After a long but memorable Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are back on the road.
This weekend finds them headed to World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 on the 1.25-mile track formerly known as Gateway International Raceway.
Brian Wilson, crew chief on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang, said there’s lots to feel good about around the team shop this week.
“Last weekend in Charlotte was another solid race for the No. 21 Ford,” Wilson said. “With such a long race you expect ups and downs. We certainly had that throughout the day.
“We ended up with a top-20, but know that we were capable of more than that. We’re all hungry to keep pushing for better results.”
Wilson also said he was happy to see Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 crew at Team Penske score a victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
“It was great to see our technical alliance partners get a win,” he said. “Everyone in the Ford camp has been pushing to improve our performance at 1.5-mile tracks, and I know every Wood Brothers fan enjoyed seeing the former No. 21 driver Ryan Blaney in Victory Lane.”
Wilson said that as he looks forward to the upcoming weekend, he believes he and the team can use what they learned last year to their benefit.
Last year, in the Cup Series’ first visit to WWT Raceway, the No. 21 team qualified ninth and ran in the top 20 for much of the race before finishing 25th.
“We believe that we can build on that performance and keep our upward trend of competitiveness going,” Wilson said, adding that the tire compound that will be used this weekend will offer crew chiefs some additional options as they make their calls from atop the pit box. “Last year’s event showcased a tire that allowed for some unique strategies.
“We’ll have the same tire combination from Goodyear for this race. This should allow teams to do two tires, stay out and flip strategies when opportunity presents itself.”
Practice for the Enjoy Illinois 300 is set for Saturday at 9 a.m. Central Time (10 a.m. Eastern) to be followed by qualifying at 9:45.
Sunday’s 300-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2:30 p.m. Central Time (3:30 Eastern). Stage breaks in the 240-lap race are set for Laps 40 and 140.
FOX Sports 1 will carry the TV coverage all weekend.
WBR PR
