Discount Tire

Team Penske And Ryan Blaney Announce Long-Term Contract Extension

Team Penske And Ryan Blaney Announce Long-Term Contract Extension

MOORESVILLE, NC (August 17, 2022) – Team Penske announced today that it has reached a contract extension with Ryan Blaney, a seven-time race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series. The long-term agreement will provide the opportunity for Blaney, the driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang and the winner of this year’s NASCAR All-Star race, to build on the success he has experienced with the team well into the future.

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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Bristol

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Bristol

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track:                Bristol Motor Speedway

Race:                 Food City Presents Supermarket Heroes 500

Date:                 May 31, 2020

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No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start:  1st

Stage 1: 3rd 

Stage 2: 9th

Finish: 1st (32nd-career NASCAR Cup Series victory)

Status: Running 

Laps Completed: 500/500

Laps Led: 115

Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-55)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski went from third to first with three laps to go to score his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2020 season Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.  Keselowski was running behind leaders Joey Logano and Chase Elliott when the they made contact in Turn 3. The driver of the Discount Tire Ford grabbed the lead with three laps to go and never looked back, officially taking the checkered flag by .471 seconds over second-place Clint Bowyer.
  • Keselowski drew the pole position and led the first 62 laps in the event before scoring a third-place finish when Stage 1 ended on lap 125. The driver of the No. 2 Mustang was good at the top of the track but was struggling with turning in the center on the bottom. He pitted on lap 130 for four tires and restarted fourth when the race went green on lap 136.
  • He finished ninth when Stage 2 ended on lap 250. Keselowski said he needed a longer run and for the track to come to him. A mix of pit strategies among the leaders shuffled the driver of the Discount Tire Ford Mustang back to 16th when the third and final stage went green on lap 261.
  • By lap 327, Keselowski has worked his way into the top-10 but got zapped by a speeding penalty after a four-tire stop under caution on lap 330, moving him back to 16th position.
  • On lap 460, crew chief Jeremy Bullins made the pit call that put his driver in position to win the race. He called Keselowski to pit road for a change of left-side tires. Keselowski restarted 12th three laps later and, armed with fresher tires, began his march to the front.
  • He was up to fourth-place when the 17th and final caution set up the final restart of the race on lap 495. Lined up in the preferred outside lane, Keselowski was in perfect position to avoid trouble when Logano and Elliott made contact, giving him the lead with three laps to go.
  • The victory was Keselowski’s second of the 2020 season and his 32nd in 386 NASCAR Cup Series races. He won for the third time in 21 Cup starts at Bristol Motor Speedway and jumps up to fourth-place in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.

 

Quotes: “We kind of got a Christmas present here in Bristol but we’ll take it.  We’re in position and able to strike when it counted with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang.  Joey and Chase got together there, and I don’t know what all caused it, but we were just in position to strike and here we are in victory lane. I wish I could celebrate with my team, but you know how everything is right now.  There’s so much going on in the world I’m just so thankful to get to be a race car driver and get to do this.”

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No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 4th

Stage 1: 2nd

Stage 2: 40th

Finish: 40th

Status: Accident

Laps Completed: 199/500

Laps Led: 60

Point Standings (Behind First): 9th (-96)

  • A promising early start for Ryan Blaney ended up with an accident on lap 199 and a 40th-place finish in the Supermarket Heroes 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang led 60 laps on the day.
  • Blaney started fourth and quickly worked his way to second behind teammate Brad Keselowski. A lap-20 competition caution would see the High Point, N.C. native remain on track. He would fall back to fifth on the restart before the caution would waive for second time on lap 62 for another competition caution. Solid pit service would get Blaney out fourth.
  • On the restart, Blaney would get back up to second behind Keselowski and would eventually pass him for the lead on lap 84. He would lead the next 21 circuits before being passed by Chase Elliott on lap 105. Blaney would hold on to second when Stage 1 ended on lap 125.
  • Strong pit service by the Menards crew got Blaney out with the lead as Stage 2 began. He would lead the next 39 laps before relinquishing the top spot to Keselowski on lap 170.
  • On lap 199, Blaney would get loose in turn 2 while racing for the lead and lose control of the Menards Ford. He would be hit by Ty Dillion, ending a promising a day. Blaney now sits eighth in the championship standings, 96 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “I was running up there for a little bit. I did not think I was that high and suddenly I hit a slick spot. I was way high and that is obviously not where I wanted to be, but I did not think I was that high getting in there. It might have just been trying to get too much and got in the marbles and spun out. I thought we were going be okay and then we got destroyed about six seconds later, so that’s just Bristol. I probably should not have been pushing that hard, but I was trying to get back to the lead. I thought we found some speed up there, just a mistake on my part. I hate it for Menards and Richmond and everybody on this No. 12 team. After having two strong weeks, you go and you wreck not even halfway, so that is just a bummer. We’ll go to Atlanta and see what we can do.”

