Ryan Blaney will drive the famed No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 2015, the team announced Thursday.
Wood Brothers signs Ryan Blaney, forms alliance with Team Penske
Wood Brothers Racing will field Ryan Blaney in select races next season, as well as form a technical alliance with Team Penske.
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The 20-year-old will run a partial Sprint Cup schedule -- a minimum of 12 races -- replacing Trevor Bayne, who moves to a full-time ride with Roush Fenway Racing. Blaney, a developmental driver for Team Penske, is the current Camping World Truck Series points leader and is considered an up-and-coming talent. He is the son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney.
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The Wood Brothers and Penske will also form a technical alliance for next season. Previously, the Wood Brothers had been aligned with Roush Fenway.
“Wood Brothers Racing is excited to align with Roger Penske and his team and we couldn’t be more pleased to put Ryan Blaney in the No. 21 Ford Fusion,” said Eddie and Len Wood, co-owners of Wood Brothers Racing, in a joint statement. “Ryan is a third-generation racer and one of the best young drivers out there. He has been a winner in many different kinds of cars since he started racing at a very young age and we fully expect that to continue while he is with us.”
Blaney will continue to drive for Penske in the Nationwide Series, though an exact schedule has yet to be determined. His first race with the Wood Brothers will be the 2015 Daytona 500, with other starts coming at Las Vegas, Texas, Talladega, Charlotte, Michigan and Indianapolis, among others.
“To get a chance to race at the top level of NASCAR in such a historic car as the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion is a dream come true,” Blaney said. “I’m really looking forward to 2015.”
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