Ryan Blaney would love to improve his most recent finishing position at Martinsville by two spots. (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)
RIDGEWAY, Va. – If last year’s races at Martinsville Speedway mean anything for Ryan Blaney and his No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang team, it seems they are heading in the right direction.
Given the team’s winless spell nearly reaching two years, the Hartford Township, Ohio native would like nothing more than to earn his first grandfather clock in Sunday’s NOCO 400 (3 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Statistics fall into Blaney’s favor when it comes to racing at the 0.526-mile track. In this case, in his 10 Cup starts, Blaney has finished eighth of better on seven different occasions.
Last year, Blaney placed fourth and third at the Southwestern Virginia track, promising efforts that proved to be the highlight of an otherwise difficult season.
This time around, Blaney hopes to snap out of a three race skid in which he has placed 21st or worst. Slipping from seventh to 13th in the points standings, the 29-year-old points out to his team’s circumstances in this recent stretch.
“I looked at the non short tracks this year. At Fontana, I thought we were super fast and just had two bad pit stops and wrecked,” Blaney said. “(At) Vegas, we were decent, and ended up having a bad pit call at the end. I feel like we’ve been probably a little closer on short tracks than I’d say the bigger tracks as far as competitiveness. But I don’t feel that far off on the bigger stuff. I feel like we still have a little ways to go but I do think we’re not as far off as some of that stuff would show.”
Blaney hopes to make his way to Victory Lane while starting from the 31st position. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
Of course, Blaney would like nothing more than to join Joey Logano, his Team Penske teammate, in terms of securing another victory for Ford Performance. In a season dominated by Chevrolet, the Blue Ovals are ready to pounce for wins, especially at the paperclip.
Certainly, Blaney and his Team Penske organization thrive on teamwork. Although drafting and synchronized pit stop schedules are not prevalent with racing at Martinsville, doing a solid for a teammate certainly comes into play.
“(Teamwork) definitely (does) not (count) as much here like at Talladega next week,” he said. “But it still does kind of come into play. I feel like you know, like every other track, other than speedways, (with) teamwork, you try to work with everybody within your organization well.
“Maybe cut ’em a break here or there in the early stages of the race. So I don’t think is as much here but definitely get some of that and then some at Talladega next week.”
Teamwork also comes into play when it comes to the driver and spotter relationship. Recently, Blaney gained a bigger appreciation for this role as he served as Logano’s spotter during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Blaney returned to the winner’s circle by spotting for Joey Logano in last weekend’s Truck race at Bristol. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
“It’s really important. Me and Josh (Williams) have been working together for a long time and he’s someone you get comfortable with and you kind of know and trust,” he said. “And you know, the dirt race is one thing if Joey asked me to do Talladega for him, I’d say no, because I’m just not experienced enough for that stuff.
“So it’s really important. And luckily, he trusted me enough to kind of keep his race in my hands a little bit. I mean, he’s driving the car and he’s making the decisions, but I can just kind of give advice.”
Of course, Blaney would not be opposed to another opportunity with Logano in the future. Then again, he offered a bit of a cheeky response.
“Yea, I wouldn’t mind. I’d say we could do maybe one. I think it would be kind of cool. But my spotter days might be done,” he said with a smile.
Editor’s Notes
Jasmine Sharpe contributed to this feature directly on-site from Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.
