06/20/2016
Wallace Wheels Ford EcoBoost Mustang to Ninth-Place Finish
NEWTON, IA. (June 19, 2016) – Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Mustang, rode in the top ten all day en route to a ninth-place finish at Iowa Speedway.
“We had a solid finish from our Ford EcoBoost Mustang,” said Wallace. “Our guys worked hard on the car all day, but we just couldn’t find enough turn to get to the front. We’re still happy with a top-10 finish, and we’ll keep working hard to get better in two weeks.”
Wallace took the green flag from the 12th position and immediately began to move forward through the field. By Lap 6, he had already advanced to the seventh position, which he held through the competition caution at Lap 40. The No. 6 team decided to take four fresh tires and made adjustments to give Wallace more rear grip. The adjustments worked, as Wallace immediately advanced two positions and held onto the fifth spot until a second caution at Lap 96.
Crew Chief Seth Barbour again called for four fresh tires and adjustments to the Mustang, but Wallace fell back on the Lap 103 restart and settled into the tenth position. A third caution at Lap 124 gave Barbour a chance to make a strategy call, and he left Wallace out while the leaders pitted to gain track position. Wallace restarted on Lap 130 as the race leader, but fresher tires prevailed and he fell back to the tenth position.
The fourth caution of the day flew on lap 133, and Barbour again elected to leave Wallace out. The strategy was successful, as the Ford EcoBoost Mustang picked up three positions, maintaining the seventh spot until another caution at lap 192. This time, Wallace brought his Mustang to pit road for four fresh tires and an air pressure adjustment. Quick work by his crew allowed him to restart in the fifth position on Lap 199.
With 50 laps remaining in the event, Wallace battled for position on the restart, but ultimately slid back to the seventh spot. Another restart on Lap 217 brought four new tires, but with the rest of the field also taking four Goodyears the advantage was negligible. Wallace would ultimately settle into the ninth position, where he would finish the race.
