Emily Mooney
|
|
It's Tricky - The Tricky Triangle
June 3, 2018
It has been a year since Ryan Blaney’s first Cup win. The one year anniversary served as a reminder for all #teamblaney fans for how far YRB has come in the sport since first moving up into the Cup series with Wood Brothers Racing. This weekend at Pocono could have resulted in another win, but this time with Team Penske and the 12 team.
Blaney has had a rollercoaster of a season so far---there have been many highs, and quite a few lows. The latest low came to the 12 team at Charlotte the weekend before when Blaney’s car blew up and ended a weekend for them where they could have won the Coca-Cola 600. The 12 car made it through halfway of the race and once it blew up, their focuses shifted to the following weekend which would be Pocono Raceway—otherwise known as “Tricky Triangle”.
The anticipation leading up to the weekend was evident. The team knew that YRB has a knack for Pocono. He has done well here in all 3 series—NCWTS, NXS, and now the MENCS. Practice was going well for Blaney and the 12 team---they had fast speeds and were running exactly where they wanted to be heading into qualifying. Kevin Harvick was the leader in round 1, with Blaney finishing out the Top 5.
Heading into round 2, Harvick was still leading, with Blaney in 3rd. The third round of qualifying proved to be Blaney’s time, which is where he surpassed Harvick, with an average speed of 176.897 mph—just edging Harvick’s speed of 176.807 mph. Blaney taking over 1st place in round 3 gave him the pole for the Pocono 400 on Sunday.
Sunday’s race started off a raceday full of hope and anticipation. Blaney managed to lead 11 laps from the pole in Stage 1, but sadly lost the lead to Harvick, and faded throughout the stage and finished stage 1 in 7th place. Not a bad place to be, but the 78 car of Martin Truex Jr, the 4 car of Harvick, and the 18 car of Kyle Busch were scary fast. Blaney’s car was no match for their racecars.
After making changes to the car during the caution after Stage 1, Blaney’s car stayed about the same in most of stage 2 with him finishing off the stage in 8th. Heading into stage 3, the 4, 78, and 18 were just unbeatable. Blaney and the 12 team managed to gain a few spots back and finished the race in 6th place.
It was definitely a better finish than the week before at Charlotte, but there was still a slight bit of disappointment. After Charlotte, the 12 team dropped to 11th in the MENCS standings, but the 6th place at Pocono brought them back up to 10th in the standings.
This weekend we are heading into Michigan---where rain has been the normal for the past few June races. Hopefully, the rain holds off and doesn’t change the track too much---racing is much better when there is rubber on the track.
Be sure to follow Ladies of Speed on Twitter at @losdotorg where we will keep you up to date during the weekend races.
Follow and chat with me here: @emilyymooney
Shop here now for new NASCAR gear!
June 3, 2018
It has been a year since Ryan Blaney’s first Cup win. The one year anniversary served as a reminder for all #teamblaney fans for how far YRB has come in the sport since first moving up into the Cup series with Wood Brothers Racing. This weekend at Pocono could have resulted in another win, but this time with Team Penske and the 12 team.
Blaney has had a rollercoaster of a season so far---there have been many highs, and quite a few lows. The latest low came to the 12 team at Charlotte the weekend before when Blaney’s car blew up and ended a weekend for them where they could have won the Coca-Cola 600. The 12 car made it through halfway of the race and once it blew up, their focuses shifted to the following weekend which would be Pocono Raceway—otherwise known as “Tricky Triangle”.
The anticipation leading up to the weekend was evident. The team knew that YRB has a knack for Pocono. He has done well here in all 3 series—NCWTS, NXS, and now the MENCS. Practice was going well for Blaney and the 12 team---they had fast speeds and were running exactly where they wanted to be heading into qualifying. Kevin Harvick was the leader in round 1, with Blaney finishing out the Top 5.
Heading into round 2, Harvick was still leading, with Blaney in 3rd. The third round of qualifying proved to be Blaney’s time, which is where he surpassed Harvick, with an average speed of 176.897 mph—just edging Harvick’s speed of 176.807 mph. Blaney taking over 1st place in round 3 gave him the pole for the Pocono 400 on Sunday.
Sunday’s race started off a raceday full of hope and anticipation. Blaney managed to lead 11 laps from the pole in Stage 1, but sadly lost the lead to Harvick, and faded throughout the stage and finished stage 1 in 7th place. Not a bad place to be, but the 78 car of Martin Truex Jr, the 4 car of Harvick, and the 18 car of Kyle Busch were scary fast. Blaney’s car was no match for their racecars.
