Todd Gordon

NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief Todd Gordon Joins SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief Todd Gordon Joins SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

NEW YORK – January 13, 2022 – Todd Gordon, the former veteran crew chief and 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, is joining the roster of hosts on SiriusXM’s exclusive 24/7 SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel and will co-host Late Shift every Monday night with Brad Gillie (7:00 – 10:00 pm ET) beginning January 17th.

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AUSTIN CINDRIC AIMS TO MAKE NASCAR CUP SERIES DEBUT AT DAYTONA 500

AUSTIN CINDRIC AIMS TO MAKE NASCAR CUP SERIES DEBUT AT DAYTONA 500

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 20, 2021) – Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Austin Cindric will look to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut next month in “The Great American Race.” Cindric will drive the No. 33 Ford Mustang for Team Penske as he attempts to qualify for the 63rd Daytona 500. Miles Stanley, who has worked as race engineer for Team Penske’s No. 12 and No. 22 Cup Series teams, will serve as crew chief for Cindric and the No. 33 Ford team in 2021. (more…)

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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 – Coca Cola 600

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Coca Cola 600

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track:                Charlotte Motor Speedway

Race:                 Coca-Cola 600

Date:                 May 24, 2020

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No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start:  9th

Stage 1: 15th

Stage 2: 12th

Stage 3: 8th

Finish: 1st

Status:  Running

Laps Completed: 405/405

Laps Led: 21

Point Standings (behind first): 5th (-56)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski held off Jimmie Johnson in a NASCAR overtime finish to win the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Keselowski scored his first career victory in NASCAR’s longest race. The win was his first of the 2020 season and the his second in his career at Charlotte. It represented his 31st victory in NASCAR Cup Series competition and his 30th triumph in NASCAR’s premier series for Team Penske. With the win, he jumps up to fifth-place in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.
  • Keselowski qualified ninth for the race but unapproved adjustments to the Miller Lite Ford Mustang forced the former Cup Series champ to start at the rear of the 40-car field. He had moved up to 16th position when rain forced the cars to pit lane on lap 50 for a delay of just over an hour. When the event resumed, Keselowski has his hands full with the handling on the No. 2 Mustang, but he persevered and finished 16th when Stage 1 concluded on lap 100.
  • Stage 2 was much of the same for the No. 2 Miller Lite team. Keselowski ran inside the top 15 for most of the segment but worked his way up to 12th position when the stage ended on lap 200. He pitted for four tires during the caution on lap 204, and quick work by the No. 2 Crew moved Keselowski up to 10th position when the race went back to green on lap 208.
  • Keselowski ran inside the top-10 for nearly all of Stage 3. He took the lead for the first time during a cycle of green flag stops on lap 256. He held the top spot for seven laps before pitting under green on 263 for four tires and adjustments. Keselowski was 11th when the fifth caution slowed the pace of the field on lap 276 and he was running eighth when the stage ended on lap 300. The Miller Lite Mustang made a four-tire stop during the stage caution and restarted seventh when the final segment began on lap 307.
  • Adjustments by crew chief Jeremy Bullins and the No. 2 crew for the changing track conditions paid off in the final segment. Keselowski was up to fourth when the seventh caution flag was displayed on lap 349. Excellent work by the Miller Lite team moved Keselowski up to second place for the race restart on lap 353. He passed Jimmie Johnson for the lead one lap later, holding the top spot until Chase Elliott moved by Keselowski on lap 363.
  • Elliott appeared to be in command of the race until the final caution flag flew with two laps to go, setting up a NASCAR overtime finish. Elliott chose to pit on lap 401, while Keselowski stayed on the race track and reclaimed the lead. Keselowski cleared Jimmie Johnson to maintain the lead off Turn 2 moments after the race went green on lap 403 and he never looked back. The Team Penske driver scored his first Coca-Cola 600 victory by .293 seconds ahead of Johnson, who was later penalized after his car failed post-race tech inspection.

