Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Coca-Cola 600
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Ford Unofficial Finishing Results:
5th – Brad Keselowski
9th – Ryan Preece
10th – Noah Gragson
12th – Josh Berry
17th – Joey Logano
18th – Todd Gilliland
21st – Cole Custer
22nd – Chris Buescher
25th – Cody Ware
31st – Austin Cindric
33rd – Josh Bilicki
38th – Ryan Blaney
39th – Zane Smith
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT WAS WORKING WELL FOR YOU TODAY? “We had a really good car. We got mixed up in some of the different stuff in the midpoint of the race and just clawed our way out. I feel like if we could have got to the lead, we could have won the race. I wish it was a 700 mile race.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL AFTER THIS RACE COMPARED TO OTHERS? “You feel like you earned it. Some of these races you’re like, ‘I don’t know if I earned it.’ Today, we earned it.”
HOW TOUGH WAS IT TO GET OVER THE HUMP TONIGHT? “Just getting to the lead dictated so many things and we weren’t able to get there, but I think we had the effort to do it.”
YOU CAME TO THE FRONT IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE RACE. “Yeah, definitely. By the end of the night, I thought we were one of the best cars, if not the best. I just wish it was a 700 mile race.”
HOW MUCH DID YOU GUYS NEED SOMETHING LIKE THAT? “We’ve been really competitive the last few weeks and I feel like it just hasn’t all come together and it still hasn’t all come together, but this car has got the speed to win the race and I need to go get it.”
WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS TEAM? “This car was good enough to win. We just weren’t able to put all the dots together and some of that falls on me for sure.”
RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Kroger/Irish Spring Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Honestly, it felt like we were really good. We were really good compared to the competition the first 200, but I’ve got to figure out how to qualify better because we had a terrible pit selection with just the situation we were in. We kept going to 12th and then would drop to 28th and then drive forward again. Once we got there and the night cooled things off, I just got too loose for how good I was early and that was the difference. Ultimately, I’m happy with a ninth and we’re gonna continue on.”
TWO RFK FORDS IN THE TOP 10 AND THE OTHER WAS GOOD AS WELL UNTIL GETTING SOME DAMAGE. DO YOU FEEL IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER FOR EVERYONE? “Absolutely. Ford is really lucky to have a guy like Brad on his team, and I’m really lucky to have him as an owner, as a driver, as somebody that I can lean on. He’s really been helpful, so it’s been a lot of fun and certainly we want that position. We want to be in position to win these races, but today was one of those days where we grinded it out and got a ninth.”
NOAH GRAGSON, No. 4 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I felt like we had a really good Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang Dark Horse, but at the end of stage three I was too short in the pit box and screwed us as a team. We really ran up in the top eight pretty much all night. I felt like our car was pretty strong and got set back to start that fourth stage. We were the last car on the lead lap, so to drive back up through the field and finish in the top 10 feels really good.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It’s a bit of a shame. I thought we had a solid run going, but I got a little too free and popped the fence. I was trying to be patient all night and still didn’t quite get it. I thought we had enough speed to sneak a top 10 in there tonight, but overall it was a difficult evening and I’m proud of the hustle from the guys to be able to finish the race.”
CODY WARE, No. 51 Jacob Construction/Evel Knievel Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I feel like today was a day where we can start building our momentum. It was a hard fought 600 miles but we were there at the end. I’m just thankful for the crew to build me such a fast Jacob Companies/Evel Knievel Ford Mustang Dark Horse today and we’ll be able to take this 25th place finish and hopefully get a better qualifying draw for Nashville and start to build some momentum. I’m really happy with it. I’m worn out and exhausted and ready to get some sleep and start prepping for Nashville.”
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 BodyArmor Chill Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was three-wide and tight getting off the corner. I thought I was kind of high enough as I could go and it seems like, I don’t know if it was just a big squeeze, a couple of us bounced off each other – just tight off four.”
YOU SEEMED TO BE GAINING SOME TRACK POSITION. “The first caution set us back and then finally got close to the top 10, but now we’re gonna go home early. It’s one of those things.”
ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Benebone Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We got a little behind on adjustments and were racing with guys that are just a little sketchier. Unfortunately, I just got tight and tried to slide up in front of the 88 and got a little free and then just got finished off by him. It’s unfortunate because we had a really good car until our halfway break. All in all, we’ve been fast this year and we just need to keep it going.”
