AVONDALE, Arizona – Repeat.
Well, thus far.
Ryan Newman and his Richard Childress Racing team haven’t scored their first victory together in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but the duo continues to build consistency around their No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet team.
For the second consecutive weekend, Newman posted a third place finish and has vaulted to eighth in the championship standings after Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500.
It was this same type of approach that nearly led Richard Childress Racing to its first Sprint Cup Series championship in twenty years last November at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.
While the team is knocking on the door to victory lane, their recent wave of momentum can’t go unnoticed. Three consecutive top-10 finishes have lifted the spirits of the RCR organization knowing it’s only a matter of time before the South Bend, Indiana native will score his 18th career win.
“Our Quicken Loans Chevrolet was good but just not quite good enough on restarts, especially with cold tires. But it was an awesome job by the guys, especially the pit crew. We’re knocking on the door.”
Although while it’s hard to ignore the consistency that Newman and RCR have assembled early into the season, it was the 17th race of the season last year that saw the 37-year old crack the top-five in points after Kentucky Speedway; as well as, a third place finish.
So by all accounts the team is way ahead compared to his first season with the organization.
“That’s two Top 3’s in a row,” added Newman. “But it was a good point’s day. We’re four races in and we’ve got two Top fives. It took us until June last year to get our first one. So, we’ll keep digging.”
The last of a three-race stretch of West Coast races will end next Sunday at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway and while Newman is winless at the 2.0-mile oval track, he carries four top-10 out of the last five races.
RCR’s two other cars had solid days at Phoenix International Raceway too. Paul Menard contended for a top-10 finish late but faded to 14th. Austin Dillon finished 15th after starting 11th.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
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