Quotes: “I’m so happy for my team. I wish my wife and my daughters were here. It’s the Coke 600 and this leaves only one major left for me, the Daytona 500, so we’re checking them off.  I’m really happy for Miller Lite and Ford and everybody who just works their butt off at Team Penske.  We might not have been the fastest car today, but, wow, did we grind this one out.  The pit crew at the end – during the yellow right before the last one – had a blazing stop to get us up front and put us in position.  All these things just came together and I’m tickled to death.  It’s a little overwhelming to be honest.”

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No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 26th

Stage 1: 12th

Stage 2: 9th

Stage 3:  3rd

Finish: 3rd

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 405/405

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (Behind First): 7th (-79)

  • Ryan Blaney capped off a strong night with a third-place finish in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, driving the No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang. This was the High Point, NC native’s best finish in eight prior starts at the 1.5-mile oval as well as his first top-10 finish since the Daytona 500 in February.
  • Blaney started 26th and within the first 10 laps of the event, he worked his way into the top-20. After being blocked in on his first pit stop on lap 23, Blaney was running 26th before a rain delay halted the event for just over an hour. Once racing resumed the DEX Imaging Ford marched forward scoring a 12th-place finish in Stage 1.
  • Blaney began Stage 2 from the 11th position. He eventually worked his way into the top-10 by lap 150. Blaney reported improvements in the car from Stage 1 but he needed a little more front turn. He brought the DEX Imaging Ford Mustang to pit road on lap 154 for routine service and an air pressure adjustment. Blaney maintained the ninth position when the stage came to its conclusion on lap 200.
  • After beginning Stage 3 in the eighth position, Blaney pitted for routine service and a wedge adjustment on lap 25. He drove in fifth position for most of the stage before stopping under caution on lap 277 for right-side tires. The move allowed him to bring home a third-place finish in Stage 2 and valuable stage points in the process.
  • Following a tough pit stop, Blaney restarted the final stage of NASCAR’s longest race from the 10th position. With the balance on the No. 12 Mustang going to the free side, Blaney raced his way to seventh by lap 360 and sixth by lap 390. A caution on lap 399 saw crew chief Todd Gordon keep Blaney on track for a green/white/checkered flag finish. He restarted fourth and make his way up to third before he was passed by Chase Elliott, racing with fresh tires, on the last lap as Blaney crossed the finish line in fourth place.
  • Blaney is now seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 79 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “We started towards the back and gained a lot of spots in the beginning, but we got boxed in on the first stop and lost all those spots we gained. I thought we were in a good spot on the restart with 45 or 48 to go and somebody got loose on the bottom into three and we had to go all the way up to the wall to miss him in the middle of three and four. We lost a lot of spots right there and that really hurt us. That lost us all the track position we gained towards the end. We restarted sixth or maybe even eighth on the top and I thought we were going to roll, but that dropped us back to maybe 12th and we had to fight back from there. I thought our DEX Imaging Ford was competitive, probably not the best car out there, but a top-five car all night. It was a good call to stay out there at the end. We restarted fourth and gave us a chance. We would have come home with a decent day, but we passed a lot of cars and definitely had a long night working on it.”

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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano 

Start:  7th

Stage 1: 5th

Stage 2: 7th

Stage 3: 1st

Finish: 13th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 400/400

Laps Led: 26

Point Standings (Behind First): 2nd (-23)

     

