Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team look to rebound from a disappointing Saturday night in Texas with another strong short-track run when they fire it up for the Food City 500 Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
DEARBORN, Mich., April 13, 2016 – Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team look to rebound from a disappointing Saturday night in Texas with another strong short-track run when they fire it up for the Food City 500 Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“After a bad night like we had at Texas, it makes everyone hungry to get back to the race track and rebound,” Blaney said. “We did the same at Vegas (after a 25th-place finish in Atlanta) and it will speak highly of our team if we can do so at Bristol as well.”
Last fall at Bristol, Blaney qualified the Wood Brothers’ iconic No. 21 Ford Fusion 15th and finished 22nd in his first start there.
“We were fairly strong in the race last year but got a (pit lane) speeding penalty and that hurt us a lot,” Blaney said of his inaugural run at the “world’s fastest half mile.” “We are excited to go back,” he said.
The NASCAR Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender notched his fourth top-20 of the season on April 3 at the Martinsville short track. According to Blaney, a strong Martinsville run doesn’t guarantee a similar outcome at Bristol.
“The two tracks are very different,” he said. “Teams can’t really take any notes from one to the other.”
Crew chief Jeremy Bullins further explained, “Martinsville is a flat, stop-and-go short track and Bristol is a high-banked momentum track with multiple lines and is much faster. The only thing that really carries over from one to the other is staying out of trouble and keeping the car in good shape all day to hopefully be up front at the end.”
All tracks change during the course of a race. Bullins pointed out how Bristol transforms.
“The track will take rubber as the race goes, then under caution as we ride around slowly on hot tires some of that rubber will get picked,” he said. “The groove should move up by the wall, and then even that grip will get used up and guys will move around again. I’d pay attention to the different lines cars can take around Bristol.”
Blaney rides into Bristol 20th in the driver standings and trails Chase Elliott on the Rookie of the Year chart by 13 points.
If he finds his way to victory lane, it will be the second trip there for Wood Brothers Racing at the .533-mile oval. The first came in the spring of 2001 with Elliott Sadler behind the wheel in the team’s first year of Motorcraft sponsorship.
The practice session for Food City 500 qualifying begins at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 15 and can be seen live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Qualifying will take place later that day at 4:15 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on FS1. Saturday’s practice sessions will be run at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., April 16 and be shown on FS1. The Food City 500 begins on FOX at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 17.
Food City 500/Bristol Motor Speedway Facts
Track: .533-mile oval
Laps: 500
1st Race: 1961
Wood Brothers Wins: 1
Race Record: Cale Yarborough, 1977, 100.909 mph
2015 Winner: Matt Kenseth
2015 No. 21 Finish: Did not compete
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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
Ford’s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair, and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. With nearly 800 locations and growing, customers can visit www.quicklane.com to find a center that is closest to them, print savings coupons and review maintenance tips to keep their vehicles running at peak efficiency. This site includes information on how to spot tire wear, how to jump-start a battery and even a series of tips to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy.
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn 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. Glenn’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.
