Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Daytona International Speedway Road Course
Race: Go Bowling 235 at The Daytona Road Course
Date: August 16, 2020
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No. 2 Wabash Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 17th
Stage 1: 18th
Stage 2: 15th
Finish: 13th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 65/65
Laps Led: 0
Point standings (behind first): 3rd (-136)
Notes:
Brad Keselowski scored a 13th-place finish in the Go Bowling 235 Sunday afternoon at the Daytona International Speedway road course. With Sunday’s result, Keselowski is now third in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 136 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.
Keselowski started 17th Sunday in the Wabash Ford Mustang and, with the exception of missing the frontstretch chicane on the third lap of the race, had an uneventful Stage 1. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins made the call to pit for four tires and an air pressure adjustment under the green flag on lap 12. Keselowski returned to the track and was scored in 18th place when the caution-free opening stage concluded on lap 15. The driver of the Wabash Mustang remained on track during the stage caution and restarted in eighth position when the race resumed on lap 17.
Stage 2 was also completed without a yellow flag. Keselowski ran among the top 10 drivers early before he made a scheduled green-flag stop on lap 26, with the No. 2 Ford taking on four fresh tires and a track bar adjustment four laps before the conclusion of the stage. Keselowski was credited with a 15th-place finish when the segment concluded on lap 30. The team once again decided to remain on the track during the stage caution and Keselowski advanced to seventh place for the race restart on lap 32.
Keselowski was running fifth when the race was halted due to lightning on lap 37. The balance of the No. 2 Mustang was similar to earlier in the race when Keselowski reported that the car lacked forward drive off the corners, especially in Turn 6.
The race restarted on lap 39 and Keselowski was in the ninth position when he pitted under green on lap 44 for four tires and a right-rear wedge adjustment. He found himself running outside the top 20 and the team knew it would be close to try and stretch its fuel window to the end as the race entered the final 10 laps.
The fourth and final caution of the race proved to be a stroke of good fortune for Keselowski. He pitted for four tires and air pressure adjustments on lap 61 and restarted 21st when the race returned to green with three laps to go. The final laps featured three- and sometimes four-wide racing but Keselowski carved his way through traffic to earn a 13th-place finish.
Quotes: “We were able to rally at the end and pick up a few spots. Our Wabash Ford took off pretty good but the longer runs were a struggle.”
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No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 24th
Stage 1: 15th
Stage 2: 3rd
Finish: 31st
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 65/65
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Behind First): 5th (-184)
Notes:
Ryan Blaney started 24th and finished 31st in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway road course. The driver of the Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang found his way to the front early in the race, but a pit road penalty and late-race strategy ultimately affected the race results for the No. 12 team.
The opening stage ran caution free and Blaney drove his way from 24th to 15th when the stage concluded on lap 15. After pitting on lap 12 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, The High Point, NC native remained on track for the start of Stage 2.
During the caution-free second stage, Blaney ran inside the top six for most of the segment and he finished the stage running third to collect some valuable points. During the stage break, the Todd Gordon-led crew went to work on the No. 12 Mustang equipping the car with four tires, fuel, and an additional air pressure adjustment.
Blaney took the green flag restart in the 23rd position as the final stage of the 65-lap event began. After Blaney worked his way up to 19th, a lightning delay and subsequent red flag halted the race. When racing resumed, Blaney restarted in the 16th position. After advancing to sixth place during the cycle of green flag pit stops, Blaney visited pit road on lap 49 for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment.
Unfortunately, Blaney had to serve a drive-through penalty after a pit-lane speed violation. A late caution allowed the Advance Auto Parts Ford to remain on track and Blaney restarted the final stretch of the race in 12th place. Unfortunately, ill handling due to old tires on the No. 12 saw Blaney fall back in the closing laps to finish in the 31st position.
Blaney now sits fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 184 points behind leader Kevin Harvick heading into next weekend’s doubleheader weekend at Dover International Speedway.
Quote: “It was a long day for the Advance Auto Parts team. With the new qualifying draw, we started deep in the field, but really had to work our way forward. I sped on pit road that really cost us and I was not able to hold on the old tires late. We’ll put it behind us and get ready for Dover.”
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No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 5th
Stage 1: 2nd
Stage 2: 17th
Finish: 9th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 65/65
Laps Led: 1
Point Standings (Behind First): 6th (-185)
Notes:
Joey Logano started fifth and finished ninth in Sunday afternoon’s inaugural race on the Daytona International Speedway road course driving the No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang. Logano battled a lack of forward drive through the early portion of the event as the team made multiple air pressure and trackbar adjustments to try and improve the car’s performance. Logano raced inside the top 10 for most of the afternoon, despite the handling issues, and he ultimately secured a ninth-place finish.
After starting fifth Sunday, Logano ran inside the top five for the entire first stage and he finished second as several cars elected to pit just prior to the stage break. Through the opening run, Logano reported that the PPG Ford Mustang was rotating through the corners well, but it needed additional forward drive on corner exit to contend with the race leaders. Logano remained on the track at the stage break and he led the field to the green flag to start the second stage.
After his first pit stop at lap 21, Logano patiently drove toward the back of the pack as he preserved the No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang for the later stages of the race. As the race leaders began to cycle into the pits, Logano advanced back into the top 20. Under the caution flag at the conclusion of Stage 2, Logano reported that he didn’t feel much of a change in the forward drive of the car. The PPG Ford remained on the track at the conclusion of the stage.
With 30 laps remaining in the race, a lightning strike near the speedway halted track activity with Logano scored in the seventh position. As the race resumed, Logano settled back into the top 10 as the team planned its approach for the final pit stop of the race.
Logano pitted at lap 45 for an additional trackbar and air pressure adjustment, which provided the forward drive the team needed in the PPG Ford Mustang. Logano began to clock his fastest laps of the race while he worked his way back into the top 10.
During a late caution, Logano brought the PPG Mustang to pit road for four tires and an air pressure adjustment for the short sprint to the finish. Logano took the green flag restart in the 17th position and he rallied in the closing laps to secure his 12th top-10 finish of the season.
Quote: “We are starting to get some consistency. We know what we need to work on for the Roval with our PPG Mustang and we will go to work. The 9 (Chase Elliott) obviously has been really good at these road courses, especially with this tire. We have to find some rear drive. That is where he was beating everybody. We will go to work and try to find it.”
