By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
Sometimes, it only takes a caution flag to end an entire day of progression. For Paul Menard, that was the case in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
When Darrell Wallace Jr.’s left-front tire exploded in Turn 1, it spit pieces of rubber and metal onto the track, leading to an obvious yellow flag. With just 35 laps to go, it perhaps hurt Menard and the Wood Brothers Racing team more than any other.
The No. 21 Ford was the first lead-lap car to hit pit road under the green-flag stint between laps 128 to 164. And just when this pit strategy would usually start to pay dividends, the worst thing happened, a caution for Wallace’s tire.
This trapped Menard off the lead lap, forcing the team to take the wave around. Just like that, Menard had the oldest tires of any lead-lap car, giving him quite the handful for the final 30-lap run to the checkereds.
Hanging inside the top 15 for some time, Menard soon lost position after position, eventually falling to 20th.
The result was a continuation of luke-warm runs for the Wood Brothers, who have stretched finishes of 14th, 15th, 17th and now 20th in a row after a crash at Daytona.
Leaving the West Coast Swing 21st in points, Menard and crew now enter a special weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Not only the home race for the Virginian team, but a tribute race for one of the team’s patriarch, Glenn Wood, who passed away in January.
“The doors are open to all,” said son Eddie Wood. “My dad always enjoyed meeting the people who have come to the museum over the years, and we think it’s fitting that the tribute will be held there in the place he enjoyed so much.”
Catch up on Mid-Pack with Zach HERE
List of 20th-Place Finishers in 2019
Daytona: Clint Bowyer
Atlanta: Daniel Hemric
Las Vegas: Austin Dillon
ISM: Matt Tifft
Auto Club: Paul Menard
Mid-Pack with Zach: Paul Menard, Wood Brothers Racing
By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
Sometimes, it only takes a caution flag to end an entire day of progression. For Paul Menard, that was the case in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
When Darrell Wallace Jr.’s left-front tire exploded in Turn 1, it spit pieces of rubber and metal onto the track, leading to an obvious yellow flag. With just 35 laps to go, it perhaps hurt Menard and the Wood Brothers Racing team more than any other.
The No. 21 Ford was the first lead-lap car to hit pit road under the green-flag stint between laps 128 to 164. And just when this pit strategy would usually start to pay dividends, the worst thing happened, a caution for Wallace’s tire.
This trapped Menard off the lead lap, forcing the team to take the wave around. Just like that, Menard had the oldest tires of any lead-lap car, giving him quite the handful for the final 30-lap run to thecheckereds .
Hanging inside the top 15 for some time, Menard soon lost position after position, eventually falling to 20th.
The result was a continuation of luke-warm runs for the Wood Brothers, who have stretched finishes of 14th, 15th, 17th and now 20th in a row after a crash at Daytona.
Leaving the West Coast Swing 21st in points, Menard and crew now enter a special weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Not only the home race for the Virginianteam, but a tribute race for one of the team’s patriarch , Glenn Wood, who passed away in January.
“The doors are open to all,” said son Eddie Wood. “My dad always enjoyed meeting the people who have come to the museum over the years, and we think it’s fitting that the tribute will be held there in the place he enjoyed so much.”
Catch up on Mid-Pack with Zach HERE
List of 20th-Place Finishers in 2019
Daytona: Clint Bowyer
Atlanta: Daniel Hemric
Las Vegas: Austin Dillon
ISM: Matt Tifft
Auto Club: Paul Menard