SPARTA, Ky., July 8, 2017 – Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team overcame several obstacles to finish the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway in 10th place in overtime.
Blaney qualified the Wood Brothers’ iconic No. 21 sixth and once the green flag flew he fell steadily back as he was battling a loose race car. He finished Stage 1 in 16th place and worked his way back into the top 10 by lap 116 of the scheduled 267.
“It was a long night for sure,” Blaney said. “I thought we started off okay but we just lost the handling there pretty early and lost track position.”
A pit road speeding penalty pushed the Wood Brothers’ car back to 22nd place while pitting after a lap-137 caution period.
“I made it worse by speeding,” Blaney added.
He worked his way up to 18th by the end of Stage 2 then stayed on the track between segments rather than pit and re-started second.
“We made a good call to stay out and get some track position back but we were falling off the pace pretty bad,” Blaney explained.
He pitted under green on lap 208 and by the time all teams had made their stops, Blaney was running in seventh. He was in 11th position a lap down for the start of the first overtime in Kentucky Speedway history.
Before the caution that ended the race, Blaney made his way into 10th place securing his seventh top-10 finish of the 2017 season.
“We fought hard and never gave up though and ended up 10th,” he said. “Not the night you want by any means. We need to go back and try to improve on it a lot. I think we battled back and the finish is not bad for how the night went.”
Blaney remains seventh in the NASCAR Playoffs standings with his Pocono win and eight playoff points.
The next stop on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit is the Overton’s 301 on Sunday, July 16, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It airs at 3 p.m. on NBCSN.
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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 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 99 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.
