Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Looking To Build On Texas Success At Kansas

May 10, 2017

Ryan Blaney and Jeremy Bullins head back this weekend to where it all started for them on the Cup circuit.

The driver and crew chief of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion made their debut in NASCAR’s elite series back in 2014 at Kansas Speedway in a Team Penske Ford.

Since moving to the Wood Brothers’ team, Blaney and Bullins have had some strong runs at Kansas as evidenced by their average finish there of 8.7 since they joined the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team. Continue reading Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Looking To Build On Texas Success At Kansas →

Late Crash Leaves Blaney 39th At Talladega

May 8, 2017

In an interview on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, Ryan Blaney told reporters that you never know what’s going to happen during races at the mammoth 2.66-mile track and that trouble could come at any point on the track.

On Sunday, he was proof of that. After a strong run that saw him earn 10 championship points in the first two stages of the GEICO 500, Blaney was the victim of a crash with less that 30 laps remaining.

His No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion was too damaged to continue and he was left with a 39th place finish. But with several other top drivers also being collected in crashes, Blaney didn’t take much of a hit in the championship standings. He dropped just one spot to 13th. Continue reading Late Crash Leaves Blaney 39th At Talladega →

Blaney To Start 16th At Talladega

May 6, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion will start Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway from the 16th position after Blaney turned a lap at 189.256 miles per hour in Saturday’s qualifying session.

Blaney’s said he was a little short on speed on Talladega’s long straightaways, but he’s not concerned about being able to race at the front of the pack on Sunday.

“I feel pretty fine about it,” he said. “The car has always raced pretty good. We’ll be just fine tomorrow.”

Blaney and his fellow Cup drivers will start Sunday’s race with a limited amount of practice due to persistent showers on Friday that cut short the practice session.

Blaney was seventh fastest on Friday with a best lap at 195.748 mph in the draft but ran just 10 laps. He said the lack of practice shouldn’t be a factor in Sunday’s race, but he also said that anything can happen at almost any time and place in the draft at Talladega.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” he said.

Sunday’s race is set to start just after 1 p.m. (2 p.m Eastern) with TV coverage on FOX.

Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Looking To Bounce Back At Talladega

May 3, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are headed to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend and hoping for a restrictor-plate pick-me-up after a couple of disappointing weeks on the short tracks at Bristol and Richmond. Continue reading Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Looking To Bounce Back At Talladega →

Late-Race Crash Spoils Impressive Comeback For Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team

April 30, 2017

The official finish of Sunday’s 400-lapper at Richmond International Raceway doesn’t reflect it, but the driver and crew of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion showed that they can bounce back from a dismal mid-race performance and contend for a top-five finish at the end.

Ryan Blaney started from the outside pole in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion but soon found himself running outside the top 15, and with radio problems that limited his communication with his crew chief and spotter.

But crew chief Jeremy Bullins and his fellow team leaders on the pit box stayed in the game, so to speak, and kept adjusting the chassis of the No. 21 on every pit stop. Bullins figured correctly on strategy calls including short-pitting with a little under 100 laps left to run. And each time Blaney drove to pit road, his over-the-wall crew either maintained his position in the running order or gained him spots, as many as three on one occasion. Continue reading Late-Race Crash Spoils Impressive Comeback For Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team →

Blaney Qualifies On The Outside Pole At Richmond

April 28, 2017

Another Friday, another front-row qualifying effort for Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team.

Blaney’s outside pole at Richmond International Raceway on Friday was his second in the past three races, including a rained-out qualifying session at Bristol where he started sixth. It also was his third outside pole in his last six attempts, including second-place efforts at Phoenix and Texas. Continue reading Blaney Qualifies On The Outside Pole At Richmond →

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Looking To Recapture The Magic At Richmond

April 26, 2017

Over the years, the Wood Brothers race team has set records, many of which still stand, at NASCAR tracks across America.

Richmond International Raceway, where Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team will race this weekend, is one of those tracks, although the team’s record at Richmond isn’t exactly a power house stat.

The team, and former driver Kyle Petty, hold the track’s record for the fewest laps led by a race winner – four laps on Feb. 23, 1986.

The finish of that Miller High Life 400 remains one of the more popular features on the highlight reels from Richmond. Continue reading Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Looking To Recapture The Magic At Richmond →

Power Steering Problems Plague Blaney At Bristol

April 24, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team had another fast Ford Fusion for Monday’s rain-delayed Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

After running in the top six for most of the race’s first 60 laps, Blaney reported to the team that he felt a problem with the car’s power-steering system.

