LONG POND, Penn., July 30, 2017 – Contact with other cars on re-starts during the second segment of the Overton’s 400 kept Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team from repeating their June win at Pocono Raceway and cause a 30th-place finish.
The weekend started well for Wood Brothers Racing with a fifth-place starting position. It was Blaney’s 14th top-10 start in 21 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races. Then he went on to finish fifth in Stage 1 collecting five additional regular-season points in the process.
Early in Stage 2, however, Blaney made contact with Jimmie Johnson during one re-start then Erik Jones on another re-start. The second incident caused enough damage to require two extra visits to pit road taking the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion out of contention.
“Obviously that wasn’t the finish we thought we’d have today,” Blaney said. “Unfortunately we got some contact on re-starts and had to pit to fix damage and that put us behind. It’s too bad. We had a fast Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford this weekend, definitely a top-10 or a top-five car.”
Once the iconic Wood Brothers No. 21 was fixed, Blaney and company were in 34th place two laps behind the leader at lap 70 of 160. He continued to drive hard and improved four positions before the checkered flag flew over the Tricky Triangle.
“We’ll put this behind us and go to Watkins Glen and do what we did at Sonoma,” said Blaney referring to his top-10 finish at the California road course earlier this season.
Blaney is now eighth in the NASCAR Playoffs standings with his June Pocono win and eight playoff points. He is 12th in the regular season standings, 294 points behind leader Martin Truex, Jr.
The next stop on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit is the I Love New York 355 at The Glen road race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 3 p.m. It will be broadcast on NBCSN.
# # #
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.