After making changes to the car during the caution after Stage 1, Blaney’s car stayed about the same in most of stage 2 with him finishing off the stage in 8th. Heading into stage 3, the 4, 78, and 18 were just unbeatable. Blaney and the 12 team managed to gain a few spots back and finished the race in 6th place.
It was definitely a better finish than the week before at Charlotte, but there was still a slight bit of disappointment. After Charlotte, the 12 team dropped to 11th in the MENCS standings, but the 6th place at Pocono brought them back up to 10th in the standings.
This weekend we are heading into Michigan---where rain has been the normal for the past few June races. Hopefully, the rain holds off and doesn’t change the track too much---racing is much better when there is rubber on the track.
Be sure to follow Ladies of Speed on Twitter at @losdotorg where we will keep you up to date during the weekend races.
Follow and chat with me here: @emilyymooney
Shop here now for new NASCAR gear!
|
|
Sin City and Phoenix
March 4 & 11, 2018
Las Vegas Motor Speedway had a lot of successes for drivers and teams at Team Penske. With Penske fielding three cars full time as a first this season, there are bound to be some history making races, which was exactly what Ryan Blaney could bring to the table at Las Vegas.
Blaney started out strong in Vegas earning his first career Vegas pole and led the field to the green flag. Blaney ran up front for most of the day, allowing him his first top-five driving with Team Penske. The 12 team finished in fifth, Brad Keselowski in sixth, and Joey Logano in seventh, allowing Team Penske to make history. This was the first time Team Penske finished with three cars in the top 10. Blaney’s 5th place finish was his third consecutive top 10 at LVMS.
After LVMS, we headed into Phoenix, which is also known as ISM Raceway. Blaney did not have as great of a run as he did at LVMS. He ran in the top 20 for the race, but struggled with the handling of the car. By the end of the race, Blaney got a 16th place finish for Team Penske, but unfortunately had some issues with post-race inspection. The 12 car was found to have one lug nut not secured. This error also plagued the 22 team of Team Penske which finished 19th.
This weekend, we are at Auto Club Speedway in California. It appears NASCAR Goes West has been fun and productive for young Ryan Blaney. He’s been doing a lot of sight-seeing which includes the Grand Canyon and most recently the Hollywood sign. Now he is back at the track, ready to tackle Fontana and see what this weekend brings for the 12 team.
Last year, he finished 9th in the 21 car for Wood Brothers at Auto Club, so hopefully another run like that will happen this week, but in the Team Penske car. He’s been running in the top 20 for practice so far, but hoping they will get the car where it needs to be so we can see the 12 car in Victory Lane this weekend, celebrating the California way!
#teamblaney
Follow and chat with me here: @emilyymooney
March 4 & 11, 2018
Las Vegas Motor Speedway had a lot of successes for drivers and teams at Team Penske. With Penske fielding three cars full time as a first this season, there are bound to be some history making races, which was exactly what Ryan Blaney could bring to the table at Las Vegas.
Blaney started out strong in Vegas earning his first career Vegas pole and led the field to the green flag. Blaney ran up front for most of the day, allowing him his first top-five driving with Team Penske. The 12 team finished in fifth, Brad Keselowski in sixth, and Joey Logano in seventh, allowing Team Penske to make history. This was the first time Team Penske finished with three cars in the top 10. Blaney’s 5th place finish was his third consecutive top 10 at LVMS.
After LVMS, we headed into Phoenix, which is also known as ISM Raceway. Blaney did not have as great of a run as he did at LVMS. He ran in the top 20 for the race, but struggled with the handling of the car. By the end of the race, Blaney got a 16th place finish for Team Penske, but unfortunately had some issues with post-race inspection. The 12 car was found to have one lug nut not secured. This error also plagued the 22 team of Team Penske which finished 19th.
This weekend, we are at Auto Club Speedway in California. It appears NASCAR Goes West has been fun and productive for young Ryan Blaney. He’s been doing a lot of sight-seeing which includes the Grand Canyon and most recently the Hollywood sign. Now he is back at the track, ready to tackle Fontana and see what this weekend brings for the 12 team.
Last year, he finished 9th in the 21 car for Wood Brothers at Auto Club, so hopefully another run like that will happen this week, but in the Team Penske car. He’s been running in the top 20 for practice so far, but hoping they will get the car where it needs to be so we can see the 12 car in Victory Lane this weekend, celebrating the California way!
#teamblaney
Follow and chat with me here: @emilyymooney
|
|
Making a difference
February 18th, 2018
Ryan Blaney had a successful 2018 Speedweeks to say the least. In 2017, it was announced that Blaney would no longer be driving the 21 car, with Paul Menard set to replace him, so Blaney could make the move to Team Penske full time driving the 12 car with Menards as the sponsor. This was a deal that had been in the works for a while, with a lot of speculation surrounding it. After finishing the 2017 season strong, all of Blaney’s fans were looking forward to seeing what he was going to be able to accomplish in his new car with his new team.
