- Intermittent torrential downpours at Michigan International Speedway and bad luck along pit road led Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion to a disappointing 24th-place finish in the Quicken Loans 400.
BROOKLYN, Mich. June 14, 2015 – Intermittent torrential downpours at Michigan International Speedway and bad luck along pit road led Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion to a disappointing 24th-place finish in the Quicken Loans 400.
“We started off the race pretty good and just lost grip throughout the race,” Blaney said. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t finish because we wanted to get back up there and finish where we deserved, not 24th.”
The afore-mentioned rain forced NASCAR to call the race after only 276 miles. Blaney and company needed the full complement of laps to recover from a lap-118 green-flag pit stop that preceded a caution period that put the Wood Brothers’ famous No. 21 a lap down.
“It just didn’t play out in our favor,” Blaney said of the pit road misfortune.
About the rain, Blaney said, “It wasn’t disruptive, just irritating.”
The finish is disappointing considering Blaney qualified the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford fifth with strong laps of 199.534 mph, 200.714 mph and 201.056 mph on Friday.
Blaney ran with the leaders for the first 14 laps then the first of two consecutive rain-induced red flags parked the field for two hours. He slipped to 11th on the re-start and was in 12th at the 100-mile mark. He was 13th at the 200-mile marker before the ill-timed green-flag pit stop that had him in 27th and a lap down. The rookie driver had worked his way up to 24th with expectations for more before the final rains came.
The next stop for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team is the Coke Zero 400 July 5 at Daytona International Speedway.
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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 number 21 racecar.
