Driver Ryan Blaney and crew chief Jeremy Bullins expect to get the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion up to speed in short order this weekend for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, despite the rookie racer’s relative lack of experience at the two-mile oval in the Irish Hills.
“Our cars have been fast and that gives me a lot of confidence,” Blaney said.
DEARBORN, Mich., June 10, 2015 – Driver Ryan Blaney and crew chief Jeremy Bullins expect to get the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion up to speed in short order this weekend for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, despite the rookie racer’s relative lack of experience at the two-mile oval in the Irish Hills.
“Michigan has been a very bad track for us in the truck series, but I had a good Cup experience there last year practicing and qualifying the 21 car,” Blaney said. “Hopefully my luck will change this year and we can have a good run.”
Bullins said, “I try not to put too much stock in prior experiences that Ryan may have had on teams I wasn’t with, as usually you don’t have all the information to work with,” Bullins said. “Instead, we will try to relate it to things we have worked on together, like Cup and XFINITY experience at Kansas and other tracks. I know it may take us a few more laps in practice to find our rhythm and get up to speed but I’m sure we will get there quickly.”
How is the team planning to attack MIS this weekend?
“I consider Michigan a faster intermediate track,” Bullins said. “The only common denominator with a restrictor-plate track is that drag could hurt you worse than some intermediates, but you still want down force. I think the biggest challenge is knowing what the balance needs to be during Saturday’s practices to be good in the race.
Bullins, Blaney and the Wood Brothers are looking to bounce back from a disappointing finish in the Coca-Cola 600 when an engine problem forced an early end to the NASCAR season’s longest race for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team.
“You can’t confuse the performance with the outcome,” Bullins explained. “I think if we had issues when we weren’t running well I’d be concerned, but we’ve been in the top 10 or 15 every time we’ve had an issue. When you consider that if we had gotten our lap back at Vegas that would have been a top 15 as well so we could have easily run top 15 in all our starts, which would have been respectable outcomes. Everyone on the team knows if we keep doing what we’ve done so far it will all come together.”
Blaney added, “Despite our misfortunes throughout this year, we’ve had some pretty good runs. That’s what I focus on. Our cars have been fast and that gives me a lot of confidence.”
The Wood Brothers’ history at MIS is as old as the track itself, winning the first race ever run at the 2-mile D-shaped oval with Cale Yarborough at the helm in June of 1969. In total, the Wood Brothers have started 90 races, captured 9 poles, led 1,075 laps and won 11 times at MIS.
Yarborough won in 1969 and 1970. David Pearson won there twice in 1972 and 1976, and in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1978. Dale Jarrett won in 1991.
A bronze plaque mounted on the pit wall near the start-finish line commemorates the team’s 50th year in NASCAR. This year, the team is celebrating its 65th year of competition.
Practice sessions for Quicken Loans 400 qualifying begin at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, June 12 and can be seen live on FOX Sports 1. Qualifying will take place at 4:15 p.m. EDT on June 12 and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2. Practice sessions on Saturday, June 13, begin at 9 a.m. and noon and will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1. The Quicken Loans 400 begins at 1 p.m. EDT on June 14 on FOX Sports 1.
Quicken Loans 400/Michigan International Speedway Facts
Track: 2 miles
Laps: 200
1st Race: 1969
Wood Brothers Wins: 11
Race Record: Dale Jarrett, 173.997 mph, 1999
2014 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2014 No. 21 Finish: 19th
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
Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models. Quick Lane’s nationwide network of more than 700 facilities, each providing the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained, technicians). In addition to offering trusted parts from Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers offers brand-name tires from Goodyear, Continental, Michelin and others. Quick Lane® is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.quicklane.com
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 NASCAR’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 No. 21 racecar.