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No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang – Joey Logano 

Start:  3rd

Stage 1: 5th

Stage 2: 4th

Finish: 21st

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 500/500

Laps Led: 2

Point Standings (Behind First): 2nd (-14)

     

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started third and lead the race with just three laps remaining, but was forced into the outside wall late, ending a stellar day and remarkable late race surge by the No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang by finishing 21st. Logano was credited with leading two laps on the afternoon after rebounding from a pit road speeding penalty late in the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • After starting third, Logano raced inside the top-five throughout the opening stage. The team elected to remain on the track at the lap 20-caution flag. In the run to the end of the first stage, Logano reported the Autotrader Ford Mustang was good on entry and exit. The stage ending stop netted Logano two positions and lined him up in third for the Stage 2 start.
  • During the second stage, Logano reported he’d lost center turn in the Autotrader Mustang, and with a caution at lap 199. To complicate matters, Logano took right rear damage racing three-wide. Logano survived some inside lane restarts late in the second stage, ultimately bringing the Autotrader Ford Mustang home in the fourth position at the green-checkered.
  • Split strategies on the stage ending caution lined the Autotrader Ford Mustang up in the 13th position for the restart, the deepest Logano had been in the field all afternoon. On a lap 330 pit stop, quick work by the 22 crew sent Logano from eighth to third, however, the Autotrader Mustang was assessed a pit penalty for too fast entering, dropping Logano to the 17th position for the restart.
  • As caution with 68 laps remaining brought the teams back to pit road, Logano reported he needed to be freed up for the run to the finish as he’d been battling a tight condition. As the race continued to play out, Logano found himself inside the top-five and briefly claimed the lead with three laps to go before the No. 9 of Chase Elliott missed corner entry, collecting Logano and the No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang, ending a remarkable rebound.

 

Quote: “We just got wrecked there at the end. It’s a shame, we made good changes all day on our Autotrader Mustang, put ourselves in a position to win and then got wrecked with three to go. It’s unfortunate, we had a really good points day and had a shot at a third win on the season there at the end.”

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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Charlotte II

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Charlotte II

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track:                Charlotte Motor Speedway

Race:                 Alsco Uniforms 500

Date:                 May 28, 2020

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No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start: 20th

Stage 1: 25th

Stage 2: 27th

Finish: 7th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (behind first): 5th (-66)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski overcame early right-front damage to the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang resulting from a cut tire to score a “Keselowski-esque” seventh-place finish in Thursday night’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • By virtue of winning the Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday, Keselowski was rewarded with the 20th starting position following the series invert. While in the middle of the pack at the start of the race, the 2012 Cup Series champion made contact with another competitor that resulted in a cut tire and contact with the outside wall just before a red flag was displayed for inclement weather at lap 30.
  • After making repairs and restarting from his lowest-running position of 36th, Keselowski and crew chief Jeremy Bullins methodically worked their way through the field, eventually entering the top 10 by electing to stay out under a lap-74 caution period in Stage 2.
  • Unfortunately, the handling deteriorated during the second stage and Keselowski fell back through the field to the 27th position at stage end. He radioed to Bullins that more repairs were needed to the right side of his Discount Tire Ford.
  • With the repairs made prior to the start of the final stage, Keselowski was prepared to gash his way through the field. Few cars had better speed in the final stage, and thanks to a great pit stop by the No. 2 crew on a lap 44 caution, Keselowski made it back inside the top 10 by lap 150. He would remain there the rest of the way, eventually crossing the finish line in the seventh position for his sixth top-10 finish of the 2020 season. He remains fifth in the Championship point standings, 66 points behind the leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “Compared to Sunday’s race, the feeling I have after this one is like I played only half of a game instead of the full game. I also like this format a lot. We should have longer races on the weekend and shorter races – minus the weather delay – during the week. No practice and no qualifying, inverting the field from the week before provides some compelling storylines. I think NASCAR has struck gold with this format and I hope they keep it for years to come.”

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No. 12 BODYARMOR Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 18th

Stage 1: 2nd

Stage 2: 2nd

Finish: 3rd

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (Behind First): 6th (-67)

