- Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion finished the Toyota Owners 400 in 28th place at Richmond International Raceway.
- “It was a struggle all day for us,” driver Ryan Blaney said.
RICHMOND, Va., April 24, 2016 – Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion finished the Toyota Owners 400 in 28th place at Richmond International Raceway.
After starting 29th due to qualifying being rained out on Friday, Blaney was a lap down by lap 30 but progressed up the leader board to 20th by the half-way point of the 400-lap event at the ¾-mile, D-shaped track.
“It was a struggle all day for us,” Blaney said. “We weren’t very good in the beginning and got a lap down early and short-pitted. That actually worked out well for us. We still ended up a lap down but kind of gained a few spots.”
Blaney got the Wood Brothers’ iconic No. 21 back on the lead lap late in the race when the yellow flag flew for the eighth time and he took a wave around. He lost that lap, however, three laps before the checkered flag.
“We raced hard for the Lucky Dog all day and at one point I thought we had it but they gave it to somebody else, which was unfortunate,” he continued. “That made us kind of be on equal tires the rest of the day as we were taking wave-arounds. It was just a big struggle today. The second run I thought we were okay but then we just kind of lost the track a little bit. It was tough. We have to go back and I have to do a better job and we all have to figure something out here for the next race. It is a good learning day though. We learned a lot and it is a good character builder for sure.”
Although he was stuck in the middle of the pack all day, the rookie driver said he enjoyed the racing at Richmond.
“Yeah, the cars were all over the place – the bottom, middle and top,” Blaney said after climbing out of his red-and-white Ford. “The top rolled pretty well at the beginning of the race when it was fresh. Then rubber got laid on it and it wasn’t very good. You could roll the middle pretty good. I was best in the middle. I couldn’t run the bottom at all. It looked like the leaders ran the middle too. That is promising I guess. We can move around the racetrack a lot and I think Goodyear did a decent job with that and bringing a good tire for us. That was fun.”
Blaney and the Wood Brothers now head to Talladega Superspeedway for the Gieco 500 where they had their best finish of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season – fourth.
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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 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 NASCA’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.
