Ford Performance NASCAR Notes & Quotes:
XFINITY Series Post Race – Boyd Gaming 300
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 7, 2015
FORD FINISHING ORDER
2nd Ryan Blaney
7th Darrell Wallace Jr.
11th Aric Almirola
13th Elliott Sadler
14th Chris Buescher
15th Ryan Reed
30th Dakoda Armstrong
DARRELL WALLACE Jr., No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Ford Mustang (Finished 7th) – “We are gaining. I think that has been our motto all weekend long really. We were way to free and our balance was too free overall. We couldn’t fire off on restarts and made a big adjustment there on the last one and over adjusted. We are learning as a team and our Ford EcoBoost Mustang was right there as a top-10 car all day and it paid off for us. We got some breaks there with the lucky dog and have some momentum heading into Phoenix. I am excited to see where things are going for us.”
ELLIOTT SADLER, No. 1 OneMain Financial Ford Mustang (Finished 13th) – “We were really fast. We got caught up behind the 2 there and lost all our track position. We had to fight back and got our car really fast during the middle of the race and got off on that long green flag run and got lapped and couldn’t get the lucky dog. That last run our car was really fast. We know how to adjust on it and make it better. It is not the day we wanted, of course, man just bad things keep going our way but we will keep our heads down and dig and go to Phoenix and try again.”
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 98 Carroll Shelby Engine Co. Ford Mustang (Finished 11th) – “It was a solid day for us. We had a lot of speed in the car on new tires and when the pace was fast and on restarts and stuff but man, after that it just would go away real fast. It would get really, really loose. I am not sure what we are missing there. We have to go do work and kind of figure out a more long run package but the short run speed was there. I could run with anyone on the restarts but after 10 laps I would get real loose and it was hard to drive in traffic.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 60 Roush Performance Products Ford Mustang (Finished 14th) – “We were tight and it made for a really long day for us. There isn’t much really to do other than move on to the next one. We will head into Phoenix and try to get this west coast swing try to swinging back our way a little bit.”
DARRELL WALLACE JR. POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE (TOP ROOKIE FINISHER)
“It was a solid day for us. We were just too free overall and we got kind of spaced out there and then got caught a lap down and then the cautions fell and we were able to get on the lead lap and battle with those guys. It was a good day overall for our Ford EcoBoost Mustang. We have some work to do still but we are gaining on things. I am proud of the effort my guys are giving me. We will continue this and bring the momentum on to Phoenix.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ACCLIMATING TO THE NEW TEAM AND SERIES OVERALL? “I think we are growing in a good way. In a positive way. You continue to communicate and that is the biggest thing, trying to communicate with the crew chief and get the relationship going. We are still working on that and have hit on some things and missed on some things. The window of the things we have missed on have been a lot smaller than in previous years. That is a good thing. He says we will keep working on it and he keeps telling me that and I can only respect that. I am excited to get to Phoenix and our first short track and see how it goes.”
RYAN BLANEY POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE (RUNNER UP FINISH) –
WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS AS YOU WERE TRACKING DOWN AUSTIN DILLON AT THE END? “Unfortunately going back a few laps before that with contact with Erick, that sucked and it got me really loose on the bottom of three and four and unfortunately we hit him a little bit. I hate to see him wreck. That was unfortunate. I didn’t think we would have a shot at it. We didn’t get through traffic great. We got through decent. I think we were fourth with 15 to go or whatever and then we spent a little too much time passing the 54 and 7 than I wanted to. I was kind of cautious there and I was surprised that we actually ran him down. I knew until we got to him that we would be okay with clean air. We got there sooner than I thought. Got a good run off four coming to the white and he did what he needed to do and stopped my run. Then I slipped a little in one and two on the white flag up top and couldn’t get to his outside. It was a good run for us. I think it was a good call to come in and put four on it and tighten me up some more. I was really loose all day and we didn’t have anything for the 33 all day and that gave us a shot at it. Hopefully next time.”
WERE YOU TEMPTED AT ALL TO MOVE AUSTIN FOR THE WIN? “No. I didn’t want any more people saying bad things about me after I wrecked Erik. I wasn’t going to move Austin that is for sure. He did what he had to do. He stopped my run. I didn’t expect him to pull over. I wasn’t going to move him to win the race.”
AT WHAT POINT DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A SHOT AT THE WIN? “I didn’t think we had a shot before we put the tires on. Maybe if we could have got the lead we might have been able to hold them off but I think some of it was tires. We didn’t put any gas in it and that tightened it up. We put a rubber in the left rear and that really brought it to life and I was able to drive it hard. I think that was the only shot we had at it. I don’t think before we came to pit road that we were going to drive up there and pass Austin because they were that good all day. A restart would have had to go our way.”
YOU SEEM TO BE KIND OF BEATING YOURSELF UP ABOUT THE INCIDENT WITH ERIK JONES, WHICH SEEMED TO JUST BE A RACING INCIDENT. ARE YOU ALWAYS THIS HARD ON YOURSELF? “Yeah, I mean it is a racing incident but you never want to see a wrecked race car and you be a part of it. I know it is a racing deal and you just hate to be in that position. That is the worst spot to be in, pinned down on the bottom and have someone right on your door. It happens but I don’t like getting into things with people and I hate to see a race car torn up. I hate to see it. I hope he knows I feel bad about it. We have to move on eventually. We will try to do that before tomorrow.”
