Motorcraft/Quick Lane Will Return to Famed Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford Fusion in 2018 with New Driver Paul Menard

August 29, 2017

The iconic No. 21 Ford Fusion race car of Wood Brothers Racing will have a new face behind the wheel in 2018, but for 14 races it will have a very familiar look to race fans as Motorcraft and Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers return as major sponsors of the team for the 18th season. Continue reading Motorcraft/Quick Lane Will Return to Famed Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford Fusion in 2018 with New Driver Paul Menard →

Blaney Finishes 10th in Night Race At Bristol

August 20, 2017
Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team came away from the Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway with a 10th-place finish and some growing momentum heading into an off week followed by the final two races of the regular season.

Saturday night’s finish was Blaney’s ninth top 10 of the season and his second in the past three races. In between he had a 15th-place finish at Michigan, and he and the team head into the off week 12th in the championship standings. Continue reading Blaney Finishes 10th in Night Race At Bristol →

Blaney Qualifies 10th For Bristol Night Race; Team To Honor Late Crewman Butch Moricle

August 18, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team unloaded another fast Ford Fusion at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday. They set the pace in final practice for the second-straight week and earned the 10th starting spot for Saturday’s Night Race.

It was the 16th time in 24 races this season that Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team have qualified in the top 10.

Blaney was fourth fastest in the opening practice session with a lap at 128.917 miles per hour. Then, for the second-straight week he set the pace in final practice, this time turning a lap at 128.554 mph. Continue reading Blaney Qualifies 10th For Bristol Night Race; Team To Honor Late Crewman Butch Moricle →

Wood Brothers Team Preparing To Race For A Second Car Owner Championship

August 16, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to Bristol Motor Speedway looking for a strong run to build momentum as Blaney prepares himself to battle for his first championship in NASCAR’s elite division while his Wood Brothers team is seeking its second car owner title.

Many fans know the Woods, NASCAR’s longest continuously operating team, have won 99 Cup races and 117 poles, but few realize the Woods also have an owner’s championship from the 1963 season. Continue reading Wood Brothers Team Preparing To Race For A Second Car Owner Championship →

Blaney Finishes 15th At Michigan As Playoff Berth Is Secured

August 13, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/SKF team salvaged a 15th-place finish in the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway after a mid-race setback knocked them out a chance to contend for the victory.

Even so, Blaney and his Wood Brothers team gained a spot in the championship standings to 12th place. More importantly, a race victory by a previous winner (Kyle Larson) secured Blaney and the Motorcraft team a spot in the playoffs, the 10-race run to the championship that begins after three more races.

For the early portions of Sunday’s 400-miler, Blaney and the No. 21 Fusion showed their usual speed. Continue reading Blaney Finishes 15th At Michigan As Playoff Berth Is Secured →

Michigan’s An Important Track For Blaney, Wood Brothers

August 8, 2017

In the midst of one of their best seasons in years the Wood Brothers and their young driver are headed to Michigan International Speedway hoping for a strong run in front of their long-time backers at Ford Motor Company.

Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion have a win this season at Pocono Raceway, two other top-five and seven other top-10 finishes and a pole at Kansas Speedway. Continue reading Michigan’s An Important Track For Blaney, Wood Brothers →

Late-Race Gamble At The Glen Comes A Couple of Laps Short For Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team

August 6, 2017

With their win earlier this season at Pocono Raceway assuring them of a playoff berth, Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team took a gamble on winning at Watkins Glen but came a couple of laps short on fuel.

Blaney was leading with three laps to go when the engine in his No. 21 Fusion began sputtering, so he ducked on to pit road for a splash of fuel. Nonetheless, he was able to score an eighth place finish, his best-ever result on a road course in NASCAR’s elite series. Continue reading Late-Race Gamble At The Glen Comes A Couple of Laps Short For Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team →

High-Speed Watkins Glen Track Should Suit Ryan Blaney’s Style

August 3, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team will be back on the road this weekend, road racing at historic Watkins Glen in New York.

The Wood Brothers and their No. 21 Fords have a history of running well at the Glen. In their first trip there, back in 1965, the late Marvin Panch took the lead on Lap 12 and led the remaining 53 laps to take the victory over Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker and Cale Yarborough. Continue reading High-Speed Watkins Glen Track Should Suit Ryan Blaney’s Style →

Blaney Going For Not-So-Rare Pocono Sweep

July 27, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head back to Pocono Raceway this weekend hoping for a repeat of their performance there on June 11 when Blaney scored his first career Cup win and the Wood Brothers’ 99th.

