The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team had the speed but not the luck in the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The No. 21 Ford Fusion was fast from the start of practice and running seventh in the opening laps of Sunday’s race when engine problems sent driver Trevor Bayne coasting into the garage.
“I didn’t even get to break a sweat,” Bayne said. “It seems like nothing like this happens on a day when you’re running bad.”
Team co-owner Len Wood said data from the car’s electronic fuel injection system indicated the problems first showed up at the green flag.
“It certainly wasn’t what we were hoping for,” Wood said, adding that he was pleased with the team’s overall performance on the newly repaved Michigan track.
“We were third fastest in the first practice and sixth in the second,” he said. “Then we qualified seventh, with high hopes to qualify at over 200 miles per hour, and managed to do just that.”
A decision by Goodyear to change left-side tires following qualifying proved to be a slight setback, but crew chief Donnie Wingo and the crew built some adjustability into the race set-up so that further changes could be made during the race.
“We were a little concerned because the car wasn’t handling as well as we would have liked,” Wood said.
Things just weren’t meant to be, as Bayne and the crew never really got to follow the plan, with engine problems ending their day after just seven laps.
“We had a car that was top-10 or better,” Wood said. “It was good while we were out there.”
Bayne and the Woods, who were credited with a 43rd-place finish, return to the Sprint Cup circuit next month for the July 7th, Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
