After a disappointing finish at one of their home tracks, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to one of their happy places, the Kansas Speedway.
For Blaney and crew chief Jeremy Bullins, Kansas is where their Cup careers began back in 2014, when they ran the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske, qualifying 21st and finishing 27th.
Their Kansas races since then have been in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion fielded by the Wood Brothers, and the results have been impressive.
Last fall, Blaney qualified eighth, led five laps and finished seventh. Back in May, he stepped it up a notch, qualifying seventh and finishing fifth.
That progression had Bullins thinking optimistically earlier this week as he oversaw the final preparations on the No. 21 Fusion.
“This should be a fun weekend with the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion,” he said. “Kansas has been a lot of fun for us as a team, and we have a lot of experience and notes to look back through.”
He pointed out that Blaney is adapting well to the 1.5-mile speedway as evidenced by his Kansas driver rating of 85.4, which is 16th on the list and puts him just behind Joey Logano and just ahead of Kyle Busch.
Bullins said that if Blaney’s first Cup race at Kansas wasn’t factored in, he’d be much higher.
“Ryan’s driver rating in the last two races at Kansas would have him in the top 5 on average, so it’s certainly somewhere we feel good about,” he said.
Bullins also said that despite the final outcome in the past two races, where a blown tire at Dover and being collected in a multi-car wreck at Charlotte ruined promising finishes, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion has had the speed to finish in the top 10 in both races.
“We’ve had fast cars for several weeks now, and the last two weeks haven’t ended like we wanted so I know everyone is ready to bounce back strong this week,” he said. “I feel like there’s no better place for us to get back in a good rhythm to finish off the season than Kansas Speedway.”
Qualifying for the Hollywood Casino 400 is set for Friday at 6:15 p.m. and the race is scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. Sunday with TV coverage on NBC.
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
Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models. Quick Lane’s nationwide network of more than 700 facilities, each providing the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained, technicians). In addition to offering trusted parts from Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers offers brand-name tires from Goodyear, Continental, Michelin and others. Quick Lane® is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.quicklane.com
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 98 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 117 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 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion driven by Ryan Blaney in the famous No. 21 racecar.