A sweep of the season’s races at Pocono isn’t all that uncommon. Bobby Allison did it in 1982, Bill Elliott followed in 1985, the late Tim Richmond did it in 1986, as did Bobby Labonte in 1999, Jimmie Johnson in 2004, Denny Hamlin in 2006 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014. Continue reading Blaney Going For Not-So-Rare Pocono Sweep →

Wood Brothers Racing and Paul Menard Team Up Beginning in 2018

STUART, VA (July 26, 2017) – Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest active NASCAR team and one of the winningest teams in series history, and veteran driver Paul Menard, will join forces for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENSC) season, the two parties announced today. The new partnership will see the team continue to compete full time for the coming seasons with Menard driving the legendary No. 21 Ford Fusion.

Menards, the industry-leading home improvement store company, will sponsor the No. 21 Ford for 22 MENCS races. Additional sponsorship, including plans for long-time partner Motorcraft/Quick Lane, will be announced at a later date. Continue reading Wood Brothers Racing and Paul Menard Team Up Beginning in 2018 →

Late Wrecks Ends Impressive Brickyard Performance For Blaney, Quick Lane Team

July 24, 2017

For Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Quick Lane team, the 16 championship points earned via third-place finishes in the first two Stages of Sunday’s Brickyard 400 lessened the pain of a disappointing 23rd-place finish.

When the points were tallied after the race, Blaney had earned 30, the equivalent of a seventh-place finish, despite having his race end prematurely due to his involvement in the mayhem that marked the second half of the race. There were a record 14 caution periods that consumed 55 laps and saw 17 drivers, including Blaney, eliminated with crashed race cars. Continue reading Late Wrecks Ends Impressive Brickyard Performance For Blaney, Quick Lane Team →

Blaney Puts Quick Lane Ford Fusion Among The Top 10 In Indy Qualifying

July 22, 2017

Ryan Blaney advanced through the three rounds of qualifying at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday and earned the 10th starting spot for Sunday’s Brickyard 400.

It was his 14th top-10 qualifying effort in 20 races this season and his sixth in the past seven races. Continue reading Blaney Puts Quick Lane Ford Fusion Among The Top 10 In Indy Qualifying →

Glen Wood’s 92nd Birthday Gathering Sets The Tone For Quick Lane Team’s Trip To Indy

July 20, 2017

Each year, when the Wood Brothers, their driver Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Quick Lane team roll into Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete in the Brickyard 400, they find themselves in awe of that track and the people who have competed there over the years.

It’s especially true this year because on Tuesday, at team founder Glen Wood’s 92nd birthday celebration in Stuart, Va., there was Indy history all around.

There with Glen Wood were his brothers Leonard, Delano and Ray Lee, who worked the pits in 1965 as Jim Clark delivered Ford its first Indy 500 victory. Continue reading Glen Wood’s 92nd Birthday Gathering Sets The Tone For Quick Lane Team’s Trip To Indy →

Blaney Moves To 12th In Points Despite 19th-Place Finish At New Hampshire

July 17, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team got off to a good start in Sunday’s 301-lap race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but the second half of the race was more of a challenge with changing track conditions and untimely caution periods.

Blaney wound up a disappointing 19th at the finish, but that was good enough to move up one spot to 12th place in the championship standings. Continue reading Blaney Moves To 12th In Points Despite 19th-Place Finish At New Hampshire →

Blaney To Start 15th At New Hampshire

July 14, 2017

Most weeks throughout the 2017 season, Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team have been able to improve their speed through the rounds of knock-out qualifying.

On Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Blaney and the team experienced a rare drop-off after Round Two and did not advance to the final round for the first time in the past six qualifying sessions. Still, Blaney will line up 15th for Sunday’s 301-lap race. Continue reading Blaney To Start 15th At New Hampshire →

Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Heading To New Hampshire With Playoffs In Mind

