No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 6th
Race Finish: 30th
Stage 1 Finish: 36th
Stage 2 Finish: 36th
Laps Led: 9
Point Standings: 8th (-27)
Race Rundown: Ryan Blaney and the No 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang finished 30th Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. After starting in the sixth position, Blaney wasted little time moving to the front, taking the lead on lap 36. Following a caution on lap 43, Blaney would pit from the lead. He would begin to work his way back to the front until a cut tire sent the Menards/Pennzoil Ford into the wall. The crew would make fast repairs on pit road, but the damage proved to be more severe, and he would spend over 150 laps behind the wall for repairs. Blaney would return to competition crossing the line in 30th at race’s end. The points accumulated locked the No. 12 team into the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs.
Blaney’s Thoughts: “You never know what can happen and having that flat, there’s nothing that we can do about it. You’re lucky you have that cushion going into this race. The most unfortunate part is our car was super fast, too. That was the terrible thing about it. The worst part about it now, looking back. The car was really good and just had no indication. It seemed like a lot of guys had right-front problems tonight, but I’m proud of everybody for getting it fixed up and just out there to finish the race. There really wasn’t much we could do, just log laps, and let everything play itself out. That’s why you try to have two good races beforehand because you never know when you’re going to need some points.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
