Blaney To Start Seventh In Duck Commander 500 At Texas

Qualifying continues to be a strong suit for Ryan Blaney and the crew of his No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion.

On Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway, Blaney earned the seventh starting spot for Saturday’s Duck Commander 500.

It was his second straight trip to the third and final round of knock-out qualifying and his third appearance in the past four races. It also was his second top-10 qualifying performance of the season, the other being another seventh-place start, in the season-opening Daytona 500.

So far this season, Blaney has qualified 14th or better in six of his seven attempts, and in the seventh, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he qualified 23rd.

At Texas, Blaney was 11th fastest in the first qualifying round with a speed of 193.368 miles per hour, fifth in the second round with a lap at 194.126 mph and seventh in the final round with a speed of 192.885 mph.

“It was really close from second on back, and we didn’t quite have enough there,” Blaney said. “Maybe we didn’t make the right adjustments before the final round. We’ll see how our car is in race practice. Having a good starting spot and a good pit stall doesn’t hurt at all.” 

Team co-owner Len Wood said the qualifying efforts put forth this season by Blaney and his crew chief Jeremy Bullins have been much appreciated.

“Ryan and Jeremy have really focused on qualifying, and they’re worked really hard all year to be sure the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Fusion makes the starting field for the race,” Wood said.

“Being able to start near the front most every week is a bonus.”

The Duck Commander 500 is set to get the green flag just after 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday with TV coverage on FOX.

WBR PR