  • Ryan Blaney capped off a strong night with a third-place finish in Thursday night’s 500k NASCAR Cup Series event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in No. 12 BODYARMOR Ford Mustang. This was the High Point, NC native’s second-consecutive third-place finish, including last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.
  • Blaney started 18th and within the first 20 laps of the race worked his way up to 11th. During a lap-20 competition caution, Blaney and crew chief Todd Gordon opted to stay out for track position. Following a short delay for inclement weather, Blaney would fall back to third but managed to work his way back to second before the conclusion of Stage 1.
  • From there, Blaney would be a constant fixture inside the top-five. After briefly falling back, Blaney would work his way around teammate Joey Logano for second position on lap 90 and hold on to second when Stage 2 came to a close. Under the stage break, Blaney pitted for four tires and a slight air pressure adjustment.
  • The No. 12 team would begin the final stage from the fifth position following another round of pit stops. Blaney made short work to the front and drove the BODARMOR Ford up to second by lap 140.
  • After restarting fourth, he would work his way to the runner-up position behind leader and eventual race winner, Chase Elliott. Try as he might, Blaney was not able to catch Elliott and lost the second spot on the final lap to come home in the third position.  Blaney is now sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 67 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “We got to second and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) was really fast getting going and the No. 9 got by me. I kind of thought I was equal with him when we were both running the No. 4 down and I just got tight. I was a little bit free all night and we tightened it up just a touch for that last run, and it was the longest run we had, and we just kind of burned the right-front tire off of it and couldn’t stay with the No. 9 there late in the run, and then the 11 (Denny Hamlin) got by me. Overall, not a bad day for our BODYARMOR Ford Mustang. We had two solid races here at Charlotte. We just need to find a little bit more speed, but we are right there. I’m really proud of this team.”

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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano 

Start:  8th

Stage 1: 1st – Second stage win of 2020

Stage 2: 3rd

Finish: 6th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 42

Point Standings (Behind First): 2nd (-14)

     

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started eighth and finished sixth in Thursday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was a strong effort for Logano, who led 42 laps on the night and won Stage 1, his second stage win of the season. Logano maintained position inside the top-10 throughout the race with considerable time spent in the top-five, ultimately battling a tight handling Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang in the closing laps and finishing sixth.
  • On the initial start of the race, Logano charged to fourth before the caution flag was displayed on the opening lap. When the race resumed, Logano reported the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was slightly tight in the top-groove. With teams electing to pit at the competition caution, crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to leave Logano on the track to claim the lead. After a 75-minute stoppage due to rain, Logano maintained the lead as the race resumed and went on to win his second stage in the last two races.
  • Logano would lead the field to green to begin Stage 2, but fell to third before a lap-73 caution flag. Logano reported he was a little tight and only needed a small adjustment, but was lacking overall straightaway speed. Logano maintained the third position until the completion of Stage 2 while battling a vibration he described as a “five out of 10.”
  • At the beginning of the final stage, Logano settled into the fifth position before moving up to fourth when the No. 88 had to make an unscheduled stop. Logano remained too tight over the long run to the checkered flag, ultimately bringing the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang home in the sixth position.

 

Quote: “We had a good-to-okay day. We were able to get some track position early and win the stage. A couple of restarts really set me back some and then it was pretty tough to pass once we got running. The track wasn’t really wide enough to be able to make a lot of gains on the long run, unless another car was really falling off drastically.”

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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track:                Darlington Raceway

Race:                 The Real Heroes 400

Date:                 May 17, 2020

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No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start:  1st

Stage 1: 5th

Stage 2: 1st

Finish: 13th

Status:  Running

Laps Completed: 293/293

Laps Led: 80

Point Standings (behind first): 5th (-60)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski did a lot of good things in The Real Heroes 400 Sunday afternoon at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR’s first race in more than 70 days during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The driver of the Discount Tire Ford Mustang led 80 laps and won Stage 2, his second stage victory of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. But towards the end of the 293-lap, 400-mile event, Keselowski fell outside the top-10, landing in 13th-position at the checkered flag. With the finish, he jumps up to fifth-place in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, a gain of five positions.
  • Keselowski drew the pole for the Darlington event and led the first 44 laps of the race. He overcame a loose-handling condition to score a fifth-place finish when Stage 1 concluded on lap 90. He pitted for four tires and air pressure adjustments during the stage caution on lap 93 and restarted sixth when the race went green.
  • Two excellent pit stops by the Discount Tire team put Keselowski in contention to win Stage 2. Keselowski was running seventh when the sixth caution flag came out on lap 156. He pitted one lap later for four tires and lightning-fast service by the 2 Crew gave him second position for the restart on lap 160. The seventh caution on lap 174 set up another round of stops and once again the team made a fast stop, this time giving Keselowski the lead on lap 176. The driver did his part on the track, holding the lead for the next 10 laps to score the stage win when the segment concluded on lap 185.
  • The final stage brought a disappointing turn of events for the team. Keselowski grabbed the lead on lap 193 and held the top spot until lap 215. But over the final 79 laps, the No. 2 Ford Mustang steadily became more of a handful for Keselowski. As the Discount Tire Ford became more loose and Keselowski lost rear grip on the car, he couldn’t maintain position inside the top-10, and he took the checkered flag in 13th place when the race concluded on lap 293.

