When Paul Menard takes the wheel of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, he’ll make his first appearance in the No. 21 at the track where Glen Wood made the team’s first Cup start back in 1953.
Now, 65 years later, Menard will make career start No. 1516 for the Wood Brothers, NASCAR’s longest continuously operating race team.
That’s something he’s looking forward to.
“It’ll be pretty special because it’s the home track for the Wood Brothers,” Menard said. “I know they have a lot of fans up there, so we want to do well for them.”
Menard, like many of his peers, has mixed feelings about racing at the tight, paper-clip-shaped track located just a short drive east of the Wood Brothers’ home base in Stuart, Va.
“It’s a love-hate relationship,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to drive on that track, and the races are fun for the most part.
“But they can be frustrating.”
Menard said he doesn’t lose his temper at Martinsville any more than at any other track on the circuit, but he said he also expects more retaliation for fender-banging at Martinsville than at other tracks.
He said that’s a product of the reduced speeds at Martinsville.
“The risk of injury is less there than at Charlotte or Fontana or some of the bigger tracks,” he said.
But he said it’s also nice to race at a place like Martinsville.
“It’s going back to NASCAR’s roots,” he said. “And it’s a track a lot like the ones a lot of us came up racing on.”
Menard said he’s optimistic going into the STP 500 weekend, because of his team’s performance so far this season and because of Ford’s recent history at Martinsville, where Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski is the defending race winner.
“This is the first real short-track race of the year, and the Fords have been strong there the last few years,” Menard said. “And we were happy with our performance at Fontana. We had a top-10 car most of the day and passed a lot of cars coming from the back to the front.”
Qualifying for the STP 500 is set for Saturday at 5:10 p.m. Eastern Time, and the race is scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on FOX.
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 119 poles in NASCAR’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 Ford Fusion driven by Paul Menard in the famous No. 21 racer.
