Paul Menard
No. 27 Menards Chevy
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Crew Chief: Slugger Labbe
2011 Stats
Wins: 1
Top-5s: 4
Top-10s: 8
Poles: 0
DNF: 2
Average Start: 12.0
Average Finish: 18.0
Races Led: 8
Laps Led: 82
% Laps Completed: 96.5%
Points Finish: 17th
2011 in a Nutshell
In his first year driving for car owner Richard Childress, Paul Menard did something few thought he would ever do – win a race. That his first career Sprint Cup victory came at Indianapolis, a track that holds a special place in the hearts of the Menard family, made the accomplishment all that much sweeter. But Menard’s 2011 season was more than just celebrating what was undoubtedly the high-water mark of his career. It was also about putting together the most consistent campaign of his career, which saw the much-maligned driver score career-highs in top-fives, top-10s, average finish and finish a career-best 17th in points.
Reasons to Believe
On the Cup side of things, Richard Childress Racing is more streamlined which should strengthen a team in which all its key personnel are returning … At a time when many a team is facing uncertainty due to a lack of capital (i.e. sponsorship), a shortage of funding is something the No. 27 doesn’t have to concern itself with as Menard’s multi-millionaire father, John, is gladly footing the bill … Coming off a career-year, confidence is sky-high … When you drive for RCR, being competitive at Daytona and Talladega is never an issue … Contrary to popular belief, Menard does indeed take care of his equipment and has shown the ability to avoid problems on the track … Smooth driver who generally does well on the wide, mile-and-a-half tracks which make up most of the schedule.
Reasons to Doubt
In 183 starts, he has just one win and only six finishes inside the top-five … Even with one less team, Menard is still going to take a backseat to teammate Kevin Harvick in the RCR hierarchy, not to mention RCR has expanded it’s presence in the Nationwide Series … After a strong start to 2011, which at one time saw Menard as high as fifth in the standings, his performance in the second-half of the season dropped off considerably … Runs strong at the beginning of races, but tends to slide backwards as the laps click by … Struggles on short tracks, with just one combined top-10 at Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond.
Area of Strength: Chemistry between driver and crew chief
Entering their third year together, the relationship between Paul Menard and crew chief Slugger Labbe is as strong as they come in the garage. Under Labbe’s tutelage, Menard has quietly matured into an above-average driver, and it’s not a coincidence Menard’s two best seasons have come with Labbe sitting atop his pit box.
Area of Weakness: Richmond
There are a lot of tracks where Paul Menard struggles at, but none more so than Richmond, where in his last nine starts on the .75-mile D-shaped track, he hasn’t finished better than 26th.
Best-case Scenario For 2012
Like Brad Keselowski last year, Juan Pablo Montoya in 2009 and Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer in 2007, Paul Menard comes out of nowhere and surprises everyone by making the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Worst-case Scenario For 2012
Paul Menard stumbles early on and any chance he had of making the Chase is gone before the calendar turns to May. This is followed by RCR spending the rest of the year focusing the majority of its attention and resources on championship contender Kevin Harvick and the burgeoning career of up-and-comer Austin Dillon.
In Their Words
“It was a big improvement over the previous year. Obviously, winning at Indianapolis was something that’s hard to top, period. It was a great year. We’re working hard right now to do even better next year. We’re a lot further ahead than we were a year ago. We’re preparing and getting everything ready.”
— Paul Menard
Predicted Number of Wins: 0
The Racing Geek’s Final Thought
If he can get a little better on the short tracks and finish races as strong as he typically starts them, there’s no reason to think Paul Menard can’t compete for a spot in this year’s Chase. But that’s not what I think happens in 2012. I expect there will be weeks where the No. 27 Chevrolet is running in the top-10 and, possibly, if everything goes right, contending for a win. More often than not though, I see this team struggling to match the success they had a year ago and ultimately falling short in doing so.
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