Ford Performance NASCAR Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy Open – Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 20, 2017
STAGE WINNERS CLINT BOWYER AND RYAN BLANEY
CLINT BOWYER – No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Fusion (STAGE 1 WINNER) – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU? “It’s big. This is a big night. A million bucks is a lot of money. We’ve got a shot at it. We’ve got a good car, our Haas Automation Ford is strong and I’m just proud to be a part of it. This is without a doubt, I think, the toughest Open. I think this is the third time I’ve had to run it and when you’ve got Blaney that qualifies really good, he’s always had speed, especially last week. Looking back at Kansas he was one of the cars to beat, so you had Chase in it too. It’s a tough crowd, so I’m proud to be in it.”
RYAN BLANEY – No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion (STAGE 2 WINNER) – WAS THERE A DIFFERENT KIND OF PRESSURE TONIGHT TO GET INTO THE ALL-STAR RACE COMPARED TO A REGULAR WEEKEND? “Honestly, I think it’s more pressure to just get in it than the Open. Once you’re in it you’re just gonna race hard for a million bucks. I was probably more nervous trying to hold Chase off there than I will be all night trying to get up through the field. You want to have a chance to race for the money and the Open is our way to do it. I didn’t want to do anything to blow that. I think there was more pressure in the Open than the actual All-Star Race, but you never know.”
THE YOUNG GUYS PUT ON A GOOD SHOW IN THAT THIRD SEGMENT. ARE WE GOING TO SEE THAT FROM YOU IN THE MAIN EVENT? “Oh yeah. You’ve got to if you’re gonna have a shot at it. That was cool to watch Daniel, Erik and Chase go at it. That was pretty neat to see, but you can definitely expect a show tonight for sure.”
