Heading into the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26th, 2024, hopes were high in The Blue Oval’s stable as many thought that the NASCAR Ford teams would be a threat to win it all. Things didn’t quite pan out that way, and now, things aren’t looking so hot for the Ford Mustang Dark Horse racers in the Cup Series division.
According to the latest rankings on NASCAR.com, one NASCAR Ford driver, Brad Keselowski, is on the up, while three other notable drivers need some extra luck to turn things around this season. Keselowski, who drives the No. 6 Mustang, finished second at Charlotte last weekend, hot off his win at Darlington just a few weeks back. At Charlotte, he started near the rear of the field, but rallied back to a podium finish by the time inclement weather put a premature end to the race. That’s his fourth top-two finish in the last six Cup Series races. Heading into Gateway this weekend on June 2nd, he’s primed to keep that hot streak going and get to the top of the standings.
Meanwhile, defending champion Ryan Blaney isn’t looking so good. His No. 12 NASCAR Ford Mustang wrecked out at Charlotte when its tire blew, relegating him to a near-dead-last finish. The result marked his second consecutive finish outside the top 30.
As for Chris Buescher, the driver was noted as one to keep an eye on at Charlotte. However, he wrecked his No. 17 Mustang during a practice session and had to head back out with a secondary race car under him. Then, a botched pit stop killed his shot at a better finish and a potential win that would have locked him into the postseason Playoffs.
Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Mustang, may be racing for his job. He wrecked at Charlotte after early contact with a competitor, and currently holds down 21st in the standings, a disappointing result that won’t win him a championship. He has one start at Gateway, where he finished 33rd.
Whatever the case, it seems that the NASCAR Ford stable isn’t out of the woods quite yet in the 2024 Cup Series campaign.
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Comments
BUT they are starting 1, 2, 3 at Gateway!!
They will turn it around, just like they have the past two seasons. Hopefully there will be no aero changes to the car next year, otherwise we will see this first half struggle repeat itself for the fourth consecutive year.