted to lead Lap TY DILLON regained the lead under caution and guided the field to the green flag on Lap 73. The caution period resulted in Laps (four laps) being run with the yellow flag flying. Thus far, three cautions have resulted in 12 laps under yellow-flag conditions. Halfway through tonight s 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, 3 TY DILLON boasted a second lead over 9 CHASE ELLIOTT. ELLIOTT, who was maintaining second place was trailed by 2 BRIAN SCOTT in third. 22 MICHAEL McDOWELL, the next closest competitor trailed DILLON by seconds. Twenty of the 40 competitors remained on the lead lap. 39 RYAN SIEG (RSS Racing Chevrolet) lost control in Turn 4 and came to a halt in the entry to pit road, resulting in the fourth caution of the race on Lap ROSS CHASTAIN was the Lucky Dog. Led by 3 TY DILLON, race leaders came to the pits on Lap 118. Competitors took four tires and fuel, with DILLON remaining in front of the field when the field returned to green-flag action on Lap 121 Under caution 3 TY DILLON said, Car feels really good. Just gets free in traffic.

16 16 The caution period resulted in Laps (six laps) being run with the yellow flag flying. Thus far, four cautions have resulted in 18 laps under yellow-flag conditions. 2 BRIAN SCOTT gained one position while in the pits from third to second after a quick stop for four tires and fuel. 7 REGAN SMITH was a significant mover, jumping from eighth to fourth while on pit row. 3 TY DILLON owned a second lead over 2 BRIAN SCOTT after Lap 140 (of 200). SCOTT was in second, followed by 9 CHASE ELLIOTT in third, 22 MICHAEL McDOWELL in fourth and 7 REGAN SMITH in fifth. Three-quarters of the way through the 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, 3 TY DILLON extended a second lead over 2 BRIAN SCOTT. SCOTT maintained second, while 9 CHASE ELLIOTT was third, 22 MICHAEL McDOWELL was fourth and 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN raced fifth. 32 cars were on the track with 17 on the lead lap. After an early spin, 6 TREVOR BAYNE rebounded to boast seventh with 50 laps to go. With teams considering green-flag pit strategy, 23 CODY WARE was the instigator of the night s fifth caution on Lap 169 when his vehicle encountered motor failure on the backstretch. 20 JUSTIN BOSTON, the only driver this weekend to compete in both events at Kentucky Speedway, was the Lucky Dog. Leader 3 TY DILLON chose to start on the outside, allowing second-place running 9 CHASE ELLIOTT to start on the inside when green-flag action returned on Lap 175. The yellow flag flew for four laps ( ). Tonight there have been five cautions for 22 laps. 14 ERIC McCLURE encountered the wall and came to a halt in Turn 3. The result was the sixth caution on Lap 176.

17 17 The eighth lead change of the night came on Lap 176 when NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader 9 CHASE ELLIOTT outdueled 3 TY DILLON on the restart. Six different drivers have led the field. 9 CHASE ELLIOTT chose the outside line for restart on Lap 182 and quickly extended his lead to seconds over secondplace driver 22 MICHAEL McDOWELL. 2 BRIAN SCOTT staked third, while 3 TY DILLON dropped to fourth. 54 SAM HORNISH, JR. made contact with 7 REGAN SMITH on Lap 182 and then made contact with the wall in Turn 1. The significant damage resulted in the seventh caution of the race. Three caution laps ( ) ensued. Caution totals for the night: 7 cautions for 31 laps. 80 ROSS CHASTAIN was the Lucky Dog for the second time this evening. 9 CHASE ELLIOTT restarted on the outside, while second-place running 22 MICHAEL McDOWELL was inside on Lap 186. Debris from 01 LANDON CASSILL s car created the eighth caution flag of the evening on Lap JAMES BUESCHER benefited from the Lucky Dog. The caution period resulted in Laps (five laps). Eight cautions have resulted in 36 laps under yellow-flag conditions. On Lap 194Again, 9 CHASE ELLIOTT restarted on the outside. This time 3 TY DILLON restarted on the inside. The highest-running driver to take four tires and fuel during his pit stop on Lap 171, 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN surpassed both 9 CHASE ELLIOTT and 3 TY DILLON on the backstretch on Lap 195.

18 18 3 TY DILLON led a race-high 156 laps, but 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN led the final six to win for the second time this season on the NASCAR Nationwide Series. GAUGHAN s previous victory in 2014 came at Road America. Winner of tonight s 3rd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN s previous best performance at Kentucky Speedway came on Sept. 22, 2012 when he finished third. 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN is one of nine drivers to place in the top 10 in each of his NASCAR Nationwide Series five appearances at Kentucky Speedway. 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN is one of nine drivers to place in the top 10 in each of his NASCAR Nationwide Series five appearances at Kentucky Speedway. Richard Childress Racing (RCR) teammates 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN, 2 BRIAN SCOTT and 3 TY DILLON finished The top 10 finishers of the race were: BRENDAN GAUGHAN (South Point Chevrolet) 2. 2 BRIAN SCOTT (Shore Lodge Chevrolet) seconds 3. 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) CHASE ELLIOTT (NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet) REGAN SMITH (TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet) CALE CONLEY (IAVA Chevrolet) CHRIS BUESCHER (Roush Performance Parts Ford) MICHAEL McDOWELL (Discount Tire Ford) JUSTIN BOSTON (Zloop Toyota) ROSS CHASTAIN (ADVICS/CMW Toyota) The average speed of the race was mph (including cautions) with an elapsed time of 2: There were eight cautions totaling 35 laps during the race.

19 19 Six cars led laps during the race and there were 10 lead changes: 3 TY DILLON 155 laps (1-8, 25, 28-69, ) 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN 22 laps (9-24, ) 9 CHASE ELLIOTT 20 laps ( ) 51 JEREMY CLEMENTS 1 lap (70) 17 TANNER BERRYHILL 1 lap (27) 44 BLAKE KOCH 1 lap (26) 7 REGAN SMITH (TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet), who finished fifth On his fifth-place run We fought hard all night. We had some decent restarts at the end. We weren t where we needed to be all weekend. We were a little bit better in the race, but still not where we needed to be. The Childress cars were fast. All of them were. The 62, I don t know how he lost his track position, but he was even fast through the traffic. You don t want to be disappointed with a top five, but at the same time we are looking for more than that right now. On the great job by the pit crew all night My pit crew is the best crew hands down on pit road. They have really stepped up their game and kept us in some of these races. They work their butts off to help us out. I appreciate them. 9 CHASE ELLIOTT (NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet), who finished fourth On his fourth-place effort I had a shot to win. Unfortunately, it came up short. We were a little bit off tonight. The RCR cars were very, very solid tonight. We were just a little bit off from them and we I felt like we were second-best to those guys depending on how we came out of the pits. All in all, it was disappointing to be leading there at the final 10 laps and not get a win, but we had a chance. That s the kind of stuff you need to do on the night that you are not perfect is to give yourself a chance. Unfortunately, I couldn t get the job done, but we did have a shot. Did you feel like you could hold off the No. 3 car in the final 10 laps? I thought we had just as good a shot as anybody to do that if they got out front. Being mistake-free was the biggest thing. His car was definitely a little better than us. They had their stuff worked out tonight. I tried to do my best on the restarts to get out front and fortunately I did. But we had one too many restarts tonight. Was there a little gamesmanship on the restarts? You always have games on the restarts every week. It doesn t matter who it is or who it is between. It s going to happen. It s 100-percent normal.

