Ryan Blaney Facing 'Must Win' Odds at Bristol to Advance in NASCAR Playoffs
For the second week in a row, Ryan Blaney let the frustration wash over him for about 20 minutes, and he moved on to the task at hand.
The task this Saturday in the Bristol Night Race is an arduous one: He likely needs to win or face a surprise elimination in the first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
The second-generation NASCAR driver entered the playoffs as a dark horse championship contender. He has only won once, in June at Talladega, but has been extremely unlucky with several other races he was poised to win.
The speed was always there, but the proverbial wheels fell off before the first playoff race even began.
Blaney was penalized 10 points and forced to start at the rear of the field for a bag of weight found in his car prior to the Southern 500. He finished 24th. He finished 19th on Saturday at Richmond due to a lack of speed, lack of track position and a costly pit road error when his team called him down pit road twice to tighten lug nuts.
The turn of events leaves the Team Penske No. 12 last on the playoff grid and 27 points out of a transfer spot. While it’s possible for Blaney to advance on points under the right circumstances, the 26-year-old knows winning is the clearest pathway.
"We are just going to go racing," Blaney said. "That is the biggest thing. ... I was frustrated for 20 minutes right after Darlington and 20 minutes right after Richmond but after those 20 minutes you have to put it in the past and talk about what we could have done to improve, but we have to focus on the next race.
"There is no dwelling on the past, especially in these playoff races. You have to focus on the next one, especially when you have a bad day. I am excited to get going. I love going to Bristol and I am excited to just be able to race and have a shot at it and go try to do our best."
Blaney finished fourth last April at Bristol and has two other top-10s at Thunder Valley dating back to 2017. He will start 14th and says he will do whatever he needs to do if he’s got race winning speed throughout the race.
"I would love to say it is another race weekend, but it is our season, pretty much," Blaney said. "You have to treat it like a race weekend like every other time and go out there and try to win the race, but I caution those in front of me that I am not going to be behind them for very long if we are faster than them.
"I feel like that is what everyone has to realize and that is just the position we are in."
Blaney doesn't feel extra pressure nor does this weekend at Bristol make him feel extra motivated.
"I feel like if all of a sudden for one race you are extra determined, then why aren’t you that way the whole season? Everyone is always motivated and determined to win races," Blaney said.
The difference being that Blaney has also had the speed to challenge for wins.
"We are not a 16th place in points team," Blaney said. "We showed it all year. We have had speed, it is just a matter of closing it out. We are way better than that and hopefully we can show it this weekend."
For Blaney to advance without a win, he's going to need some help. The first two stages pay up to 10 points, descending to one, throughout the top-10. If he can run inside the top-10 throughout the first half, combined with early struggles from the likes of Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola or Clint Bowyer, there could be another way in.
1. Kevin Harvick (Advanced)
2. Brad Keselowski (Advanced)
3. Denny Hamlin (Advanced)
4. Joey Logano +51
5. Martin Truex +38
6. Austin Dillon +36
7. Chase Elliott +28
8. Alex Bowman +27
9. Kyle Busch +18
10. Aric Almirola +7
11. Kurt Busch +7
12. Clint Bowyer +3
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13. William Byron -3
14. Cole Custer -8
15. Matt DiBenedetto -25
16. Ryan Blaney -27
"It is not an absolute must-win situation," Blaney said. "It isn’t like we are 40 points out. I think you can run top-three in a couple of stages. It depends obviously on where the other drivers are in those stages and how they are running. If you can run top-three at the finish of the race you might have a shot depending on where everyone else is at and how many stage points they get and where they finish.
"I hate when people ask me about pressure. I am going to be honest with you. I hate hearing it because I don't really think of it ever. We are all under pressure constantly. I don’t really feel added pressure. It is an opportunity to go out there and perform and show yourself and your group that you belong here and belong to move on to the next round. I always see the opportunity here and proving how strong of a group this is. A little adversity never hurt anybody."
