No. 12 MENARDS/KNAUF FORD MUSTANG
START: 9TH
STAGE ONE: 16TH
STAGE TWO: 13TH
FINISH: 9TH
POINTS: 10TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney started Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 from the inside of row five and kept the Menards/Knauf Ford Mustang steadily in the top 10 for the opening run of the afternoon. On lap 14, Blaney avoided trouble when the No. 8 spun underneath him in turn one to bring out the first caution of the day. The No. 12 team kept Blaney on the track under caution, allowing him to restart sixth before breaking into the top five on the ensuing restart. Following the second caution of the day on lap 34, Blaney made his first trip to pit road for a four-tire stop and a round of adjustments. Blaney started from 16th on the ensuing restart with six laps left in Stage 1 and was scored 16th at the end of the first, 45-lap segment. After staying out during the stage break, Blaney lined up fifth to begin Stage 2 and reported a tight-handling condition during the opening run of the second stage. While running fifth, the No. 7 washed up the track and into the left side of Blaney in turn four, causing him to fall to 17th in the running order. Rain began to fall around the track moments later bringing out the red flag on lap 74 as the race was suspended until Monday afternoon. After several cars hit pit road prior to going back green on Monday, Blaney lined up 11th and initially struggled with the handling of his Ford Mustang prior to the caution coming out on lap 102. Blaney was serviced with four tires and adjustments to tighten him up under yellow with just under 20 laps left in the stage and raced his way to a 13th-place finish in Stage 2. The No. 12 team’s pit strategy allowed Blaney to stay on track during the stage break as the leaders hit pit road, lining him up to start third to begin the final stage. Blaney ran as high as second in the running order before green flag pit stops began to cycle and he took the lead on lap 160 before making the trip to pit road for four tires, fuel, and adjustments to get the balance settled in for the final run of the afternoon. He raced his way back into the top 10 with 20 laps remaining and secured a ninth-place finish as the race stayed green the rest of the way. The result marked Blaney’s 11th top-10 finish of the season and seventh in his last nine trips to Michigan.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Just kind of a decent, okay day. Just different pit strategies and stuff like that. I thought the call we made to come in before the second stage and put tires on with like 15 to go flipped the stage. It had us restart in the top five and got us our track position back that we lost earlier. We were able to kind of halfway hang on. I didn’t think my speed was great but just a hard-working day for sure. It is nice that a Ford won. That is nine in a row here for Ford which is great. I wish it was us but I am happy for the overall goal. We gotta keep going to work.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