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started seventh Sunday night, won the third stage and ran inside the top-10 for the majority of the event before a late-race speeding penalty derailed the strong run. The pit-lane speed violation relegated the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang to a 13th-place finish.
  • After starting seventh, Logano settled in for the opening 20 laps of the 600-mile race as he reported the Shell-Pennzoil Ford was a little tight handling and then went into a four-wheel slide. At the competition of the caution period, the No. 22 team elected to not make any changes to the air pressure and chassis, but they did add tape to the nose as the track was expected to take a swing to the tight side. Rain then brought a halt to the race for an extended period of time at lap 50.
  • At the end of the first stage, Logano reported his Ford Mustang was running just a touch free, but he didn’t want the team to make adjustments as he felt the car was really close to being balanced over the run to lap 100.  The Shell-Pennzoil Ford remained free for the majority of the second stage, as Logano ultimately finished in the seventh position. Under the stage caution, crew chief Paul Wolfe called for a significant air pressure adjustment, looking to get the No. 22 Mustang ahead of the changing track conditions.
  • Midway through the third stage, Logano reported the Shell-Pennzoil Ford was a little free in clean air while being almost neutral in traffic. At lap 257, Wolfe elected to make a slight wedge adjustment to the car to prepare for the final stage. At lap 277, the team decided to remain on the track and cycle to the lead as many of the leaders pitted to take two tires for the 20-lap run to the end of the third stage. The gamble paid off as Logano cruised to the Stage 3 victory.
  • After winning the third stage, Logano restarted second as the No. 21 Ford gained position while electing to take two tires on its stop. On the restart, Logano avoided disaster when the Shell-Pennzoil Ford jumped sideways, and he was forced to rally back from the eighth position. Unfortunately, the No. 22 Ford Mustang took a swing to the loose side, with Logano dropping to the 10th position as the car ran as free as it had been all night long by lap 340.
  • A pit stop at lap 350 saw the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford penalized for speeding on pit road, which dropped Logano to the tail of the field for the final 48-lap shootout. Logano settled into 17th-place, battling an extremely tight-handling Ford Mustang. A late caution flag set up an overtime finish with the No. 22 Ford team choosing to pit for four tires and a major air pressure adjustment. Logano restarted the race 18th and rallied for a 13th-place finish in the two-lap shootout.

 

Quote: “The Shell-Pennzoil Ford was as fast as anybody when we had track position tonight. We fought loose at times and then got really tight at the end of the race. We pitted before the overtime finish and we were able to battle forward and finish 13th. We scored a fair amount of stage points and got the playoff point for the Stage 3 win, and those are really important once you get to the playoffs.”

 

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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Darlington

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Darlington

eam Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

Track:                Darlington Raceway

Race:                 Toyota 500

Date:                 May 20, 2020

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No. 2 PIRTEK Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start: 8th

Stage 1: 16th

Stage 2: 14th

Finish: 4th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 7

Point Standings (behind first): 6th (-67)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski scored a fourth-place finish in the rain-shortened Toyota 500 Wednesday evening at Darlington Raceway, for his best finish and second top-five result of the 2020 season. A gusty call by crew chief Jeremy Bullins late in the event, paired with a timely caution flag, gave Keselowski the race lead and propelled him into contention for a win. The driver of the PIRTEK Ford Mustang is now sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 67 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.
  • Keselowski started Wednesday’s race eighth and he had his hands full with an ill-handling Mustang throughout Stage 1. He was also squeezed into the wall while racing Ryan Newman on lap 33 but he overcame those struggles to finish 16th when the segment concluded on lap 60. He pitted for wedge and track bar adjustments during the stage caution on lap 63, while the No. 2 crew also made repairs to the right-rear of the Ford Mustang. Keselowski restarted 25th when the race went green on lap 68.
  • During Stage 2, Keselowski gained and lost track position twice following pit stops and he continued to wrestle with the balance on the PIRTEK Mustang. He finished 14th when the stage concluded on lap 125 and he pitted during the stage caution for four tires, plus wedge and air pressure adjustments. Keselowski restarted 16th when the third and final segment began on lap 132.
  • Good fortune smiled on the PIRTEK team during Stage 3. Keselowski climbed his way into the top-10 on lap 166. As a sequence of green flag pit stops began on lap 174, Bullins made the call to keep his driver on the track. Keselowski cycled into the race lead on lap 176 and five laps later the caution flag came out, which gave Keselowski much-needed track position. He made his final stop for four tires during the 10th caution on lap 196 and he restarted eighth when the race went green three laps later. He worked his way through traffic and up to fourth position when Chase Elliott spun on lap 202 to cause the final caution. Moments later, a light rain began to fall and it quickly intensified, soaking the track and ending the race at lap 208.

Quotes: “I thought we were in a really good spot. We had made kind of an aggressive, bold move to stay out on the long run there and it was looking like it was going to pay off.  The yellow came out and we hit pit road and lost a few spots there, which was a bummer, but we cycled back to fourth right when the next caution came out and were in position to have the optimum lane and be behind a car that had older tires.  I was licking my chops, but the rain never gave us a chance. Just part of the way it goes.  We weren’t the fastest car today, but I thought we persisted and put ourselves in a spot to potentially steal a race win with our PIRTEK Mustang and just came up a tiny bit short.”

