There’s nothing much better in NASCAR than winning on a home track for a driver, owner, manufacturer, crew chief or even a sponsor.
On Saturday, Roush Fenway Racing drivers Darrell Wallace Jr. and Ryan Reed will try to get the first victory of the season for their team and Ford at a track near and dear to both organizations – Michigan International Raceway – when they run the Menards 250 presented by Valvoline (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1).
RFR owner Jack Roush’s Roush Industries is located in nearby Livonia, Michigan, while Ford is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.
“Coming to Michigan is always special since it’s in Roush Industries’ backyard and we get a ton of people out at the track supporting the team,” said Reed, who sits 10th in the NASCAR XFINITY Series points standings and captured one of RFR’s three victories last season at Daytona. “Our team has always been good at MIS and I think just about every driver loves this place because of the speeds we carry here. We’ve had a rough season so far and I would love more than anything to turn it around this weekend at a track that is so special to Jack (Roush) and our company.”
RFR’s five wins at Michigan stand as the track record. The organization has excelled in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with five driver championships, won by Chris Buescher last season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2011 and 2012, Carl Edwards in 2007 and Greg Biffle in 2002.
If Wallace or Reed can capture a victory at Michigan, they would get RFR one step closer to its sixth driver championship, since an XFINITY Series regular with a win clinches a spot in the 12-competitor NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.
“Michigan is a pretty cool track to race on,” said Wallace, who sits ninth in the points standings and finished a career-best second at Dover last month. “You can carry a lot of speed down the straightaways and really make some moves. I’m looking forward to getting there and seeing if we can get Ford in Victory Lane in their backyard.”
Source: NASCAR Wire Service