The problems worsened, and Blaney began losing laps to the leaders. Soon, crew chief Jeremy Bullins called Blaney to the garage, where the team changed the power steering system and sent him back onto the track.

The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion was fast again, with Blaney posting impressive lap times for the remainder of the race. The problem was he was 48 laps down and wound up with a disappointing 33rd-place finish, which dropped him from sixth to 10th in the championship standings.

Team co-owner Eddie Wood said there was little Blaney or the crew could do once the mechanical issue arose.

“It’s not like the old days, when you could cut the power steering belt and the car drove like it had manual steering. It’s almost impossible to drive one of these cars now without power steering.” Wood said, adding that it’s hard to be too disappointed when the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion was as quick as it was at Bristol.

“The car was fast, like it has been every week,” he said. “We’ll go on to Richmond, and sooner or later our luck will even out and everything will be OK.”

Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team will return to Richmond International Raceway this weekend for Sunday’s 400-lap race on the three-quarter mile oval.

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Ready To Get Back To Work At Bristol

April 19, 2017

Fresh from an Easter weekend off, Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford team head to Bristol Motor Speedway where they hope to continue the pace they’ve set in first seven races of the 2017 season. To date, Blaney and the No. 21 Ford Fusion have a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500 and two more top-10 finishes, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. They have two front-row starts, at Phoenix Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway, two stage wins and 150 laps led. They’ve never been out of the top 10 in the Cup standings and head to Bristol in sixth position.

“After a weekend off, there’s no better place to get back to racing than Bristol,” crew chief Jeremy Bullins said. “You always know you’re in for an exciting weekend, and we are certainly ready to go with the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford.

“I feel like Bristol is another track on the schedule where we have enough experience as a team to be a real contender this weekend. It’s a place Ryan and I won at with the Xfinity program, and I feel like we’ve gotten stronger each time we go.”

Blaney finished 11th in the Food City 500 last spring, and qualified fourth for last year’s night race in August and raced as high as second place before being collected in a multi-car crash.

And Bullins said that while the intermediate-length, mile-and-a-half tracks and the superspeedways are where the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team has enjoyed its most success, he believes the team’s short-track program is coming right along. He pointed out that Blaney qualified seventh in his most recent race on the half mile at Martinsville and was fast in the early portions of the race, earning 10 championship points by being among the top 10 after each of that race’s first two stages.

“I think the speed we had at Martinsville shows the effort that goes into the short-track cars, and even though the tracks couldn’t be more different I feel like our car will be just as fast at Bristol,” he said. “I know everyone is rested up and ready to get back to racing this weekend.”

Qualifying for the Food City 500 is set for Friday at 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time, and the race is scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on FOX.

Blaney Scores Two Stage Wins, Leads The Most Laps at Texas

April 9, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team showed Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway that despite a disappointing 12th-place finish they’re capable of being a major player in NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup Series. Continue reading Blaney Scores Two Stage Wins, Leads The Most Laps at Texas →

Fast Lap At Texas Earns Blaney His Second Front-Row Start of 2017

April 7, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are set for their second front-row start of the 2017 season after Blaney secured the outside pole with a lap at 198.020 miles per hour on a repaved and reconfigured Texas Motor Speedway.

Blaney, who also started on the outside pole at Phoenix, has three top-three qualifying runs this season, including a third-place effort at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Friday was a banner day for Ford at Texas as Blaney’s Ford teammate Kevin Harvick won the pole, with fellow Ford drivers Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski all taking the top-five starting spots. Continue reading Fast Lap At Texas Earns Blaney His Second Front-Row Start of 2017 →

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Up To Challenge Of Reconfigured Texas Track

April 4, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team face a new challenge this weekend as they prepare to race on a repaved and reconfigured Texas Motor Speedway.

When NASCAR teams arrive at Texas this week they’ll see for the first time a Texas track with less banking in Turns One and Two. The banking in those turns has been decreased from 24 degrees to 20, while Turns Three and Four remain at 24 degrees. There also will be an extra 20 feet of racing surface in Turns One and Two, pushing the total to 80 feet. Continue reading Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Up To Challenge Of Reconfigured Texas Track →

Blaney Finishes 25th On Fender-Banging Day At Martinsville

April 2, 2017

A strong start to Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway by Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team began to unravel just past the halfway mark when Blaney was collected in a couple of crashes that left him mired two laps down and ended with a disappointing 25th place finish.