July 13, 2017

In 30 trips to New Hampshire Motor Speedway since the Loudon track started hosting NASCAR’s elite Cup division back in 1993, the Wood Brothers have been runners-up twice but still are seeking their first win there.
Continue reading Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Heading To New Hampshire With Playoffs In Mind July 13, 2017 In 30 trips to New Hampshire Motor Speedway since the Loudon track started hosting NASCAR’s elite Cup division back in 1993, the Wood Brothers have been runners-up twice but still are seeking their first win there. Those two finishes, by Morgan Shepherd in 1995 and Ricky Rudd in 2003, came in races that wound up being fairly significant in NASCAR history. Shepherd finished second to Jeff Gordon, who that day earned his first of three career wins at New Hampshire and the seventh of a career that saw him win 93. Rudd’s runner-up to Jimmie Johnson came in the race that led NASCAR to change its policy of letting drivers race back to the yellow flag. After several drivers barely avoided the crippled car of Dale Jarrett as they raced down the frontstretch to the caution flag, series officials began mandating that drivers slow down as soon as the caution flag flew. They also added a provision that the first driver one lap or more down to the leader gets a free pass or “lucky dog” to get back on the lead lap. That policy came into play last year at New Hampshire for Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team. In that race, Blaney had a fast car but fell a lap down over the course of 124-lap, green-flag run that opened the race. Blaney and his crew chief Jeremy Bullins continued to work on the Motorcraft Fusion and were in position to get the free pass when a caution flew at Lap 241. From there, Blaney moved from 17th place to 12th over the final laps to secure his 12th top-12 finish of the season up to that point. In the first New Hampshire race of 2016 a similar scenario played out, only that time Blaney lost a lap due to a penalty for speeding on pit road. That time, Bullins called for the wave-around, another option for rejoining the lead lap that was added in 2009, and Blaney was able to drive back to an 11th-place finish. Team co-owner Eddie Wood said another strong run at Loudon will take on added significance this year as Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are headed for the playoffs due to their victory at Pocono Raceway and the next trip to Loudon, in late September, will be the second race of the playoffs. “The things we learn about the car this weekend should apply when we go back in September,” Wood said. “But we don’t want to look too far down the road. We’re focused on a good finish this weekend, and Ryan and Jeremy showed last year that they can adapt to the New Hampshire track and the relatively short 300-lap races.” Qualifying at New Hampshire is set for 4:45 p.m. on Friday, and the 301-lap race is scheduled to start just after 3 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on NBCSN. →

Blaney Leads The Way For Ford In Kentucky Qualifying

July 7, 2017

Lighting in the vicinity of Kentucky Speedway on Friday evening forced an early end to qualifying and left Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion with the sixth starting position for Saturday night’s race.

His speed was the best of the Ford contingent, which placed three drivers in the top 10.

It was Blaney’s fifth-straight top-10 qualifying performance, his seventh in the past eight races and his 13th top-10 start in 18 tries this season.

As has been the case most weeks this season, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team unloaded a fast Ford Fusion. Blaney was fourth fastest in the two practice sessions on Friday, posting a best lap of 186.059 miles per hour in the first session and running 186.458 mph in the second. Continue reading Blaney Leads The Way For Ford In Kentucky Qualifying →

Blaney Hoping To Build Playoff Momentum Beginning This Week At Kentucky

July 6, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are hoping to capitalize this weekend on the speed they’ve shown in their past two trips to Kentucky Speedway.

Blaney did not get to qualify in 2015. Because the Wood Brothers were at that point a part-time team without a provisional starting spot he didn’t race. Last year, qualifying was rained out again, but he did get to start and ran among the leaders before being collected in a crash on a mid-race restart.

“I think our Cup cars have actually been really good [at Kentucky],” Blaney said on this week’s NASCAR teleconference. “We haven’t really got the great finishes that I feel like we should have gotten there, but I’m excited to get back. Continue reading Blaney Hoping To Build Playoff Momentum Beginning This Week At Kentucky →

Late Crash Leaves Blaney 26th At Daytona

July 2, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion were major players for the majority of Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

But a multi-car crash with six of the race’s scheduled 160 laps left to run ended Blaney’s night and left him with a 26th-place finish.

Up to that point, he’d been able to move through the field at will and led the race for nine circuits, from Lap 127 to Lap 135.

Just prior to the crash that ended his night, Blaney was racing for the top spot, chose the inside lane, but got no drafting help. He dropped back outside the top 20 but was on his way back to the front when Kyle Larson lost control, made contact with another car and sailed into the air right in front of Blaney, who was against the outside wall and had no escape route. Continue reading Late Crash Leaves Blaney 26th At Daytona →

Fast Qualifying Lap At Daytona Earns Blaney His 12th Top-10 Start of 2017

June 30, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team continued their run of success in Monster Energy Cup qualifying with a ninth-place performance at Daytona International Speedway on Friday.

It was the 12th time in 17 races this season that Blaney has qualified ninth or better.

The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team unloaded a fast Ford Fusion at Daytona. Blaney, who finished second in his last race on the 2.5-mile track, was fifth fastest in the opening practice session with a best lap at 197.165 miles per hour. The team elected to skip the Happy Hour session on Thursday.

On Friday, Blaney was seventh fastest in the opening qualifying session with a lap at 189.765 mph. Then he ran a tick of the clock quicker at 189.785 mph in the final round to secure the ninth starting spot for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400.

“We were consistent,” Blaney told reporters after qualifying. “I think our car has good speed, maybe not as much speed as you want in qualifying but I think our race car is going to be pretty fast (on Saturday night).

“We can see the front, which is nice.”

Saturday’s 400-miler is scheduled to get the green flag just after 7:30 p.m. with TV coverage on NBC.