FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: CHARLOTTE PLAYOFF NOTES
The Round of 12 begins this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway with four Ford drivers from different organizations still in the championship hunt. Ryan Blaney (Wood Brother Racing), Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing), Brad Keselowski (Team Penske), and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing) remain in contention. Here’s a look at where each stands going into Sunday’s event and how Ford has fared in this annual race.
ROUND OF 12 PLAYOFF STANDINGS
4th – Brad Keselowski (-39 behind leader Martin Truex Jr.)
6th – Kevin Harvick (-44)
8th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-49)
9th – Ryan Blaney (-51)
FORD’S PLAYOFF DRIVERS AT CHARLOTTE
Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski have each been to Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series while Ryan Blaney is coming off a NASCAR XFINITY Series victory in May. Harvick has three MENCS wins at the 1.5-mile facility, including a pair of Coca-Cola 600 triumphs (2011 and 2013).
KESELOWSKI GETS FIRST FORD WIN
When Brad Keselowski captured the Bank of America 500 four years ago it snapped a 37-race winless drought, and marked his first win with Ford after Team Penske switched from Dodge following the 2012 season. Keselowski won the race after a back-and-forth battle with Kasey Kahne. He took the lead with nine laps remaining and held on for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win on the 1.5-mile track.
SPEEDY WINS INAUGURAL FALL RACE
The first time Ford went to victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway was on Oct. 16, 1960 when Speedy Thompson won the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series fall race in track history. The race, which was the second event overall at CMS, was called the National 400 and featured Thompson making his first start for the Wood Brothers in the No. 21 Ford. He qualified third behind pole-winner Fireball Roberts, who quickly grabbed the lead and was the dominant car. Roberts led 197 of the first 232 laps, but blew a tire that took him out of the race and handed the lead over to Thompson. That was the break he needed and the result was Thompson winning the race by one lap over second-place Richard Petty. The win was the first on a superspeedway for the Wood Brothers and the first of two straight for Thompson, who also won a week later at Richmond.
LOGANO STARTS PLAYOFF STREAK
After a dominant day that saw him lead 227-of-334 laps, Joey Logano earned an automatic berth into the Round of 8 with a victory in the rain-delayed Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The win was Logano’s first at the speedway and fourth of the season, but also started a streak that saw him win all three races in the segment. It also marked the second straight year Logano won the first race of the second round and while Kevin Harvick threatened, Logano dominated as the final 89 laps went green.
FORD MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE
1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)
1962 – Nelson Stacy (1)
1963 – Fred Lorenzen (1)
1964 – Fred Lorenzen (2)
1965 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)
1969 – Donnie Allison (2)
1970 – Donnie Allison (1)
1978 – Bobby Allison (2)
1982 – Neil Bonnett (1)
1984 – Bill Elliott (2)
1985 – Cale Yarborough (2)
1987 – Kyle Petty and Bill Elliott
1990 – Davey Allison (2)
1991 – Davey Allison and Geoffrey Bodine
1992 – Mark Martin (2)
1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)
1995 – Mark Martin (2)
1996 – Dale Jarrett (1)
1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)
1998 – Mark Martin (2)
1999 – Jeff Burton (1)
2000 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2001 – Jeff Burton (1)
2002 – Mark Martin (1)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2013 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Joey Logano (2)
