Luck runs out for the Wood Brothers at Daytona
The No. 21 Motorcraft Ford will miss the Coke Zero 400 after qualifying is rained out.
Photo by: Action Sports Photography
Ryan Blaney was the fastest Ford in Happy Hour on Friday at Daytona.
Unfortunately, he won’t get the opportunity to race the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford in the Coke Zero 400 because the field was set according the by speed for the top 43 in Sprint Cup points. The Wood Brothers have attempted to run just six races this season.
The failure to qualify marks the first time in seven seasons, since the Wood Brothers elected to run a partial schedule, that the iconic No. 21 Motorcraft Ford has missed a show.
This one got us, but if it has to happen, I’d rather it be for something we can’t control instead of for a lack of performance on our part.
Eddie Wood
“I really hate this for Motorcraft/Quick Lane and all of our guests,” team co-owner Eddie Wood said. “We've been lucky. This is the first time this has happened since we started part time in 2009. We've dodged a lot of bullets, including last time in Michigan.
“This one got us, but if it has to happen, I’d rather it be for something we can’t control instead of for a lack of performance on our part.”
Blaney exhibited plenty of speed on Friday. Although the No. 21 was 22nd in the first practice, the 21-year-old Team Penske protege jumped to ninth in final practice.
"We'll go ahead and get home a day early and get ready for Kentucky," Wood added. "We control what we can control and we can't control the weather."
On to Kentucky
The Wood Brothers hope to return to action with Blaney next weekend at Kentucky Speedway, where Blaney earned his first career XFINITY Series race in 2013 and holds an average finish of 7.5. Although Blaney was disappointed the team wasn’t able to qualify, then race in the Coke Zero 400, he’s optimistic regarding his chances in the Blue Grass State.
Some stuff we can't control and this is one of them.
Ryan Blaney
“Some stuff we can't control and this is one of them,” Blaney said. “This is the bad part about running part time. If this happens you're out. It's unfortunate we didn't get a chance to qualify. We had a really fast Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion.
“Our next race is Kentucky next week and I'm looking forward to that one."
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Harvick reflects on career after Atlanta win, honors Dale Earnhardt
Chase Elliott: "We have a lot of work to do" after Atlanta showing
Harvick leads veteran charge at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Ryan Blaney beats Josh Berry to NASCAR Cup pole at Bristol
Ryan Blaney leads NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol
Ryan Blaney "can't complain" after losing by 0.003s at Atlanta
Penske swaps crew chiefs for drivers Cindric and Burton
Harrison Burton: Win to make NASCAR playoffs still "feasible"
Harrison Burton: "Big responsibility" driving for Wood Brothers
McLaren "surprised" by China F1 race pace after sprint struggles
Could Acosta get a Verstappen-like mid-season promotion to KTM in MotoGP 2024?
Arrow McLaren confirms Pourchaire for Barber Motorsports Park
RB brands Ricciardo/Tsunoda Chinese GP crashes "unnecessary"
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments