Ryan Blaney enjoyed his NASCAR All-Star Race experience at North Wilkesboro. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – All things considered, Ryan Blaney and his No. 12 Wrangler/Menards Ford Mustang brigade managed to find themselves in the fight in Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race.
After struggling with the 26th fastest time in Friday’s practice, Blaney, the defending NASCAR All-Star Race winner, mustered a sixth place result in Saturday night’s Heat Race No. 1. Moreover, it seemed like the 29-year-old Hartford Township, Ohio native gained confidence around the 0.625-mile North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Starting from the 11th position, Blaney seemed to bide his time, hovering around the top 10 running order for a balance of the 200-lap race. While there were plenty of comers and goers, the Team Penske racer was steady and smooth as one of the strongest Ford racers at the beloved short track.
As the race wound down to its final moments, the methodical driver drove his way up inside the top six, an impressive feat given the raw, quick pace of Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott.
Perhaps to the surprise of the 24-car field, there were no cautions inside the final 90 laps of the race. With the 39th edition of the NASCAR All-Star Race going clean and green, this did not provide any opportunities for a pit stop to adjust on the cars, much less, opt for the single set of fresh tires.
Still, for a driver and team who have not won a points race since the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, albeit in NASCAR’s annual exhibition spring race, the No. 12 collective were consistent and methodical, doing as much as possible without pushing the envelope.
Blaney felt like his car was improving in terms of pace in the final 90 laps of the NASCAR All-Star Race. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
By race’s end, Blaney tallied a sixth place result, a respectable outcome after working on the speed and handling of the No. 12 car on Friday afternoon. Likewise, he enjoyed taking to the charter short track.
“I had a fun night. Sixth was probably the highest we got to and where we finished, and I thought we could run fifth,” Blaney said. “Overall, it wasn’t a bad night. We didn’t have winning speed, but it was a fun night, for sure. It was just a case of how disciplined you wanted to be.”
Although Darlington’s throwback weekend has come and gone, Blaney felt like last Sunday night’s race was a trip down memory lane in his career and experience competing at the classic North Carolina asphalt arena.
“The whole last run going green was super cool,” he said. “It was big tire management because you never really know how many laps you’re gonna run. I kind of had it in my mind right away like, ‘Alright, we might go the whole way, so let’s kind of plan on that,’ and it happened.
“It was a pretty fun night trying to conserve tires. It reminded me of my late model days.”
