March 20, 2024
The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team – and their peers on NASCAR’s Cup circuit – had to perform a West Coast-style turn-around this week in preparing the No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse for this weekend’s race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
The No. 21 hauler left North Carolina early Wednesday to make the 1,200-mile trek to the 20-turn, 3.426-mile track that will host Sunday’s fourth-annual EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
That early departure meant lots of work had to be done in two days once the NASCAR caravan returned home following last Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of the No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse driven by Harrison Burton, said he’s hoping his team can build on Burton’s prior runs at COTA.
In 2022, Burton scored points in both Stages and finished 17th. Last year he started 16th and ran well before experiencing mechanical issues and finishing 22nd. Both of those races were run before Bullins took over as Burton’s crew chief.
Bullins scored top-10 finishes at COTA in the past two seasons with Austin Cindric as his driver.
“If you look back at last season, Harrison seemed to get around COTA pretty well before having transaxle trouble and losing first gear,” Bullins said. “It’s a track that we have run well at in the past and have a good set-up to work from.
“Hopefully we can adapt it to Harrison’s liking and have a good weekend in our Motorcraft Ford.”
Practice for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix is set for Saturday at 9 a.m. Central Daylight Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time) to be followed by qualifying at 11:30 a.m. (Eastern Time).
Sunday’s 68-lap, 231.88-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Eastern) with Stage breaks at Laps 15 and 30.
FOX Sports 1 will carry the TV coverage of practice and qualifying, with FOX taking over the broadcast on Sunday.