20 19 Each driver in the top 10 scored his best NASCAR Nationwide Series Kentucky Speedway finish. Six cars led laps during the race and there were 10 lead changes: 3 TY DILLON 155 laps (1-8, 25, 28-69, ) 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN 22 laps (9-24, ) 9 CHASE ELLIOTT 20 laps ( ) 51 JEREMY CLEMENTS 1 lap (70) 17 TANNER BERRYHILL 1 lap (27) 44 BLAKE KOCH 1 lap (26) 7 REGAN SMITH (TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet), who finished fifth On his fifth-place run We fought hard all night. We had some decent restarts at the end. We weren t where we needed to be all weekend. We were a little bit better in the race, but still not where we needed to be. The Childress cars were fast. All of them were. The 62, I don t know how he lost his track position, but he was even fast through the traffic. You don t want to be disappointed with a top five, but at the same time we are looking for more than that right now. On the great job by the pit crew all night My pit crew is the best crew hands down on pit road. They have really stepped up their game and kept us in some of these races. They work their butts off to help us out. I appreciate them. 9 CHASE ELLIOTT (NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet), who finished fourth On his fourth-place effort I had a shot to win. Unfortunately, it came up short. We were a little bit off tonight. The RCR cars were very, very solid tonight. We were just a little bit off from them and we I felt like we were second-best to those guys depending on how we came out of the pits. All in all, it was disappointing to be leading there at the final 10 laps and not get a win, but we had a chance. That s the kind of stuff you need to do on the night that you are not perfect is to give yourself a chance. Unfortunately, I couldn t get the job done, but we did have a shot. Did you feel like you could hold off the No. 3 car in the final 10 laps? I thought we had just as good a shot as anybody to do that if they got out front. Being mistake-free was the biggest thing. His car was definitely a little better than us. They had their stuff worked out tonight. I tried to do my best on the restarts to get out front and fortunately I did. But we had one too many restarts tonight. Was there a little gamesmanship on the restarts? You always have games on the restarts every week. It doesn t matter who it is or who it is between. It s going to happen. It s 100-percent normal.

21 20 3 TY DILLON (Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet), who placed third Opening statement "This Nationwide Series is tough! I thought the top was the lane to choose for the restarts. I spun the tires a bit there at the end and it really cost us. Chase (Elliott) was able to get a nose ahead of us there before that last caution came out and that gave our teammate with four tires a chance to get up there and take the win. It was really good, hard racing there at the end. I feel sick for my guys on the team. That Bass Pro Chevy was top-notch and gives us confidence by leading all of those laps, but it is really tough to lose that one after having the best car all night. My hat is off to my teammates and the whole organization for a great performance tonight finishing 1,2,3. We will take these cars back to the shop and move on to next week and keep trying to win the championship. 2 BRIAN SCOTT (Shore Lodge Chevrolet), who finished second Opening statement I thought it was the right call to take four tires at the end. We restarted sixth and got a good restart to go up to fourth. I thought we were going to win this race, but unfortunately we did not get any long runs. Our car was a little too tight. I was free on entry all day. We left some fuel out to help that and we just needed to come up a little bit more on the trackbar and this Shore Lodge Camaro could have been in Victory Lane. Our Shore Lodge Camaro was fast. I feel like our team was the class of the field. We finished 1, 2, 3 and sixth. I've finished second a lot of times. I thought we had that one tonight when we moved up and we had the four tires. It's frustrating that it was just a little too tight to make it work. 62 BRENDAN GAUGHAN (South Point Chevrolet), race winner Opening statement I love my restarts and Shane Wilson taught me 14 years ago in ECR and RCR. ECR gives great horsepower. The RCR bunch gives me transmissions that I ask for which were a little something different from them. It was an awesome restart. Shane (Wilson) kept telling me my lap times we were great. Everybody did two, we did four (tires). It took us a while to get back there. But four Goodyear tires in the end was the difference. It feels so good to do it again on an oval." On Winning on an Oval.. "It means a lot, especially the way we did it. Passing Chase Elliott, my teammate Ty Dillon, great race teams, great young race car drivers and the old dog still have a little something left. And I did a burn out. I promised I wouldn't do a burn out because I suck at them. But that one wasn't half bad. On his second win of the season We don t have much chance in the championship left. We can still gain a lot of spots and really ruin a lot of people s day by winning a lot of races. Coming to Kentucky, where it s statistically one of my best tracks and they have a sponsor from a city from another state. I don t really get the VisitMyrtleBeach.com thing but I like it, because the whole team gets to go to vacation to Myrtle Beach.