 

Quotes: “We had an up and down day with our Discount Tire Ford and it finished on a down note after we lost the handling at the end. It was nice to be leading for quite a while. It felt like with 100 laps to go we were going to win. I came off of pit road second and I don’t know if I just lost the clean air or what it was, but it just went completely away, and we fell back. We ended up finishing 13th which was a major bummer, but it is what it is. It is nice to be back and get the opportunity to race.”

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No. 12 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 7th

Stage 1: 18th

Stage 2: 13th

Finish: 16th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 293/293

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (Behind First): 8th (-74)

  • Ryan Blaney battled an ill-handling Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang throughout The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.
  • The field was set per random draw, which gave the High Point, N.C. native the seventh-place starting position. Within the first 20 laps Blaney fell outside the top-10 and, unfortunately, that’s where he would stay for most of the afternoon.
  • For much of the race, Blaney said the Menards/Duracell Ford was tight and lacked front grip. Crew chief Todd Gordon made multiple changes during the opening segment of the race, including air pressure, wedge and track bar adjustments. Blaney was credited with an 18th-place finish when the stage ended on lap 90.
  • Stage 2 saw the Menards/Duracell Ford continue to be on the tight side. The seventh caution on lap 174 and subsequent 10-lap run on fresh tires saw Blaney come home with a 13th-place finish when the stage ended on lap 185.
  • Blaney and the Menards team began to overcome their handling woes in the third and final stage – it just happened a little too late to make a run for the win. After falling back to 21st, the team improved the balance of the Menards/Duracell Ford and Blaney rallied through the field to score a 16th-place finish.
  • Blaney is now eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 74 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “It was great to be back at the track today. We struggled with the balance of our Menards/Duracell Ford. We were too tight to start and finally got the car to the loose side by the end of the race. Darlington has been a challenge in the past and we’ll regroup and get ready to go racing again on Wednesday night.”

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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano 

Start:  9th

Stage 1: 11th

Stage 2: 8th

Finish: 18th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 293/293

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (Behind First): 3rd (-33)

     

Notes:

  • A loose wheel cost Joey Logano and Shell-Pennzoil team valuable track position in the final stage of The Real Heroes 400 Sunday afternoon at Darlington Raceway, robbing the team of a potential top-10 finish. Logano was credited with an 18th-place result and is now third in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 33 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.
  • Logano started ninth and struggled early during the first 30 lap run as he slipped back to the 16th position fighting an extremely tight Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Under the competition caution on lap 32, the team pitted twice, making multiple chassis adjustments to help Logano around the tricky Darlington Raceway. Logano wrestled a tight condition from then until Stage 1 ended on lap 90, as he scored a 12th-place finish. On the stop during the stage caution, the team made chassis and air pressure changes to the Shell-Pennzoil Ford, and sent Logano back to the track in ninth position.
  • Logano restarted the second stage in the bottom lane, a disadvantage that cost him a few positions. Two cautions early in the segment gave Logano and the Shell-Pennzoil team the opportunity to pit for adjustments. Logano restarted 10th but powered to the sixth position on the restart. Midway through Stage 2 Logano reported his Ford Mustang was really good in Turns 3 and 4 and he finished eighth when the stage concluded on lap 185.
  • Unfortunately, the No. 22 Ford had a loose wheel in the early laps of the third and final stage, which forced Logano to pit road – just as the ninth caution was displayed on lap 213. The sequence of events dropped Logano back to 24th position. He rallied back to the 16th before the 10th and final caution on lap 254 brought the field to pit road.
  • Good work by the Shell-Pennzoil crew on the final stop gained Logano three positions, as he moved up to 13th for the restart on lap 259. Over the final 34 laps, the track took another major swing to the tight side as Logano shuffled back to 18th position at the checkered flag.

 

Quote: “We were way off on the handling when we started. Our Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang was just too tight. Paul (Wolfe) and the guys made some really good adjustments on it and we got inside the top-10. Unfortunately, the loose wheel, not really sure what caused it, but we’ll look into it and figure it out. Towards the end of the race just lost the handling again. We’ll come back on Wednesday and start third and try to build on what we learned today. This was a big day for our sport getting back on track and thankful for all the fans who tuned in to FOX.”

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Denny Hamlin Wins DAYTONA 500 for 2nd Time

Denny Hamlin Wins DAYTONA 500 for 2nd Time

DAYTONA BEACH (Feb. 17, 2019) – Denny Hamlin won the 61st annual DAYTONA 500 Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, his second triumph in “The Great American Race.”

In the process, he delivered a special ending to a special day for Joe Gibbs Racing. The organization honored Joe Gibbs’ late son J.D. Gibbs on Lap 11, as crew members stood on pit wall as a tribute. J.D. Gibbs, who passed away last month due to a neurological disease, wore No. 11 as a high school football player and later, as a race car driver himself. Hamlin’s car number: 11. (more…)

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