Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Dover International Speedway
Race: Drydene 311
Date: August 22, 2020
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No. 2 WURTH Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 7th
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 5th
Finish: Running
Status: 9th
Laps Completed: 311/311
Laps Led: 9
Point Standings (behind first): 3rd (-136)
Notes:
Brad Keselowski scored a ninth-place finish in the Drydene 311 Saturday afternoon at Dover International Speedway. The driver of the WURTH Ford Mustang racked up his 17th top-10 finish in 24 races this season and his ninth at Dover. Keselowski remains third in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 136 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.
Keselowski started seventh and battled a loose-handling Ford Mustang throughout Stage 1. He pitted during the competition caution on lap 26 for four tires and a track bar adjustment and restarted 14th on lap 31. From there, Keselowski steadily worked his way through traffic, climbing up to third when the stage ended on lap 70. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins called for four tires and another track bar adjustment during the stage caution on lap 73 and Keselowski restarted fourth when the green waved on lap 77.
Stage 2 ran caution-free and featured a round of green flag pit stops. Keselowski led two laps before making his scheduled stop on lap 139. He ran inside the top-five for the entire segment and raced hard with Kyle Busch for fourth position in the final laps of the stage. Busch found a way by and Keselowski was forced to settle for fifth when the segment concluded on lap 185. Keselowski pitted during the stage caution on lap 188 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment and restarted fifth on lap 192.
The third and final stage also featured long stretches of green flag racing and a cycle of stops under green. Keselowski said his Mustang was free during the middle of the run. He stayed out and led seven laps before making his final scheduled stop under green on lap 261. Keselowski returned to the track and cycled up to ninth position when the pit cycle was complete but couldn’t get closer to the front before the race ended.
Quotes: “We had a decent day in, nothing to write home about but not bad. We ran solidly in the top-10 all day with our WURTH Ford Mustang. I had a really good restart there in the first stage that got us third and it was kind of okay from there. We took a little shot at it running long in Stage 2 hoping for a yellow and didn’t get it but that’s part of the deal. We did the best we could to get what we had out of our day.”
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No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 20th
Stage 1: 11th
Stage 2: 15th
Finish: 14th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 310/311
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Behind First): 7th (-203)
Notes:
Ryan Blaney started 20th and finished 14th in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway. The driver of the Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang ran just outside the top-10 the entire day.
Blaney drove his way up to 11th by the lap 25 competition caution. He reported to crew chief Todd Gordon the Advance Auto Parts Ford was loose on entry and center and tight on exit. He would pit for right-side tires and fuel on lap 26. After restarting seventh, he would fall back to 13th by lap 45. Blaney would regain a couple positions lost on the restart to come home with an 11th-place finish in Stage 1. He pitted under the stage break for four tires and changes.
Stage 2 ran caution free with Blaney restarting in the 12th position. He reported the balance of the Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang was tight on exit. He pitted on lap 187 for four tires and a wedge adjustment. After restarting in 16th position, Blaney finished in 15th-position at the end of Stage 2 and got the free pass back on to the lead lap under the stage caution.
Blaney restarted the final stage of the race in 13th place. Still battling much of the same balance issues he had all day, he made his final stop on lap 253 for four tires and a stagger adjustment. The driver of the Advance Auto Parts Ford crossed the line in 14th, one lap down to the leaders.
Blaney sits seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 203 points behind Harvick, the series leader, entering Sunday’s race at Dover. Blaney will start from the seventh position on Sunday.
Quote: “We struggled with the balance of our Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang. Todd (Gordon) and the crew made a bunch of good changes all day, but we just could not get the balance where we needed it. We’ll get to work overnight and be ready to go tomorrow.”
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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 5th
Stage 1: 6th
Stage 2: 8th
Finish: 8th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 311/311
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Behind First): 6th (-190)
Notes:
Joey Logano started fifth and finished eighth in Saturday afternoon’s 311-mile race at Dover International Speedway in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Solid pit work and a variety of air pressure and chassis adjustments kept Logano in contention for a top-10 result despite battling a loose condition for most of the event.
During the opening laps, Logano kept the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang inside the top-five despite battling an extremely loose handling condition. On the competition caution, crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to pit Logano for two tires and a trackbar adjustment to provide more entry security. Logano reported the handling had improved through the second run of the race, but ultimately finished in the sixth position at the end of the first stage.
Through the second stage, Logano continued to run inside the top-10. He reported late in the opening run of the segment that the front tires had stopped rotating. On a lap 136 pit stop, the team adjusted with air pressure to work on maintaining center-turn longer into the run. Logano finished Stage 2 in the eighth position, reporting the No. 22 Mustang would not pivot properly in the center of the corners.
Logano continued running in the top-10 as green flag pit stops began with the Shell-Pennzoil crew pitting at lap 252 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. He raced on with the handling improved slightly, ultimately finishing the race in the eighth position.
The driver of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford claimed his fifth consecutive top-10 result, and the sixth in the last seven races. By virtue of his eighth-place finish, Logano will start in 13th position for Sunday’s 311-lap race.
Quote: “We had a top-10 day with the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. The pit crew did a great job maintaining or gaining positions on pit road. Track position was pretty important. We fought a little too free at times and lost a little center turn when we adjusted on that. The good news is that we’ve got another race tomorrow and we can adjust on the car tonight and hopefully find a little more speed to battle in the top-five and for a win.”
