Eddie Wood, co-owner of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion, wanted to see some speed on the newly repaved Michigan International Speedway, and he hasn’t been disappointed.
On Saturday, his driver Trevor Bayne turned a lap at 201.444 miles per hour to secure the seventh starting position for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400. Trevor was part of a group of four Ford Fusion drivers in the top seven on a record-setting day at Michigan. Every driver who qualified and one who didn’t all bettered the old track record of 194.232 miles per hour.
Qualifying results at Michigan are closely watched as the track is the home venue for U.S. automakers like Ford Motor Company, the long-timer backer of the Wood Brothers race team.
Bayne was the best of the go-or-go-home drivers, and even though he had to keep in mind that any mistake could knock him out of the starting line-up, he kept his foot on the gas when he had to.
“I am still shaking,” he said after climbing out of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion. “Man, that is fast out there.”
Still, he knew his car had a little speed to spare.
“I wish I could have driven in a little deeper,” he said. “I think I could have got another tenth or so. It isn’t a bad starting spot though. We will take a top-10 here.” And he had praise for his crew, led by veteran crew chief Donnie Wingo.“It is a cool place.”
The Quicken Loans 400 is set to get the green flag just after 1 p.m. with TV coverage on TNT.
