Team Penske Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Report

February 18, 2018


Track: Daytona International Speedway
Race:  Daytona 500 
Date:  February 18, 2018

No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Fusion – Brad Keselowski

Start: 31st
Stage 1: 17th
Stage 2: 32nd
Finish: 32nd  
Status: Accident
Laps Completed: 102/207
Laps Led: 0
Driver Point Standings (behind leader): 31st (-43)

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski started 31st in the Daytona 500 and steadily worked his way through the pack from the drop of the green flag, climbing into the top 10 by lap 29. 
  • The nose of Keselowski's Ford came unsealed from the car's front splitter during the early laps of the race.  The team pitted under caution on lap 51 to repair the damage. He restarted outside top 30 when the race went green on lap 55.
  • Crew chief Paul Wolfe chose not to pit during the stage break on lap 61, moving Keselowski up to sixth position for the restart on lap 66. He consistently jockeyed for position near the front of the lead draft and was third at the time of the caution on lap 94. He pitted for right-side tires one lap later and lined up third when the race went green on lap 97. 
  • Keselowski was racing Chase Elliott for second-place on lap 102 when the two made contact at the entrance to Turn 3, triggering a multiple car accident and ending his afternoon. He was credited with a 32nd-place finish in the final rundown. 

Quotes: "The 9 (Chase Elliott) got loose and spun out in front of us all and got caught up in it.  It just really sucks.  We had a great car and were in a great position.  I guess that's the way it goes.  I went to pass him on the bottom and he came down.  I can't tell if I made contact or not, but obviously he turned and there was nothing I could do.  We were all wrecked."

No. 12 Menards/Peak Ford Fusion – Ryan Blaney

Start: 3rd
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 1st
Finish: 7th  
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 207/207
Laps Led: 118 (most of any driver)
Driver Point Standings (behind leader): 1st (+6)

Notes: 

  • This was Blaney's fourth start in The Daytona 500.
  • Blaney led five times for a race-high 118 laps and won stage 2 of the event.
  • Blaney reported his car was a little loose to start and the team made slight air pressure adjustments during the race.
  • With less than two laps to go, Blaney was involved in a 12 car crash, but managed to make repairs and come home seventh. 
  • Blaney is the current Cup Series points leader by six over Austin Dillion.

Quotes: "It was just hard racing. You say it all day. I was trying to be aggressive blocking the lead and kind of fell back and got a good run back up towards it. Man, the 11 (Denny Hamlin) blocked the 41 (Kurt Busch) and the 41 kind of went high last minute and I was on his left rear and I turned him. I feel bad about that. He kind of changed lanes last minute and I couldn't react quick enough. It stinks. We led a lot of laps. It just wasn't meant to be. But it was a good showing. Hopefully we go into Atlanta and have a decent run."

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion – Joey Logano

Start: 5th
Stage 1: 34th
Stage 2: 3rd
Finish: 4th  
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 207/207
Laps Led:  3
Driver Point Standings (behind leader): 4th (-7)

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started fifth and finished fourth in Sunday's Daytona 500.
  • Logano and the Shell-Pennzoil team found themselves in the front for the opening portion of the first stage before suffering contact with the No. 42 and having to pit for a tire rub.
  • Despite losing a lap to the leaders, the No. 22 Ford team continued to repair the damage to the left-rear quarter panel, eventually regaining the lost lap.
  • Logano battled a tight condition most of the race, but despite the challenges, rebounded to fight his way to the fourth position.

Quote"There were a lot of ups and downs all day for us. Getting the left rear fender rub, needing to pit, going down a lap, getting the Lucky Dog, and scoring points in that stage was amazing. To get ourselves back in position where we needed to be behind Blaney, our teammate, to try to control the race and win. It was a mental mistake on pit road. My fault. Can't pick a worse time to do that. Once you are back there, you are kind of back there in the garbage. It was getting crazy. All the holes close up at the end of the race and it is hard to make progress and the crashes happen more often. We were able to get a top-five out of it, which is nice for the Shell Pennzoil team. Maybe we would have gotten caught up in a crash if I stayed up front but overall I just feel like I let us down a little bit."