Track: Kansas Speedway
Race: Digital Ally 400
Date: May 11, 2019
No. 2 Wurth Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start: 4th
Stage 1: 7th
Stage 2: 16th
Finish: 1st
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 271/271
Laps Led: 12
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 5th (-57)
Notes:
- Brad Keselowski grabbed the lead from Alex Bowman with 11 laps to go and survived a NASCAR overtime finish to win the Digital Ally 400 Saturday night at Kansas Speedway. Keselowski claimed his 30th career win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and his second victory at Kansas. He collected his third win of the 2019 season and moved up to fifth-place in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, 57 points behind leader Joey Logano.
- The driver of the No. 2 Wurth Ford started fourth and finished the 80-lap segment in seventh position despite wrestling a No. 2 Mustang that was too loose. In fact, Keselowski make contact with the outside wall midway through the Stage 1, forcing the team to pull the right-side fenders out during the stage caution on lap 83. He restarted in 12th position when the race went green on lap 86.
- The Wurth Ford Mustang was loose during the Stage 2. Keselowski moved into the lead during a cycle of green flag pit stops on lap 143 and pitted one lap later for four tires and a chassis adjustment. He was credited with a 16th-place finish when segment concluded on lap 160. During the stage caution, Keselowski pitted for four tires and more adjustments on lap 163 and restarted 16th when the race went green on lap 167.
- The changes by crew chief Paul Wolfe began to work early in final stage. Keselowski steadily worked his way through the field, climbing up to sixth position. He pitted under green on lap 217, but moments later the fifth caution waved, pinning him a lap down. He took the wave around back onto the lead lap and restarted in 11th position on lap 227. Keselowski was up to ninth at the time of the sixth caution on lap 241 and pitted one lap later for four tires and restarted ninth on lap 244.
- The driver of the No. 2 Wurth Ford Mustang used the chaotic restart to his advantage, slicing through traffic to run second behind Bowman by lap 249. He ran closely behind Bowman for the next 12 laps before making the pass for the lead on lap 261.
- The seventh and final caution slowed the race on lap 264, pushing finish of the race into NASCAR overtime (the original distance of the race was 267 laps). Keselowski got a good restart on lap 269 and scampered away Bowman and Erik Jones, crossing the finish lane .205 seconds ahead of Bowman.
Quotes: “We were just too loose early and then in the traffic I brushed the wall a little bit. With about 100 to go Paul Wolfe and the team made some adjustments and the Wurth Ford responded. I felt we were a top-3 or top-5 car but then the yellow came out right as we came to pit road and I thought we would have to claw to get a top-10. A couple opportunities presented themselves and we were fighting for the lead. Alex Bowman ran an incredible race. We just had a little fresher tires and I was able to catch the traffic just right to make the move on him and from there we were able to get the win.”
No. 12 BODYARMOR Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 13th
Stage 1: 25th
Stage 2: 22nd
Finish: 32nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 264/271
Laps Led: 0
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 10th (-138)
Notes:
- Ryan Blaney finished 32nd in Saturday night’s Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway. The driver of the BODYARMOR Ford Mustang battled an ill-handling car for the majority of race. He now sits 10th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings –138 points behind the leader.
- Blaney started 13th and reported the balance of his BODYARMOR Ford was very loose on entry. During a competition caution on lap 40, he pitted for four tires and fuel along with a track bar and air pressure adjustment.
- As the 80-lap first stage came to a close, Blaney reported he felt looser, was lacking security on corner entry and fell outside the top-20. When Stage 1 ended, Blaney credited with a 25th-place finish. The BODYARMOR team opted to make a longer pit stop to make a significant wedge, track bar and air pressure adjustments.
- Stage 2 ran caution free and Blaney reported even with the changes from the prior pit stop, his No. 12 Mustang remained on the loose side. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins opted to run long during the stage before pitting, hoping to catch a caution. Blaney pitted with just 18 laps to go in stage 2, getting two right-side tires, fuel and an additional track bar adjustment. He stayed on the lead lap and finish 22nd when segment ended on lap 160. During the stage caution on lap 163, the BODYARMOR team took left-side tires for track position.
- Blaney restarted second when Stage 3 began on lap 168. He fought as hard as he could to remain up front but unfortunately the handling of the No. 12 car didn’t improve. He steadily fell back through the field. On lap 235, his night got even worse when he made significant contact, which led to multiple unscheduled pit stops. He was credited with a 32nd-place finish and is 10th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, 138 points behind the leader.
Quote: “We really struggled with the handling all night on the BODYARMOR Ford. We have some work to do before we return to Kansas in the fall.”
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 30th
Stage 1: 10th
Stage 2: 24th
Finish: 15th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 270/271
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (Ahead of Second): 1st (+9)
Notes:
- Joey Logano started Saturday night’s Digital Ally 400 from the 30th position in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang after an issue during pre-race technical inspection. By lap 10, Logano had cracked the top-15, passing 15 cars. At lap 12, he reported the Shell-Pennzoil Ford was slightly loose on corner entry. The loose condition continued to build so during the competition caution on lap 30, crew chief Todd Gordon made a chassis adjustment in the left rear, hoping to provide the missing stability.
- Logano restarted in the 20th position on lap 36, but quickly rallied up to 12th position only 10 laps after the green flag fell. During the run, Logano reported he was just as free as he was in the first run. A caution on lap 60 gave the team the opportunity to pit for four tires and a major air pressure adjustment to work on the handling conditions. Logano restarted 17th after several lead lap cars remained on the track. He moved up to 10th position but reported he was still too loose to run competitive lap times and gain positions.
- At the stage break, the team made a four tire stop with a major track bar adjustment after Logano reported the loose condition had gotten worse during the last run. Unfortunately, the team had to return to pit road to repair damage sustained after contact with Erik Jones. The team would lose a lap during the long green flag run to the end of Stage 2 and would be credited with a 24th place. The team elected to make an additional air pressure adjustment on the stage ending stop.
- Logano would settle into the lucky dog position and actually passed other lead lap cars. An unscheduled pit stop for the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick knocked Logano from the lucky dog spot on lap 181.
- On a restart on lap 228, Logano found himself in the 15th position, one lap down and racing Kevin Harvick for the free pass back to the lead lap. The caution on lap 239 gave Harvick his lap back. Try as he might, Logano couldn’t make up the lost distance. He was credited with a 15th-place place finish.
- Logano’s finish netted enough points for the No. 22 team to move into the series points lead as NASCAR hits the two-week home-stand at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Quote: “We started deep in the field today, made our way forward, but we the Shell-Pennzoil Ford was just too loose most of the day. We were able to make some solid changes in the second and third stages and get the it tightened up a bit, but at that point we were trapped a lap down and there wasn’t much we could do from there. We’re headed home to Charlotte for two weeks with the points lead and that’s big for our team.”