Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Perseveres to Finish 11th at Chicago
Blaney Now 10th in NASCAR Playoff Standings
JOLIET, Ill., Sept. 17, 2017 – Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team started 12th and finished 11th at the Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway this afternoon but there was plenty of NASCAR Playoff excitement between the green and checkered flags.
Blaney, starting his first career NASCAR postseason run, finished Stage 1 in 15th place despite making contact with a slower car early in the race. As a result, he lost a lap to Stage 1 winner Kyle Busch who ran away with the first segment.
“We started off not great and got into it with a lapped car,” Blaney said. “That put us behind and got us a lap down.”
The Wood Brothers’ driver was still a lap behind the leader at the end of Stage 2, which he also finished 15th, but was in position to take advantage of a wave around if a caution period developed. It did, during the re-start to open Stage 3.
“We spent a long time trying to get a lap back and finally did and were able to go racing,” Blaney said. “We went the wrong way on our last adjustment and that hurt us unfortunately. We can’t hang our heads about that. A lot of other cars had problems today. It stinks we didn’t get any stage points, but maybe next week.”
Despite the missed adjustment, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford chipped away at the cars in front of it ultimately passing for 11th place on lap 222 of 267.
Blaney heads into race No. 2 of the NASCAR Playoffs 10th on the Playoff Grid with 2,034 points.
Race No. 2 in Round 1 is the ISM Connect 300 on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. from New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race will air 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.
