Late-Race Strategy Call Nets Blaney A Fourth-Place Finish
September 18, 2016
Missing the cut for the Chase for the Sprint Cup can be a mixed blessing, as Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team proved on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.
With little to lose points-wise, non-Chase teams like Blaney’s are free to gamble on strategies designed to put them in position to win races.
Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team did just that in Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 400. When the caution flag flew with seven scheduled laps left to run, setting up an overtime run to the checkered flag, crew chief Jeremy Bullins opted to stay on the track on older tires. That decision vaulted Blaney into the lead for what wound up being a two-lap sprint to the checkered flag.
Blaney was able to overcome the disadvantage of older tires on the restart and led the field for a half a lap before eventual winner Martin Truex Jr. and two other drivers with fresh tires were able to pass him. Continue reading Late-Race Strategy Call Nets Blaney A Fourth-Place Finish