Menard Qualifies Fourth At Bristol

August 17, 2018

After one of their best qualifying efforts of the season, Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Knauf team will start Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway from the outside of the second row.

“We had a really solid day all around,” said Menard, who led the way in qualifying for the Ford Motor Company contingent.

Menard, who won the pole at Chicagoland Speedway last month, showed speed increases throughout the day on Friday, and topped it off with strong runs in the final two rounds of qualifying. Continue reading Menard Qualifies Fourth At Bristol →

Menard Looking Forward To Racing Under The Lights At Bristol

August 15, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menard/Knauf Ford teams are gearing up for one of the signature events of the Monster Energy Cup Series schedule – the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“The night race at Bristol is always one of the highlights of the season,” Menard said. “It’s usually a good race, and it’s a great atmosphere. I look forward to it.”

He has good reason to feel good about racing on the fast, high-banked half-mile concrete oval.

“It’s always been a pretty good track for me,” he said. Continue reading Menard Looking Forward To Racing Under The Lights At Bristol →

Menard Finishes 16th at Michigan

August 12, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com Ford ran around 10th place for much of Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

But a long, 57-lap stretch of green-flag racing at the end of Sunday’s race worked against the team’s pit strategy and Menard wound up 16th at the finish.

Menard started the race from the 14th position and quickly drove his way into the top 10, where he ran until the competition caution flag was displayed at Lap 25. Continue reading Menard Finishes 16th at Michigan →

Menard Qualifies 14th at Michigan

August 10, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com Ford Fusion are set to start 14th in Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Friday’s qualifying session marked the 10th time in 23 race weekends this year that Menard has qualified 14th or better.

Menard and the No. 21 Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com team achieved their goal of unloading a fast Ford Fusion. He was 10th fastest in Friday’s opening practice session with a best lap at 201.337 miles per hour. Continue reading Menard Qualifies 14th at Michigan →

Menard Ready To Build On Recent Michigan Success In This Weekend’s Consumers Energy 400

August 9, 2018

Paul Menard is headed back to Michigan International Speedway hoping he and the No. 21 Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com team can pick up where they left off there a couple of months back.

In the June 10 Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan, Menard earned six Stage points en route to a season-best, fifth-place finish.

“When we get there we’ll start off with the car similar to how it was when we ended in June and work on a few things from there,” Menard said, adding the he enjoys the high speeds at the home track of Ford Motor Company. In June, Menard posted lap speeds over 200 miles per hour in practice and in the first two rounds of qualifying. Continue reading Menard Ready To Build On Recent Michigan Success In This Weekend’s Consumers Energy 400 →

Series Of Misfortunes Leaves Menard 28th At The Glen

August 5, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Sylvania team started their day at Watkins Glen International with a disappointing outcome in inspection and ended it with a similarly unhappy situation due to an on-track incident and a pit penalty that trapped them a lap down and led to a 28th place finish.

In between, Menard showed some very impressive road-racing skills, driving from the rear of the pack into the top 10 with no help from pit strategy or other lucky breaks. Continue reading Series Of Misfortunes Leaves Menard 28th At The Glen →

Menard Qualifies 14th At The Glen

August 4, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Sylvania team are set to start Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen from the 14th starting position.

Menard posted the 14th fastest time in the first of two rounds of qualifying on the road course at Watkins Glen, N.Y., on Saturday afternoon, but the starting line-up for Sunday afternoon’s race won’t be official until after the cars are inspected Sunday morning.

Saturday saw Menard and the Menards/Sylvania team make steady improvements in speed. Continue reading Menard Qualifies 14th At The Glen →

Menard’s Cup Career Began At The Glen

August 1, 2018

This weekend, Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Sylvania team return to Watkins Glen International, where in 2003 Menard made his debut in the series now known as Monster Energy Cup.

Menard, then age 22, beat out four other drivers to earn the 43rd starting spot, and in the race, he ran all 90 laps and finished 29th driving a car owned by Andy Petree.

“It was pretty intimidating, running my first Cup race and it being on a road course,” Menard said. “I think we were pretty good in practice, somewhere in 20s. We didn’t qualify as well as we practiced, but we were able to move forward during the race.” Continue reading Menard’s Cup Career Began At The Glen →

Menard Finishes 21st On Long Day At Pocono

July 29, 2018

From having to start the race from the rear to running the final laps with no brakes, Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway was a long, frustrating experience for Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Libman team.

Still, the team came away with a 21st-place finish which keeps him 17th in the overall points standings but saw him lose points to Alex Bowman, who holds the 16th and final spot in the playoff standings. Menard is now 56 points behind Bowman with five regular season races left in which to make up the difference.

Menard had to start Sunday’s race from the 36th position after his 17th-place qualifying time was disallowed when he was one of 13 drivers whose cars failed a post-qualifying inspection Saturday afternoon. Continue reading Menard Finishes 21st On Long Day At Pocono →

Relatively Young Menards/Libman Team Will Be Working Off Their Own Notes At Pocono

July 25, 2018

This weekend’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway offers Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Libman team a first of sorts.

“It’s the first track we’ve been to besides Daytona for the second time as a group,” Menard said of himself and his team, which began working together at the start of this season. “Daytona is its own deal, but this weekend we will have a chance to work off our own notes from the race at Pocono in June.

“We had a good run at the start and then got off a little bit. We kept working on it and got the thing pretty fast and passed a lot of cars at the end.” Continue reading Relatively Young Menards/Libman Team Will Be Working Off Their Own Notes At Pocono →

Menard Finishes 17th at New Hampshire

July 22, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team had a fast Ford Fusion in the early stages of Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The speed fell off midrace, but the team adjusted on the car, regained their form from earlier in the race and were fast, even on worn tires, in the closing laps.

