LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Ryan Blaney did a double take.
The No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford, decked out in its traditional red, white and gold colors, drove past Blaney in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage.
That was the car Blaney drove last year before moving to Team Penske for the 2018 season. He felt an eerie sense of familiarity before snapping back to reality.
“I’ll be honest with you. It was really, really weird today,” Blaney said after winning the pole for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “That’s the first time they have run the old school Motorcraft scheme. They didn’t run it at Daytona or Atlanta, so it was strange watching that car today.
“Then (current Woods Brothers driver) Paul (Menard) comes walking down for qualifying, and he’s in the same suit I was in last year. Not the same one, but the same style. That was super weird. It was like the Twilight Zone.
“I’m going down pit road, and his helmet is white like mine was last year. It’s the exact same way that I think I looked. But it was super weird.”
Blaney, incidentally, was also fastest in final practice on Saturday. Posting a lap at 186.445 mph.
Source: Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service
