Young driver hopes to continue success with crew chief Jeremy Bullins
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At the venerable age of 21, Ryan Blaney already has a keen sense of history as he makes the next step of his career. Perhaps some of it comes from the rich racing pedigree of his family, with his father, Dave, and uncle Dale qualifying as highly decorated sprint-car drivers. But some influence surely seeped in after the young driver set foot in the Wood Brothers' racing museum in Stuart, Virginia.
Blaney is bracing for his first major foray into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season, contesting an 18-race schedule for a team celebrating its 65th year in the business. After touring the shop that's made the Woods part of the fabric of the stock-car racing, Blaney had an even better sense of what it means to field the team's famed No. 21.
"I've admired them ever since I was a little kid. How could you not admire them?" Blaney said during last month's Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Technocom. "Just looking back at their history and their family tradition of racing, with me coming from some family, too, it's really cool that everyone has really gotten along so far and we can talk about racing. That's all we want to do is race and win.
"Just being part of a great organization that's been around for 65 years -- for one, that speaks a lot to them that they've stuck around for 65 years. Just to be a part of that history is amazing."
The team's next chapter involves a new driver who already has five victories in NASCAR's other two national series, but also a reunion of sorts for Jeremy Bullins, who will work with Blaney from atop the pit box. Bullins spent four years (1999-2002) in various roles with the Wood Brothers, including race engineer. But he'll also be reunited as a crew chief for Blaney, continuing a partnership that produced two victories in the last two seasons in what is now the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
Blaney's accomplishments are part of Bullins' impressive record with Team Penske's No. 22 Ford the last three seasons. Juggling a widely varied roster of part-time drivers, Bullins helped guide the team to 21 wins in that stretch and championships the last two seasons in the owners' standings.
"The cool thing about what we did the last few years is, when you have the opportunity to work with multiple drivers like that, you learn a lot about the communications side of things, listening to guys explain things," Bullins said. "I hope that's made me better as a crew chief so that the time that Ryan and I spend together, I'll know what to expect. I don't see it as anything but a positive."
Blaney said the natural bond between the two comes from their development in the Team Penske mold. That bond becomes richer this season with the advent of a technical alliance between the Wood Brothers and the Penske operation, an agreement that will include pit-crew support on race days. With Blaney and Bullins sticking together, both sides stand to benefit.
"Those two guys -- Ryan and Jeremy -- already having time together, that saves you a year," said Eddie Wood, the No. 21 team's co-owner. "It doesn't seem like it could be that much, but they're already ready to race and up to speed. It's just a really good situation for us because they move in and you're beyond the testing and all that stuff, or hoping it's going to work, or hoping they mesh. They already mesh.
"I've been around a long time and I used to be not a great believer in the chemistry that people talk about all the time -- I didn't pay much attention to it. It's real."
During one of Blaney's visits to the Virginia shop, the names Pearson and Yarborough among countless others rang out, the collection of trophies, the backseat race car that Glen Wood drove -- all part of the organization's lore. If Blaney were to help the team add to its collection of keepsakes, it would help the team inch toward another historic milestone.
The Wood Brothers sit at 98 victories at NASCAR's top level, the most recent coming in the 2011 Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne at the wheel. For now, Blaney is focused on converting victory No. 1 before the team can think about its 100th.
"It's really motivation for everybody," Blaney said. "Everyone wants to excel and have success, and that can work out for both of us. No pressure, really. All I see is opportunity and extra motivation to get it done."