Wood Brothers Racing–Late-Race Wreck Ends Strong Speedweeks Performance For Bayne/Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team

Late-Race Wreck Ends Strong Speedweeks Performance For Bayne/Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team
February 24, 2014
Trevor Bayne and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew spent the majority of the 2014 Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway overcoming setbacks, but their good fortune came to an end in the closing laps of the rain-delayed Daytona 500. Bayne, who had worked his way into the top 12 with less than 50 miles to run, slipped in the draft with 16 laps remaining, and the team’s Speedweeks comeback ended with a crash into the wall. He was credited with a 33rd-place finish, but to Bayne and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team, the most important thing was that they were still in contention as the laps wound down in NASCAR’s showcase race.
 
“It’s frustrating, but we made it that far,” Bayne said. “We made it to the last 20 laps, and that’s kind of your goal at Daytona – to be around at the end for a chance to win.”
 
Sunday’s 500 wound up being much like the entire Speedweeks for Bayne and the Wood Brothers’ team.
 
Just as they had to bounce back from a disappointing qualifying effort and race their way into the Great American Race with a strong run in last Thursday’s Gatorade Duel qualifying race, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team had to overcome a problem on an early-race pit stop to be in the lead draft near the end. The pit stop issue led to the team going a lap down mid-race, but crew chief Donnie Wingo opted to take the wave-around, and the caution flags fell in the team’s favor, allowing Bayne to return the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion to the lead lap.
 
“We kept recovering tonight,” said Bayne, who led two laps in the 500.
 
“We worked our way into the top 10 a few times and led some laps, but it’s not the finish we were hoping for.”
 
The crash that ended the race for Bayne and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team began as Bayne was running in the middle of a three-wide pack with less than 20 laps remaining.

Even so, team co-owner Eddie Wood said that despite the team’s late-race misfortune, he’s not too disappointed.
 
“Any time you get to race in the Daytona 500, you’re happy to be a part of it,” he said. “And if you can make it to the last 20 or 25 laps and be in the top10 or 15 you know you have a shot.”
 
“The biggest thing for us was that we had a fast car. That means a lot.”
 
Bayne and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team return to the Sprint Cup Series in two weeks for the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.