The net result was a 17th place finish which allowed Menard and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team to remain in the hunt for one of the 16 berths for the 10-race, season-ending Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs, which begin after six more regular season races. Continue reading Menard Finishes 17th at New Hampshire →

Menard Qualifies 12th At New Hampshire

July 20, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team earned the 12th starting spot for Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, continuing a recent string of strong qualifying runs.

Friday’s qualifying performance was the sixth time this season that Menard and the No. 21 team qualified 12th or better this season and the third time in the past four Monster Energy Cup Series races that they have advanced to the final round of knock-out qualifying.

Menard, who was 13th fastest in practice on Friday with a best lap at 132.845 miles per hour, was 17th best in the opening round of qualifying with a speed of 131.884 mph. Continue reading Menard Qualifies 12th At New Hampshire →

Menard, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Looking To Score Points At New Hampshire

July 17, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway hoping to continue moving closer to a spot in the Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs.

Last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, Menard finished 11th in the Quaker State 400 and earned seven Stage points on the same night two of the drivers he’s battling for a playoff berth had disappointing runs. The net result was that Menard, while remaining 17th in the points standings and 18th in the playoff standings, went from being 55 points away from a playoff spot to 23 away. There are seven races, including Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, left in the 26-race regular season. Continue reading Menard, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Looking To Score Points At New Hampshire →

Playoff Picture Improves For Menard After 11th Place Finish In Quaker State 400 At Kentucky

July 15, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Quaker State team turned in one of their most consistently good performances of the season in Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway and came away with an 11th place finish plus seven stage points.

The points earned allowed Menard and the No. 21 team to significantly improve their points situation in the Monster Energy Cup Series standings. Menard remains in 17th place, but he’s now just 23 points away from the 16th and final spot in the Playoff standings. He entered Saturday’s 400-miler 55 points out of a Playoff spot. Continue reading Playoff Picture Improves For Menard After 11th Place Finish In Quaker State 400 At Kentucky →

Menard To Start Sixth In Quaker State 400 At Kentucky

July 13, 2018

Winning the pole at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago appears to have raised the qualifying expectations for Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Quaker State team.

Menard qualified sixth fastest for Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, but in his post-qualifying comments he indicated he wanted more. Continue reading Menard To Start Sixth In Quaker State 400 At Kentucky →

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion To Honor Cale Yarborough On Throwback Weekend At Darlington Raceway

July 11, 2018

For this year’s Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Paul Menard’s No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion will carry a red-and-white paint scheme reminiscent of the Wood Brothers’ 1968 Mercury Cyclone that Cale Yarborough drove to victory in the 1968 Southern 500.

The paint scheme honoring Yarborough is part of the track’s fourth-annual throwback weekend. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Seven Decades of NASCAR” and few drivers and teams have as much history at Darlington as Yarborough and the Wood Brothers. Continue reading Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion To Honor Cale Yarborough On Throwback Weekend At Darlington Raceway →

Menard Hoping To Get A Grip On Relatively New Pavement At Kentucky

July 11, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Quaker State Ford Fusion team are headed to Kentucky Speedway hoping to put the disappointment of Daytona in the rear-view mirror and get back to basics in Saturday’s Quaker State 400.

Menard, who has three top-15 finishes in the seven Cup races run so far on the 1.5-mile Kentucky track, said he’s not sure what to expect from a surface that was repaved and reconfigured in 2016 then repaved again later that same year. Continue reading Menard Hoping To Get A Grip On Relatively New Pavement At Kentucky →

Menard Drives His Battered Ford To A 28th Place Finish At Daytona

July 8, 2018

Paul Menard took two spectacular rides in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

In the first, he drove his No. 21 Menards/Moen Ford Fusion from the 30th starting position to eighth place before the end of the race’s first 40-lap Stage.

In the second, he took a wild ride through the air and onto the infield grass after being hit from behind by the Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson. Continue reading Menard Drives His Battered Ford To A 28th Place Finish At Daytona →

Menard Hopes To Build On Restrictor-Plate Success At Daytona

July 4, 2018

On the surface it would seem like all Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Moen team need to do to be successful in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway is to pick up where they left off after the first two restrictor-plate races of the season.

Menard was in contention for the win up to the end of the season-opening Daytona 500 before finishing sixth. And he won a Stage, led eight laps and ran near the front for most of the April 29 race at Talladega Superspeedway before being collected in a crash not of his own doing.

But Menard, the veteran driver of the Wood Brothers’ iconic No. 21 Ford said it’s not that simple. Continue reading Menard Hopes To Build On Restrictor-Plate Success At Daytona →

Pole-winner Menard Overcomes Late Speeding Penalty To Finish 13th At Chicagoland

July 1, 2018

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Sylvania team came away with a 13th-place finish in Sunday’s Overton’s 400 at Chicagoland Speedway thanks to a strong drive from Menard following a speeding penalty on his last pit stop.

Menard, who started the race from the pole, had run just outside the top 10 for most of the middle portions of the race and was running 13th when the final caution flag flew with 59 of 267 laps left to run.

But just as he was poised to move into the top 10, he instead had to start at the rear of the pack, in 26th place and behind the lapped drivers, as penalty for his speeding violation. Continue reading Pole-winner Menard Overcomes Late Speeding Penalty To Finish 13th At Chicagoland →