Ford Performance NASCAR Notes and Quotes
Toyota Owners 400 – Richmond International Raceway
Friday, April 22, 2016
Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion, returns to the site of his first NASCAR start, Richmond International Raceway, this time in the Sprint Cup Series with the Wood Brothers. Blaney spoke about coming back to Richmond and his stellar rookie season to date with media members Friday morning.
RYAN BLANEY, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion – THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME COMING TO RICHMOND IN A SPRINT CUP SERIES CAR, BUT TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY HERE FOR YOU AND THIS TRACK. “I like coming here. I have had a handful of starts here in the XFINITY Series and actually made my first start here in 2012 with Tommy Baldwin Racing at the time. It is really neat to come back to a place where you made your first start in a series and that always has a little something special. I am excited to get out of here for the first time in a Cup car and it will be fun to get on the racetrack and see where that goes.”
THAT START YOU WERE REFERENCING, YOU TURNED A LOT OF HEADS THAT DAY, ARE YOU SURPRISED WITH YOUR QUICK PROGRESSION UP THE RANKS? “I look back on that night in 2012 and we had a really good run with a small team and it is who my dad was running for at the time and that is how it came about running for Tommy. It got the ball rolling on a lot of things. It got us in the door at Team Penske and Brad’s truck team and that is what started this whole deal. It is neat to come back here. It hasn’t been too long and it has been a lot of fun to race a bunch of different vehicles and be with a great team like the Penske group and now the Wood Brothers and Brad’s truck team. It is kind of special to come back here and know that this is where it all began to lead to this point. It has been a lot of fun and neat to be already in the Sprint Cup level. I remember coming here to watch my dad race for years. This was a place we would go as kids because it was a short drive. That aspect of it too always makes it a little more special.”
THE WOOD BROTHERS HAVE HAD SUCCESS OVER THE YEARS WITH YOUNG DRIVERS. HOW HAS IT BEEN WORKING WITH THOSE GUYS SO FAR THIS YEAR? “It has been fun. It has been great to work with them every single weekend. It is nice to be at the racetrack every weekend with them and running full time. We got a little taste of it last year with the partial schedule but now this year, being able to come full time and see them at the track every single week and work together with those guys every week is a lot better. Consistency is one of the biggest things in this sport and I think that has really helped us out. As we work together more and more I feel like we will keep getting better. It has been fun to learn their history more. It seems like I learn something never every weekend about their team and the history of the sport and how long they have been in it. It has been a blast. I couldn’t be with better people. They are some of the best people in the garage area as far as really making you feel at home and that really means a lot.”
WHAT KIND OF RECEPTION HAVE YOU GOTTEN FROM THE VETERAN DRIVERS ON THE CIRCUIT THIS YEAR? HOW HAS THAT BEEN?“It has been alright. I ran 15 or so races last year so it is hard to think of being a rookie still. I raced with all the Cup regulars a lot last year. It is funny, I grew up watching them and wanting to race with them on Sunday and now you are doing it. It is pretty neat to race with the people you looked up to when I was watching my dad race. Tony (Stewart) coming back, I have always wanted to race with him. He is one of the people I looked up to a lot as a kid. It is really neat to have him back. It has been good. There is obviously some rookie hazing a little bit but it has been nice. I think if you give enough respect you eventually get it back. That is what I am trying to work on, giving enough, and you never know when it will start coming back to you.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE XFINITY LEVEL WITH THE HEAT RACES AND DASH FOR CASH? “I think it is something different, for sure. They are doing it again this weekend right? They had it at Bristol and I thought it was good. There was some strategy being played and I think this weekend it will be even better I feel like. I think it will just keep getting better as teams get more comfortable with heat racing and all that. You saw last week where the feature couldn’t have ended any more exciting than it did with Eric (Jones) winning the race and the Dash for Cash. That was exciting for me to watch and the fans too. I think as teams get more comfortable with heat racing it will get better and better.”
YOU GOT HIGH PRAISES THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA ON YOUR RACE HUB APPEARANCE THE OTHER NIGHT. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BEING ON THAT GUEST PANEL AND WHEN IS YOUR NEXT XFINITY START? “I like it a lot. I love doing the Race Hub deals. I did it with Adam Alexander last week and it was really cool. I like doing that stuff and going over the whole weekend. I think that is the second time I have done the whole show and it is cool. You go on there sometimes and have a guest appearance where you are there 10 minutes and talk about your weekend but we talked about everyone’s weekend and the outlook. I think the more and more that we can get drivers on, whether it is on broadcast with Jeff (Gordon) every week or more and more like Race Hub with guest drivers and guest analysts. They can really give a firsthand opinion about the weekend and what they saw. It is always a little different because we were behind the wheel and saw more stuff. I like doing that stuff. I think it gives the fans a little more insight on what goes on in the weekend. As for XFINITY, the next time will be Charlotte when I am running a second XFINITY car in the 12 car. That is my next one.”
HOW COOL WILL IT BE FOR YOU TO RACE AGAINST TONY STEWART ON SUNDAY? “Well, I grew up kind of idolizing him and really looking up to him as a driver and he has always been really great to myself and my family. One, my dad owns a dirt track up in Ohio and he has always come and done appearances and races out there which has brought a lot of fans. He has given us a lot of advice at the start of my career which helped out. He has been a great part of our family and I have always wanted to race with him. I didn’t do that a ton last year because we were racing part time and then he had his injuries. It is great to have him back. It is good for the sport to have him back and he is just a good race car driver and I am looking forward to finishing out the year with him.”
WHAT HAS BRAD (KESELOWSKI) MEANT FOR YOUR DEVELOPMENT AS A DRIVER? “Brad was a driver that I looked up to before he got with Team Penske when he was running for Finch in the 09 car. When he won that race at Talladega it was like, wow, people really didn’t know who Brad was and then he goes and wins this Cup race at Talladega in a wild finish at that race track and that is when I kind of first noticed him. When he got to the Penske organization, I think in 2010, when he was winning races and then a championship, I was racing late models. I looked up to him. He is a great race car driver. His outlook on things was more unique and kind of a different outlook than most people and I thought that was neat and changed my mindset. I knew who Brad was and looked up to him a lot before I even started racing for him. When I got to be a part of his team he was a big mentor for me of helping me out, not only in the trucks but in the XFINITY cars too. He is still helping me out and is a good friend of mine. It is great to have someone like that who can help you along the way.”
WHAT DOES HE PROVIDE THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER PEOPLE IN THE SPORT? “Have you ever talked to Brad? He has a unique outlook on everything. In a good way. He brings a different perspective on things. If you talk to him about anything, not even a racing issue, it makes you step back. It is a different way of thinking and it makes him very smart as a race car person and a human being and that is something I try to apply, not only to racing but my personal life as well.”