The finish was no indication of the early speed shown by Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team. After starting seventh, Blaney worked his way into the top five and was running fourth when the first caution flag flew. A problem with a lug nut stuck in the wrench’s socket dropped him to 20th on the next restart, but he soon worked his way forward and finished the first 130-lap Stage in seventh place. Continue reading Blaney Finishes 25th On Fender-Banging Day At Martinsville →

Rainy Friday Means Blaney Will Start Seventh At Martinsville

March 31, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion will be among the insiders when the green flag drops on Sunday to start the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

When rains washed out qualifying on Friday, the starting field for Sunday was set based on the current points standings, which means Blaney will start seventh, on the preferred inside lane. Continue reading Rainy Friday Means Blaney Will Start Seventh At Martinsville →

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Gearing Up For Historic Martinsville Speedway

March 30, 2017

For Eddie Wood, co-owner of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion, this weekend’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway is all about the three Hs – home, history and hot dogs.

Martinsville Speedway is the home track for the Wood Brothers team, which has its roots in nearby Stuart, Va., just a 28-mile ride down U.S. 220 from the track.

The track also is just a short 45-minute drive from High Point, N.C., where driver Ryan Blaney grew up. Continue reading Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Gearing Up For Historic Martinsville Speedway →

Blaney Scores Third Top-10 Of 2017 at Fontana

March 26, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team battled back from a pit-road penalty that sent Blaney to the back of the pack after the first stage and came home with a ninth-place finish in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

It was Blaney’s third top-10 finish in five races this season and the 14th of his brief 59-race Cup career. Continue reading Blaney Scores Third Top-10 Of 2017 at Fontana →

Blaney To Start 19th In Auto Club 400

March 25, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team were among a number of their peers at Auto Club Speedway on Friday that had to hustle to get out of the NASCAR inspection line in time to qualify for Sunday’s Auto Club 400. In fact, five drivers never got on the track during qualifying.

Blaney did, with a few minutes to spare, and posted the 21st-fastest time in the first of three qualifying rounds. His speed of 183.950 miles per hour was fast enough to propel him to the second round. There, he was 19th fastest, at 183.641mph, but that wasn’t fast enough to advance to the final round, so Blaney will line up 19th on Sunday.

He said in his post-qualifying comments that the scramble to get through inspection didn’t hamper him once he got on the track.

“No. I just think we missed it,” he said. “We were a little too free in practice, and we probably over-adjusted a little bit and got on the tight side.

“It’s something to learn from for the next time we come here.”

Blaney felt better about his speed in Friday’s opening practice session, where the No. 21 Motorcraft /Quick Lane Fusion was atop the speed charts for a time before ending the session seventh fastest with a best lap of 187.471 mph. He and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team spent much of that practice round preparing for race conditions.

“I think in race trim we’re going in a good direction, so we’ll see how that goes,” he said.

California Has Been Good To The Woods

March 21, 2017

As Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team prepare to race in this weekend’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., there are several reasons for them to be optimistic.

For starters, Blaney is solidly in the top 10 in Cup points after the first four races of the season, and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion has shown good speed each week this season with third- and second-place starts in the past two races. Continue reading California Has Been Good To The Woods →

Blaney Finishes A Disappointing 23rd at Phoenix

March 19, 2017

For the first 250 laps of Sunday’s Camping World 500k at Phoenix International Raceway, Ryan Blaney and his No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford were among the race leaders.

Blaney started a Cup-career-best second and ran in the top 10 through the first two 75-lap stages of the race, earning seven championship points between the two stages. Continue reading Blaney Finishes A Disappointing 23rd at Phoenix →

Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team On A Roll Heading Into Phoenix

March 14, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to Phoenix Raceway with the momentum that comes with having fast cars for the first three races of the 2017 season.

And Phoenix was one of Blaney’s better tracks during his rookie season as he posted finishes of eighth and 10th in his two starts there.

Crew chief Jeremy Bullins said the team is showing improvement in its sophomore season as evidenced by one top-five and two top-10 finishes in three races along with 37 laps in which the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion posted the fastest lap of any car. Continue reading Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team On A Roll Heading Into Phoenix →