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No. 12 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 5th

Stage 1: 3rd

Stage 2: 33rd

Finish: 21st

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (Behind First): 11h (-90)

  • A strong early start for Ryan Blaney and No. 12 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang was derailed by an unscheduled pit stop in Wednesday night’s Toyota 500 at the Darlington Raceway. Blaney fought to get back on the lead lap before the race was called 20 laps from the finish, which resulted in a 21st-place finish.
  • The field was inverted following Sunday’s 400-mile race Darlington, which gave the High Point, N.C. native the fifth-place starting position. By lap 10, he worked his way up to second after the first round of pit stops on lap 27. After he was eventually passed by Martin Truex Jr. for the runner-up spot, Blaney finished Stage 1 in third place.
  • As stage 2 began, Blaney said the Menards/Moen Ford was on the tight side, especially coming off turn 4. Crew chief Todd Gordon made multiple changes during the opening segment of the race, including air pressure, track bar and tape on the nose of the No. 12 Ford Mustang.
  • Nearing the conclusion of Stage 2, Blaney’s car got loose and made hard contact with the turn 4 wall which caused an unscheduled pit stop for repairs. After Blaney returned to the track he brought home a 33rd-place finish in Stage 2.
  • Blaney and the Menards team continued to battle back and they returned to the lead lap under the final caution of the race on lap 202. Unfortunately, the race never returned to green flag conditions as rain halted the event for good on lap 208.
  • Blaney is now 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 90 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.

Quote: “I’m really proud of my No. 12 Menards/Moen team. We made big progress from where we were on Sunday. Unfortunately, I got loose off turn 4 and made contact with the wall. Darlington has been tough on our team today and Sunday, but I’m looking forward to racing in Charlotte this coming Sunday.”

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No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano 

Start:  3rd

Stage 1: 5th

Stage 2: 9th

Finish: 6th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 208/208

Laps Led: 0

Point Standings (Behind First): 2nd (-34)

     

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started third and finished sixth in Wednesday night’s Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Logano had a night full of uphill track position battles as multiple early pit stops set the No. 22 back in the running order while the team adjusted the handling of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford. Once the performance of the car improved, Logano marched forward and reached the sixth position in the closing laps before rain brought an end to the race, 20 laps short of its full distance.
  • After starting third, Logano moved to the lead for the first time of the race at Lap 10 and led the race until the competition caution period at lap 25. Throughout the opening run, Logano battled a tight-handling condition, which prompted crew chief Paul Wolfe to make air pressure and track bar adjustments on the first stop of the race. Unfortunately, the combination of the adjustments and the changing track conditions made the No. 22 Ford too loose on the second run of the race as Logano finished fifth at the end of the first stage.
  • Logano started the second stage from the ninth position but was shuffled back to 13th after fighting the losing battle of the inside restart line. The team elected to pit again when the caution flag was displayed five laps into the run. The team restarted 22nd and rallied forward to 15th with 20 laps remaining in the second stage before the caution flag was displayed again.
  • Through the second stage, Logano battled track position and dirty air, but was able to advance inside the top-10 to the ninth position before the stage concluded. During the final stage, Logano reported the balance on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang was neutral and the team just needed to gain track position.
  • With 34 laps remaining, the caution flag was displayed for the 10th time, prompting the Shell-Pennzoil crew to return to pit road for four tires and a slight adjustment to its setup for a run to the finish. Logano was able to rally to the sixth position before a caution flag was displayed for an accident. Unfortunately, rain moved in over Darlington Raceway and brought an early end to Wednesday night’s race.

 

Quote: “Hard fought, blue collar night for us. A lot of the race came down to where you placed yourself. You needed the outside lane on restarts. A lot of it came down to strategy. We only had one long green flag run all day, which isn’t normal. Wish we’d have had one more restart in the Shell-Pennzoil Ford at the end.”

Views: 198
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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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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway Read More