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THE RESULTS

GEICO 500
Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, October 19

THE RESULTS

The No. 12 SKF Ford Fusion
Driver:  Ryan Blaney
Starting Position: 4
Finish Position: 22

THE RACE REVIEW          
 
· Making his second and final scheduled NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start of 2014, Ryan Blaney began the 500-mile race at Talladega from the fourth position in the No. 12 SKF Ford Fusion. The strong qualifying performance marked the highest starting position by any Ford Racing driver in the field.

· Blaney quickly jumped out to the race lead on the second lap and held the top spot for the next 13 circuit. These were the first laps led of his young NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

· With Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski having to start the race from the rear of the field after changing his alternator following qualifying, Blaney was concerned when his volt meter began to drop around lap 50. However, after switching to the second battery, the SKF Ford Fusion was able to continue without any issue.

· After restarting in the ninth position following a yellow-flag pit stop, Blaney was able to settle in nicely inside the top 10 as the race moved past 100 laps.

· Blaney brought the No. 12 SKF Ford down pit road for a green-flag pit stop at lap 102. Following the service, a caution flag flew over the field before the rest of the competitors could visit pit road. Once all the cars completed their stops, Blaney cycled to the race lead as competition resumed a lap 107.

· As the race neared its dramatic finish, Blaney radioed to crew chief Jeremy Bullins that he could not keep pace with the race leaders. A lap 184 caution gave Bullins an opportunity to bring his young driver down pit road for four tires and fuel to try and give Blaney the confidence he needed in the car for the finish.

· Upon restarting the race in the 31st position for the first attempt at a green-white-checkered flag finish, Blaney did a great job in driving through a multi-car accident just in front of him. As a result, he picked up 10 positions and restarted the race in the 21st position at lap 188.

· Unfortunately for Blaney, the outside line did not move forward enough on the restart for him to make up ground and he crossed the finish line in the 22nd position.

· Blaney will now turn his attention back to trying to secure the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title for his teammates’ team – Brad Keselowski Racing, as he is second in the championship standings. Blaney will also continue to try and help the Team Penske No. 22 Discount Tire/Hertz Ford Mustang in its quest for the team’s second-consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s Title.
    

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

RYAN BLANEY. NO. 12 SKF FORD

A SOLID PERFORMANCE SUNDAY AND YOU GOT A CHANCE TO LEAD YOUR FIRST LAPS IN THE SPRINT CUP SERIES. HOW WAS YOUR DAY?

“All in all it was a pretty solid day for the SKF Ford Fusion. We were able to get up front early and lead some laps in my first (NASCAR Sprint) Cup Series start at Talladega. Having the yellow rookie stripe on your bumper really hurts you in these races and we got shuffled back a few times, but hopefully I gained some respect of the drivers today. We had a hard time maintaining some good runs throughout the day to stay up there and challenge for a good finish. Congrats to Brad (Keselowski) for doing what he had to do to move on to the next round of the Chase. It’s cool for Team Penske to have him and Joey continue on. It was a learning experience today for me but I’m proud of the effort by everyone on the team.”