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Elliott ran well last year at Indy & he was fast in both practices so i think they will get things turned around herethey need it!
I hope they have a GREAT weekend!!!!
The Brickyard Brings Out The Best In Bill Elliott
July 21, 2010
The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway always seems to bring out the best in NASCAR elite drivers and race teams. In the 16 previous runnings of the Brickyard 400, only the sport’s top drivers and teams have visited Victory Lane. There have been no fluke victories.
Among the nine former Brickyard winners are three veterans of the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford team. Dale Jarrett won in 1996 and 1999. Ricky Rudd won in 1997, and Bill Elliott, the current driver of the famed No. 21, won at Indy in 2002.
The Brickyard, historically has been one of Elliott’s better tracks. Besides his win in ’02, he has four other top-five finishes and five top-five starts, including a fourth-place start last year aboard the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion.
So it wasn’t surprising that Elliott was unusually upbeat earlier this week as he discussed his upcoming run at one of auto racing’s most storied facilities.
“I’ve enjoyed racing there a lot over the years,” he said. “It’s been a good race track for me.”
Elliott said his Brickyard victory is right at the top of his list of career accomplishments. It was a dominating win in a race many consider second only to the Daytona 500.
“It was big,” he said. “I remember how badly Dale Earnhardt Sr. wanted to win that race.”
Elliott said he believes the Brickyard 400 is a race in which experience pays off. The facts seem to back him up. Jarrett won Indy at age 47. Dale Earnhardt won it at 44 and Elliott got his Brickyard win at age 45, with Rusty Wallace, also 45, finishing second behind him.
“It’s a race track where you have to have patience, but your car has to be right too,” Elliott said. “It’s a four-cornered race track with 90-degree turns. It’s laid out so differently.”
As he heads back to Indy, Elliott is encouraged by the fact that he’ll be driving a brand new race car, one that crew chief David Hyder and the team have spent countless hours preparing.
“I know Hyder and the boys have worked hard to get things turned around for us,” he said. “We’ve gone through a lot of changes, and we’re still working through the change from the wing to the rear spoiler on the back of the car, but I’m looking forward to this weekend.
“We ran good there last year.”
Elliott’s hoping he and his team can duplicate their qualifying success of a year ago, for several reasons.
“You need to be good in qualifying,” he said. “That’s the start for the whole weekend.”
Elliott also likes the fact that fuel mileage and pit strategy often come into play at Indy, because for years that has been one of the strong suits of the Wood Brothers team.
“They do an excellent job on that side,” he said.
Len Wood, the man many consider the garage master of fuel-mileage calculations and strategy, said that in many ways, he figures fuel at Indy much like he does at any other track.
“You always have gas mileage in the back of your mind,” Wood said. “We’ll work the race backwards as far as figuring the fuel, but we’ll also have to see how much the speeds slow down as the tires wear and we’ll have to consider the likelihood of a green-white-checkered finish.”
Qualifying for the Brickyard 400 is set for 10:10 a.m. on Saturday, and the race is at 1 p.m. on Sunday with coverage on ESPN.
~DeeDee~
Elliott ran well last year at Indy & he was fast in both practices so i think they will get things turned around here
~wbr
elliott, woods ready to race in the brickyard 400
july 24, 2010
bill elliott and the wood brothers’ no. 21 motorcraft/quick lane crew came away with a victory of sorts during saturday’s qualifying session for the 17th running of the brickyard 400 at indianapolis motor speedway. They were best in class among the “go-or-go-home” teams that are not among the top 35 in car owner points and therefore not assured of starting spots for races.
Elliott’s qualifying lap at 178.845 miles per hour was only good enough for the 31st starting position. It does not take into account that he and the rest of the non-guaranteed drivers made their runs late in the session on saturday when the track was getting hotter and slicker - and therefore slower - by the minute as the summertime indiana heat baked the racing surface.
“we ran faster than we did in practice,” elliott said. “you can’t do anything about the [qualifying] draw. I know some guys run faster in that deal, but what we try to fight and what they try to fight is a whole different war at the end of the day.”
team co-owner eddie wood pointed out that with his team running a partial schedule and not guaranteed a starting spot, the most important thing in qualifying is to make sure the motorcraft/quick lane colors are on the track come race day.
Earlier in the weekend at indy, the familiar red no. 21 fusion was among the elite on the speed charts. Elliott was fifth fastest in the first practice session at 174.686 mph, then ninth in the second practice, with a speed of 178.437 mph.
To get back to the lead pack when the green flag flies on sunday afternoon, elliott and the motorcraft/quick lane crew will have to rely on pit strategy and other tactics to overcome their starting position. Luckily for them, the wood brothers team has historically been one of the best in nascar at pit and fuel strategy. It’ll be especially important at indianapolis motor speedway, where the racing layout, while historic and beloved, isn’t the most conducive to side-by-side racing.
“you can’t pass here,” elliott said. “it’s probably the world’s worst race track to pass, and you just have to do whatever you’ve got to do to get there. “at least you’ve got the whole race to work on it.”
the brickyard 400 is set to begin at 1 p.m. On sunday with coverage on espn.
~DeeDee~
~wbr
elliott gains 13 positions in strong brickyard 400 run
july 25, 2010
a 31st-place starting position for the 17th running of the brickyard 400 at indianapolis motor speedway didn’t bode well for bill elliott and the wood brothers’ no. 21 motorcraft/quick lane ford fusion. But elliott and his david hyder-led crew showed their true racing colors and turned in an impressive performance in one of nascar premier events, a race that is second in stature only to the daytona 500.
When the checkered flag fell, elliott and the no. 21 had moved up 13 positions to an 18th-place finish, the team’s second top-20 finish in seven starts so far in the 2010 season. The other was a 16th-place run at texas motor speedway.
On sunday at indianapolis, the wood brothers team took advantage of some skillful driving by elliott, a former brickyard 400 winner, along with some smooth pit stops and good pit calls by hyder to run among the top 20 for most of the afternoon and come away with a solid finish that they hope will lead to even better results when the motorcraft/quick lane team returns to action in three weeks for the carfax 400 at michigan international speedway.
Elliott’s driving skills were key to making it past the first lap at the brickyard. When kyle busch and sam hornish jr. Spun just in front of him triggering a multi-car crash, elliott steered the motorcraft/quick lane ford fusion through the smoke and spinning cars, emerging without a scratch on his car.
“that was close, real close,” elliott said.
He also managed to avoid several other incidents and stayed on the lead lap throughout the race, even as some of the top contenders fell a lap or more behind.
In the closing laps, elliott was involved in some of the closest racing of the day, and in doing so got himself and his team some quality tv time from the espn broadcast crew, which pointed out to viewers what a strong run the wood brothers team had going.
In the end, many of the drivers who had fallen a lap or more down took advantage of the wave-around rule to rejoin the lead lap. But elliott held his ground in the final run to the checkered flag and delivered the team a momentum-building finishing position.
“it was a good day all around,” said team co-owner eddie wood. “the car was good. The fr9 engine was strong. Everything seemed to come together.
“we had good calls on the pit stops. Hyder and bill [elliott] worked together to make the car better, and bill drove a really good race.”
wood said he believes the progress the team made with a brand-new car at indianapolis is a sign that the struggles of mid-season are behind them.
“a run like we had today is something to build on,” he said.
Check out wood brothers racing's new website at woodbrothersracing.com
~DeeDee~
really happy for Bill & the team, good finish!
The car was really good yesterday. It was nice to see the 21 making passes ... it was especially fun to watch him pass the 48!
- Andrew -
I wish they could be more competitive so Bill would be closer to the front, but regardless, a good finish for them.
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