Photo Credit: Noel Lanier/OnPitRoad.com
Ryan Blaney and Wood Brothers Racing overcame an average starting position, a pit road penalty and minor brushes with another car and the wall to bring the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion to the checkered flag in ninth place this afternoon at the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
FONTANA, Calif., March 26, 2017 – Ryan Blaney and Wood Brothers Racing overcame an average starting position, a pit road penalty and minor brushes with another car and the wall to bring the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion to the checkered flag in ninth place this afternoon at the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
The finish is the team’s third top-10 result in the first five races of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
A close call getting the iconic No. 21 through inspection prior to qualifying and a “missed” qualifying set up led to a 19th-place starting position, which Blaney quickly remedied by driving into the top 10 within 10 laps.
“I thought at the beginning of the first stage we were really good,” Blaney said. “We drove up there.”
The No. 21 was a top-10 car through the first stage and collected two points by finishing ninth. A pit road penalty for loose equipment between stages put the Motorcraft/Quick Lane entry back to 19th.
“In the middle (Stage) we had equipment leave the pit box and that put us in a big hole back there but we did a good job fighting back, putting ourselves in a decent position to have a good finish and a decent shot at (the win),” Blaney said.
Complicating the team’s effort was a minor brush with another car toward the end of Stage 1 that required a little extra time in the pits and a slight touch of the wall later in the contest.
Although Blaney finished out of the points in Stage 2 for only the third time in the five races run so far, he was back in the top 10 by lap 132 and solidified his position with strong re-starts for most of the rest of the race.
“We got a little bit more consistent at the end of the race,” Blaney explained. “Most re-starts worked in our favor except the last one. We just got put three-wide there and kind of got hurt.
“Overall not a bad day for us coming back from that pit road penalty,” he continued. “That was pretty good.”
With the ninth-place finish at Fontana, and the two Stage 1 points, Blaney drops from sixth to seventh in the driver points standings.
The NASCAR circuit heads back east next weekend, April 2, for the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway, a home game for the Stewart, Va.-based Wood Brothers. The race begins at 2 p.m. ET.
About Motorcraft
Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under-hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers are backed by Ford Motor Company’s two-year, unlimited-miles Service Parts Limited Warranty. Ask for Motorcraft by name when you visit your local auto parts store or your favorite service facility. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers
Ford’s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair, and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. With more than 800 locations and growing, customers can visit www.quicklane.com to find a center that is closest to them, print savings coupons and review maintenance tips to keep their vehicles running at peak efficiency. This site includes information on how to spot tire wear, how to jump-start a battery and even a series of tips to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy.
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 98 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 117 poles in NASCA’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion driven by Ryan Blaney in the famous number 21 racecar.
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Great race