Paul Menard returned to the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet as the NASCAR Nationwide Series made its second trip of the season to Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday. Menard qualified the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Chevrolet in the third position for the 200-lap event and competed among the top 10 throughout the day before finishing ninth.
Menard maintained his third-place starting position as the 43-car field roared to full speed in the opening laps around the track. The Eau Claire, Wis., native radioed to his crew that the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet was loose off the turns as the caution flag waved for the first time on lap seven for a vehicle spinning on the backstretch. The KHI team opted to remain on track keeping Menard in the third position for the lap 11 restart.
The driver was quickly able to maneuver his way to second on the restart. On lap 40, Menard radioed to the team that the No. 33 Chevrolet had become tight and by lap 43, the driver slid to third. Opportunity for adjustments came one lap later with the day’s second caution period on lap 44 for debris on the track. Menard brought his Rheem/Menards Chevrolet down pit road for four tires, fuel and air-pressure and chassis adjustments to help remedy the handling issues. A solid stop by the KHI crew placed the No. 33 in the second position for the restart.
Green-flag racing resumed on lap 51, and Menard fought door-to-door for the lead for several laps before settling into the second spot. On lap 61 the driver fell to third and radioed to the team that his Chevrolet was still tight as he raced around the 1.5-mile oval. For a third time during the 200-lap contest, the field was slowed as a car spun in turn four on lap 64. During the caution, Menard came down pit road for fuel and a chassis adjustment and returned to the track in the seventh position as green-flag conditions resumed on lap 70.
Back under green, Menard worked his way forward and reached the fifth position on lap 87. As he continued to settle into the run, the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet became tight and Menard fell back to the seventh position by lap 112.
A second round of scheduled green-flag pit stops began on lap 115 with Menard making his way to pit road on lap 118. The KHI crew bolted on four tires, added fuel and made an air-pressure adjustment to help alleviate the handling issues. Menard returned to the track and reached the sixth position as the field continued to cycle through pit road.
The race continued under green-flag conditions, and Menard continued to fight his way forward but fell to eighth as the team approached its targeted final green-flag stop. On lap 167, Menard headed down pit road, stopping for a chassis adjustment, four tires and fuel.
Over the final laps of the race, Menard fought to return to the top five but the wave of the checkered flag came with the driver running in the ninth place.
The No. 33 Rheem team heads to Dover International Speedway with Clint Bowyer behind the wheel. Tune in to ESPN2 to watch the OneMain Financial 200 at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 1 and listen to MRN beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.