BROOKLYN, Mich. – Using strategy and a little luck, Paul Menard earned a strong fifth-place finish in the rain-shortened FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
“We had a good car today and all weekend,” said Menard. “We didn’t qualify as good as we would have hoped and went from the back and got put to the back twice. Once I sped and another time we got door slammed. I am really proud of my guys.”
Menards fourth top-10 finish of the season didn’t come without some adversity. After a competitive first 25 laps, Menard was slapped with a speeding penalty at the competition caution sending his No. 21 Menards | Jack Links Ford to the rear.
Showcasing the speed, the Ford showed in the Motor City, Menard was able to methodically work his way back towards the front. Finishing Stage 1 16th, Menard restarted Stage 2 20th but found himself collected in the sixth caution of the day at Lap 66 when Daniel Suarez lost control of his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in Turn 4 – and made contact with Menard in the process.
Again, Menard had to climb from the rear with his team opting for strategy at the next caution at Lap 86 keeping the Wood Bros. Racing team keeping out front and into the lead for the Lap 91 restart.
While Kevin Harvick quickly swiped the lead from the No. 21 team, Menard used clean air to his advantage and despite being close on fuel, the team made it, finishing fifth when the race was declared official.
With rain creeping in, Menard pitted with the rest of the field and despite restarting eighth, Menard picked off three more spots before the caution waved for a crash involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Under the yellow, the rain arrived, and the race never restarted with Menard claiming his first top-five finish since a third at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway last July driving for Richard Childress Racing.
“We made a gutsy call to stay out on no tires with a bunch of laps on it,” added Menard. “Gutsy call. We had the car to hold on though, so it worked out.”
The Eau Claire, Wisc. native earned his 20th career top-five and 62nd top-10 finish in his 414th Cup Series start and heads to Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in two weeks 16th in points, but well within reach of the Playoff spot with 11 races left in regular regulation.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
