Paul Menard returned to the driver’s seat of the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Impala for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen International. Menard put the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Chevrolet in the seventh position to start the road-course event. The driver remained in the top 10 throughout the race to bring home a sixth-place finish.
In the opening laps of the Saturday afternoon race, Menard maintained the seventh position as the field navigated their way through the seven turns of the 2.45-mile road course. By lap 17, the driver battled his way into the sixth position.
Scheduled green-flag pit stops began at the lap 20 mark. Running in the fifth position, Menard brought the No. 33 Chevrolet to pit road on lap 23 for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. The driver returned to the track and moved into the sixth spot as the field cycled through pit stops.
The first full-course caution of the race came on lap 25 for a car stalled on the track. With Menard in the sixth position and happy with the handling of the KHI Chevrolet, the team opted not to stop during the caution period.
The race resumed green-flag conditions on lap 29 with the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet in sixth. Menard maintained his pace and by lap 44 moved into the fifth position. Another round of scheduled green-flag pit stops came as the race approached lap 50. On lap 53, Menard made his move to pit road and drove the Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.
Menard returned to the track and worked his way to the eighth position as teams finished cycling through pit road. With 24 laps to go in the event, the driver had the No. 33 Rheem/Menards machine in the sixth position. On lap 72, the No. 7 car made the move to pass the KHI Chevrolet on the outside, and sent Menard into the grass on the inside of the turn. The grass collected in the grille of the car, which was enough to quickly send the water temperature up. To prevent the engine from overheating, the driver made the immediate call to come to pit road. On the stop, the Rheem/Menards crew cleaned the grille and topped the Chevrolet off with fuel returning their driver to the track in the eighth position.
The No. 33 moved into the seventh position as the second and final full-course caution came for two cars tangled in the “bus stop” turn of the course with three laps remaining in the race. The KHI team chose to make a pit stop during the caution, and Menard brought the No. 33 Chevrolet down pit road for four tires and an air-pressure adjustment. The crew ensured the grille was clear of grass, and the driver returned to the track for the green-white-checkered finish in the seventh position.
Menard maneuvered his way to the sixth position as the field came to the white flag and remained in the spot when the checkered flag flew.
The Nationwide Series heads north of the border to Montreal, Canada for the NAPA Auto Parts 200 on Saturday, August 20. Scott Speed will pilot the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet in his first series start at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Tune in to ESPN at 2:30 p.m. ET to watch the racing action live and listen to MRN beginning at 2 p.m. ET.