Team Penske Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Dover International Speedway
Race: AAA 400 Drive For Autism
Date: May 6, 2018
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No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion – Brad Keselowski
Start: 8th
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 2nd
Finish: 6th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 400/400
Laps Led: 108
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 5th (-101)
Notes:
Brad Keselowski started eighth in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway and wasted little time getting to the front. The driver of the Miller Lite Ford Fusion efficiently worked his way through traffic and during the opening laps of Stage 1. He grabbed the lead from Alex Bowman on lap 48 and held the top spot for the next 60 laps. As the laps ticked off to complete the opening stage, Keselowski’s chief competition was his fuel gauge. He went into aggressive fuel saving mode in an effort to make it to the end of the segment. Although he dropped to third-place, he safely made it to the end of Stage 1 on lap 120 – although his car sputtered just before he made his scheduled pit stop on lap 122. He made a four tire stop plus a wedge adjustment and restarted second when Stage 2 began on lap 127.
Keselowski was running second at the time of the fourth caution. He made a four-tire stop on lap 154 and excellent pit work put Keselowski into the lead. He held the top spot for the next 46 laps before Kevin Harvick took the lead on lap 200. Keselowski stayed within striking distance of Harvick until Stage 2 concluded on lap 240. He made a scheduled stop for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustment and lined up second when the race went green on lap 248.
During Stage 3, Keselowski continued to run well – but in second position. During the seventh caution on lap 273, crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for a change of right-side tires. Keselowski fell back to sixth-place on the restart but was running fifth when the race was red flagged for rain in lap 320. After a 41-minute delay, the race resumed with a round of pit stops under caution on lap 322. The exchange was unkind to Keselowski and the No 2 team. Keselowski was shuffled back into eighth position when the race went green on lap 325. Lover the final 75 laps, Keselowski worked his way back up to sixth position but could not get farther up the leaderboard.
Keselowski is fifth in the MENCS driver standings, 101 points behind the leader.
Quotes: “We led some laps which was good. We kind of fell apart on the last two runs. We’ll just keep working on it. The rain wasn’t a big deal for us. It was equal and fair for everyone. NASCAR did a good job cleaning the track up and getting us going.”
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No. 12 Menards / Duracell Ford Fusion – Ryan Blaney
Start: 14th
Stage 1: 10th
Stage 2: 8th
Finish: 8th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 400/400
Laps Led: 0
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 7th (-120)
Notes:
Ryan Blaney started his No. 12 Menards / Duracell Ford Fusion from the 14th position in Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.
In stage one, Blaney reported his car started out tight and built loose as the run went along. The first round of pit stops under caution on lap 22 saw the Jeremy Bullins’ led crew make a wedge and air pressure adjustment.
The timing of that first caution left the majority of cars very close on fuel to the stage one end. Bullins instructed the young driver to save enough fuel to the lap 120 completion. He managed to do it and finished 10th in stage one.
Blaney fought much of the same handling issues during the second stage. His Ford was loose on entry and tight off. Near the end of the stage, the Menards / Duracell Ford became extremely tight, which forced Blaney to take care of the right front tire his the car. He salvaged an eighth-place finish in stage two.
After some significant adjustments Blaney restarted stage three inside the top-10. The adjustments didn’t make a significant impact on the handling and he still fought a tight car. The race was stopped on lap 317 for a light shower which lead to a 40-plus minute red flag for track drying.
The race ran green the final 75 laps and Blaney finished the day with an eighth-place finish. This tied a career-best Dover MENCS finish. He also moved up one spot in the point standings to seventh.
Quote: “We had a decent day with our Menards / Duracell Ford. We fought a tight car all day and slowly made progress as the race went along. Big thanks to my team that made improvements on our car from practice on Friday to today. We struggled last year at Dover, so to bring home a solid finish is a step in the right direction.”
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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil – Joey Logano
Start: 18th
Stage 1: 9th
Stage 2: 10th
Finish: 13th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 400/400
Laps Led: 1
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 2nd (-22)
Notes:
· Joey Logano started 18th in Sunday afternoon’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion. Logano was able to move forward during the opening 20 laps of the first stage, reaching the 11th position before pitting under caution at lap 22. Numerous cars remained on the track, cycling the team back to the 16th position. Logano reported he was battling a four-wheel drift, which transitioned to an overall loose condition.
· Logano was able to conserve enough fuel to make it to the green-checkered flag to end the first stage bringing the Shell-Pennzoil Ford across the line in the ninth position. The team made a wedge adjustment, attempting to correct the loose condition for the second stage.
· With a caution at lap 152, crew chief Todd Gordon elected to pit Logano, making an air pressure and wedge adjustment to the Shell-Pennzoil Ford trying to provide more long-run stability, to go with the enhanced fire-off speed. Logano was able to maintain position inside the top-10 throughout the second stage, finishing in 10th.
· In the final stage, Logano reported that the handling of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford had been improved throughout the course of the race, and at lap 274, the team pitted for two-tires having pitted for four tires on the previous caution. The two-tire call would position Logano fourth, marking the team’s first appearance in the top-five during the 400-lap event.
· Following a lengthy red-flag period for rain, the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil crew elected to pit with the race leaders. Unfortunately, loose lugnuts on the right front meant the team had to make an additional stop, dropping Logano outside the top-15 for the final 75 laps.
· Logano was able to battle back forward to the 13th position, only the second time in 11 races that the No. 22 Ford team has finished outside the top-10.
Quote: “We had a decent car today, it was extremely difficult to pass with the speeds we were running. Todd made a good call at the midpoint of the race for two tires, which gave us track position and at that point we were in a position at that point to fight for a top-five. Unfortunately on the last stop we had a miscue and had to pit a second time and then it was really tough working back from there.”
