- After dominating the early stages of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, winning the first two stages, miscues on pit road pushed the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion back to a 12-place finish.
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 9, 2017 – After dominating the early stages of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, winning the first two stages, miscues on pit road pushed the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion back to a 12-place finish.
Driver Ryan Blaney had the car to beat in the first two segments, leading 148 laps and taking the green-and-white checkered flag in first place collecting 20 extra championship points and two playoff points in the process.
“If you had asked me yesterday I wouldn’t have said we would win two stages and have one of the fastest cars,” Blaney said after the race. “They made really good changes this morning and that definitely says a lot. I am excited to get to Bristol in a couple weeks and see what we can do.”
After securing the Stage 2 win, Blaney pitted while several cars stayed on the track. That put him in 20th to start Stage 3. He worked his way back into the top 10 by lap 226 and was fifth when he pitted during a lap 300 caution. Blaney slid through the pit box then an air gun broke, which pushed him back to 15th to re-start.
“That last pit stop was pretty discouraging,” Blaney said. “We got back in that third debris caution. I don’t know what it was there at the end of segment two that made everybody have split strategies and we got in the back and couldn’t pass anybody. It was terrible to try to pass people. We made our way up to seventh or eighth and then pitted and I got into our box too long and we were wedged in between two cars. I was over the line by a few inches. That sucked. I put us in that hole. We probably should have stayed out looking back on it but that is easy to do. I think it says a lot about this Motorcraft/Quick Lane team about how good a car we had today.”
He managed to battle back to 12th by the time the race ended.
By virtue of his 20 points for winning both early stages, Blaney moves up a spot to sixth place in the driver standings.
After a week off for Easter, the NASCAR circuit heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500, April 23.
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 more than 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.
