Paul Menard and the Menards/Jack Links team head to Texas Motor Speedway hoping to capitalize on the speed the No. 21 Ford has shown in recent Texas races.
The Wood Brothers Ford has been fast at Texas for the past three seasons, but so far the finishing positions for the most part don’t reflect it.
In the spring of 2017, Ryan Blaney, aboard the No. 21, won the race’s first two stages and led the most laps but wound up 12th after getting tangled up trying to come from mid-pack in the third stage. He came back in the fall and finished sixth.
Since Menard took over the No. 21, the team has continued to show speed, but has had issues in the race that kept them from getting the finish they expected.
Back in March at Texas, Menard finished sixth in the first 85-lap stage then moved up to fifth in the second.
He got up to third place early in the final segment of the race before he had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel and wound up 19th.
Crew chief Greg Erwin said he’s believes he’s prepared another fast Ford Mustang for Texas.
“We’re looking to build on a very good performance in the first race this year,” he said.
“Obviously a lot has changed with our cars since March, but I feel like we have kept our car builds very competitive with the field and should have another opportunity for a strong showing.”
Eddie Wood said “We just haven’t had a good, clean race without something out of the ordinary happening to us there.”
Qualifying for the AAA Texas 500 is set for Saturday at 6:05 p.m. (7:05 Eastern Time), and the race is scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern Time) on Sunday with TV coverage on NBCSN.
Menards
A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI. Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader. It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember. For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.
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 120 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 Mustang driven by Paul Menard in the famous No. 21 racer.
