THE RACE
ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond International Raceway (0.75-mile speedway, Richmond, Va.)
No. 22 SKF / Discount Tire Ford Mustang driven by Ryan Blaney
Friday, April 25, 7:00 pm ET
THE BROADCAST
Race: ToyotaCare 250
Track: Richmond International Raceway
Race Start Time: 7:00 pm ET
Radio Broadcast: Live on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90
TV Schedule
Friday
4:00pm ET, Qualifying (ESPN2)
8:30pm ET, ToyotaCare 250 (ESPNews)
THE NEWS AND NOTES
The No. 22 SKF / Discount Tire Ford Mustang
· FIRST OF THREE STRAIGHT: Ryan Blaney will return to the seat of the No. 22 SKF / Discount Tire Ford Mustang this weekend at Richmond. After a merry-go-round consisting of Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano to start the season, Blaney will be behind the wheel for the next three NASCAR Nationwide Series races beginning at Richmond, followed by Talladega and Iowa.
· HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUSTANG: During the off weekend, Blaney helped Ford celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Blaney made an appearance and signed autographs on Friday afternoon for the tens of thousands of fans that were in attendance for the four-day event.
· JUST TWO WEEKS AWAY: Blaney is counting down the days until May 10th, when the 20-year-old will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 12 SKF Ford Fusion. Jeremy Bullins and the No. 22 Team Penske Nationwide Series crew will also serve as Ryan’s team for his Cup Series debut, making the next two weeks even more important for Blaney in terms of gathering more track time with the team.
· TESTING: This week, Blaney is getting a lot of seat time behind the wheel of a couple of different cars. He tested his Brad Keselowski Racing Ford F-150 truck at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday and tested a Sprint Cup Series car for Team Penske at Nashville on Tuesday.
RYAN BLANEY, NO. 22 SKF / DISCOUNT TIRE FORD
YOU GET A COUPLE OF WEEKS IN A ROW IN THE 22. HOW HELPFUL IS THAT?
“It definitely helps in terms of getting in a groove, especially mentally. So far this year, I haven’t been in the groove with the way the Truck Series schedule is and with not driving the first few races in the Nationwide Series car. I’ve tried really hard to be at the track as much as possible, even if I’m not racing, to keep myself in a racing mentality. There is a lot of stuff you can learn just being at the track, even if you are not in the car. You can also continue to build a relationship with the team. Though nothing will beat being in the car and getting that track time, especially leading up to the Kansas Cup race.”
TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF USING YOUR NNS GUYS IN YOUR FIRST CUP START.
“It really makes the most sense, both for me and for Team Penske. That group has been together for a while now and they’ve proven they can win races and championships. We’ve gotten a chance to work together as a group a lot and even win a race together. I think it’s important for us be at a point where when we unload the car we will be on the same page and when I’m giving feedback, they know where I’m coming from. Our upcoming Cup race also makes the next couple of races for the team and I even more important as we continue to build that relationship, especially between me and (crew chief) Jeremy (Bullins).”
