Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race: Dixie Vodka 400
Date: February 28, 2021
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No. 2 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 7th
Stage 1: 2nd
Stage 2: 10th
Finish: 16th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 267/267
Laps Led: 47
Point Standings (behind first): 10th (-44)
Notes:
- Brad Keselowski scored a 16th-place finish in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The driver of the Dent Wizard Ford is 10th in NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 44 points behind the leader.
- Keselowski started strong, grabbing the lead on lap 13 and holding the top spot for the next 40 laps. But as Stage 1 drew to a close, the balance on the Dent Wizard Ford shifted to too tight on entry and free off the corners. The second caution on lap 65 put Keselowski in position to win the stage. He pitted for four tires and an air pressure adjustment on lap 68 and restarted second on lap 72, eight laps from the finish of the segment. Keselowski grabbed the lead on lap 73 but was forced to settle for second-place after an entertaining duel with Chris Buescher. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins made the call to pit for four tires and a wedge adjustment during the stage caution.
- Good work on the pit lane by the 2 Crew kept Keselowski in second when the race went green on lap 87.
- Finding the right balance on the No. 2 Mustang was a big challenge throughout Stage 2 plus Keselowski had a close call when Chase Elliott’s car wiggled in front of him off Turn 4 on lap 130. He was running outside the top-10 when the fourth caution waved on lap 155, just five laps from the end of the stage. Keselowski pitted one lap later for four tires. He restarted 13th with one lap remaining in the segment. He picked off three positions to score a 10th-place finish in Stage 2. Bullins kept Keselowski on the track during the stage caution and he started eighth when the race went green on lap 167.
- Keselowski settled into eighth position during the early laps of the third and final stage. The balance on the No. 2 Mustang returned to not having rear grip. He was running 10th when a caution on lap 201 set up another round of pit stops. Keselowski pitted for four tires and good work by the 2 Crew on pit road moved him up to seventh for the restart on lap 207. He was running eighth there when he made his final stop under green on lap 237 for four tires and a track bar adjustment. The race remained green to the finish and Keselowski was able to fight his way through traffic to score a 16th-place finish.
Quotes: “We didn’t get the finish we wanted with our Dent Wizard Ford, but the guys had a solid day on pit road and I’m proud of them. We’ll rebound next week in Las Vegas.”
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No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 14th
Stage 1: 18th
Stage 2: 8th
Finish: 29th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 266/267
Laps Led: 0
Final Point Standings (behind first): 24th (-94)
Notes:
- Ryan Blaney started 14th and finished 29th in Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The driver of the DEX Imaging Ford Mustang battled an ill-handling Mustang much of the day and would be caught up in an accident on lap 201. Blaney now sits 24th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 94 points behind the leader.
- The driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang started 14th and was up to 10th position by the lap 25 competition caution. He reported to crew chief Todd Gordon that he was tight on entry, center and loose on exit. He pitted on lap 27 for four tires, air pressure and a track bar adjustment.
- Restarting 12th, Blaney struggled with speed on the restart. A caution on lap 65 would bring the DEX Imaging Ford back to pit road for tires and additional chassis changes. He restarted 15th and finished in the 18th position when Stage 1 was completed on lap 80.
- Blaney started Stage 2 from the 17th position. He worked his way up to 15th before a cycle of green flag pit stops began on lap 120. Blaney was 14th when the fourth caution waved on lap 155, which set up a one-lap dash to finish the stage. The driver of the DEX Imaging Ford restarted 12th and picked off four positions on the final lap to finish eighth when Stage 2 ended on lap 160.
- Blaney would begin the final stage of the race from the 18th position on lap 167 after pitting during the stage caution. Unfortunately, on lap 201 Blaney would be squeezed into the Turn 4 wall, which caused significant damage to the DEX Imaging Ford. Gordon and the crew made extensive repairs. Blaney returned to the track and was credited with a 29th-place finish.
Quote: “It was a tough day for our DEX Imaging Ford Mustang team. We struggled with the balance but felt like we were making progress. Unfortunately, I got squeezed into the wall and that basically ruined our day. We’ll put it behind us and move to Las Vegas next week.”
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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 2nd
Stage 1: 7th
Stage2: 14th
Finish: 25th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 267/267
Laps Led: 12
Point Standings (behind first): 3rd (-31)
Notes:
- Joey Logano started second but battled an ill-handling No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Mustang on Sunday afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway and ultimately scored a 25th-place finish. One bright spot on the afternoon was the performance of the Shell-Pennzoil pit crew, which gained positions on pit road throughout the race despite making wholesale changes on numerous stops.
- After starting on the front row, Logano led the opening 12 laps before settling in to the second position behind teammate Brad Keselowski. Logano reported he was too tight on entry and fighting loose on corner exit. Under the competition caution on lap 25, the team adjusted with tape on the nose and air pressure. The handling continued to struggle on the No. 22 through the first stage. Logano ultimately finished seventh and reported he just needed more turn to compete with the race leaders.
- In the second stage, the driver of the No. 22 Mustang continued to wrestle with a lack of turn on corner entry and couldn’t maintain drive off the corners. During a cycle of green flag stops, the Shell-Pennzoil team made more air pressure adjustments. Logano finished 14th when Stage 2 concluded on lap 160.
- As the final stage wore on, Logano dropped as far back as 27th position as he struggled with the balance on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Mustang. The sixth and final caution on lap 201 brought Logano to pit road to pull packer from both front shocks.
- The team elected to split the final 67-lap run by pitting under green on lap 237, 30 laps from the finish. Logano took four tires and received an air pressure adjustment. Over the final laps of the race Logano reported the handling did improve on the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang and he was credited with a 25th-place finish.
Quote: “We just couldn’t find the handling during the race. The guys worked on it every stop and we made some incremental gains, but we were just too far off. Pit stops were solid. We’ve got the right pieces. We’ll go to Vegas next week and try to win another Pennzoil 400.”