Ryan Blaney raced in the Clash and won Can-Am Duel #1, leading up to the Daytona 500. His win in Duel #1 gave him a starting position of 3 for the Great American Race. When you think of a normal track, you imagine a 3rd place starting position as a great opportunity to set you up for success. However, this is Daytona, a restrictor-plate track, and a beast of its own.
Blaney had a race high 118 laps led, with a win in stage 2. However, 2 laps before the checkers were waved, Blaney made contact with the 41 car of Kurt Busch, which caused damage on the 12 car. Blaney brought the car in for repairs and finished with a strong 7th place finish in the 2018 Daytona 500.
Blaney is always one to try to be positive, even when something like a wreck in the final 2 laps of the race really changes the outcome for him. “Yeah, you’re disappointed, you dominate a good race, that’s the way it goes.” In the past few years, his maturity level has really begun to shine through. Regan Smith earlier this week told a wonderful story about how Blaney saw him coming for an interview and graciously accepted even though it didn’t turn out the way he wanted. We have seen drivers walk away from media out of frustration, but Blaney is one who is always willing to graciously accept what cards are dealt to him. It’s admirable.
Stories have poured in over this past week with pictures of Blaney meeting young fans with a smile on his face and tweets promising fans that he will gladly sign anything they want. It’s this type of personality that makes a difference. You can be a champion on the track, but being a champion off the track is just as important. I believe we will see great things coming from not just the 12 team, but the driver of the 12 car himself for years to come.
As we look back on Daytona, we look forward to Atlanta this weekend. The 12 team gained a lot of points in the 500, regardless of the finish not being the outcome they ultimately wanted. With that type of performance, they are sitting on top of the leaderboard in the championship as of now. We are one week in, with 35 more races to go, but the spirits are high in the garage. There’s a lot of momentum heading into this weekend at Atlanta. Keep your eye out for the 12 team---they are going to make heads turn this season.
#teamblaney
Follow and chat with me here: @emilyymooney
February 18th, 2018
Ryan Blaney had a successful 2018 Speedweeks to say the least. In 2017, it was announced that Blaney would no longer be driving the 21 car, with Paul Menard set to replace him, so Blaney could make the move to Team Penske full time driving the 12 car with Menards as the sponsor. This was a deal that had been in the works for a while, with a lot of speculation surrounding it. After finishing the 2017 season strong, all of Blaney’s fans were looking forward to seeing what he was going to be able to accomplish in his new car with his new team.
Ryan Blaney raced in the Clash and won Can-Am Duel #1, leading up to the Daytona 500. His win in Duel #1 gave him a starting position of 3 for the Great American Race. When you think of a normal track, you imagine a 3rd place starting position as a great opportunity to set you up for success. However, this is Daytona, a restrictor-plate track, and a beast of its own.
Blaney had a race high 118 laps led, with a win in stage 2. However, 2 laps before the checkers were waved, Blaney made contact with the 41 car of Kurt Busch, which caused damage on the 12 car. Blaney brought the car in for repairs and finished with a strong 7th place finish in the 2018 Daytona 500.
Blaney is always one to try to be positive, even when something like a wreck in the final 2 laps of the race really changes the outcome for him. “Yeah, you’re disappointed, you dominate a good race, that’s the way it goes.” In the past few years, his maturity level has really begun to shine through. Regan Smith earlier this week told a wonderful story about how Blaney saw him coming for an interview and graciously accepted even though it didn’t turn out the way he wanted. We have seen drivers walk away from media out of frustration, but Blaney is one who is always willing to graciously accept what cards are dealt to him. It’s admirable.
Stories have poured in over this past week with pictures of Blaney meeting young fans with a smile on his face and tweets promising fans that he will gladly sign anything they want. It’s this type of personality that makes a difference. You can be a champion on the track, but being a champion off the track is just as important. I believe we will see great things coming from not just the 12 team, but the driver of the 12 car himself for years to come.
As we look back on Daytona, we look forward to Atlanta this weekend. The 12 team gained a lot of points in the 500, regardless of the finish not being the outcome they ultimately wanted. With that type of performance, they are sitting on top of the leaderboard in the championship as of now. We are one week in, with 35 more races to go, but the spirits are high in the garage. There’s a lot of momentum heading into this weekend at Atlanta. Keep your eye out for the 12 team---they are going to make heads turn this season.
#teamblaney
Follow and chat with me here: @emilyymooney
|
|
