Ryan Blaney has been one of the few racers to tally top 10s in all of the superspeedway races this year. (Photo: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – While Ryan Blaney has been enjoying a good but quiet season, he enters Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in a better place than last year.
At this time in 2022, Blaney was caught up in an early backstretch crash that heavily damaged his No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang. With wounds to the front end of his car, it seemed like the Hartford Township, Ohio native would resort to best in class for the final 10 races.
However, his Team Penske crew consistently worked on repairs to the battered chariot, taping the damaged car to keep it altogether. Unlike “The Old Man” from A Christmas Story with the leg lamp, all the pieces of the wrecked Ford stayed together as he finished 15th.
That result was good enough to make it to the Playoffs, besting Martin Truex Jr. and his No. 19 team. Then again, both drivers wound up seeing the big goose egg with their win columns once 2022 was in the books.
This year, Blaney has a Coca-Cola 600 victory at Charlotte, a pivotal triumph that secured his postseason spot. Better yet, he has been fast and consistent at the superspeedways with an eighth in the Daytona 500, seventh at Atlanta, runner-up at Talladega and ninth at Atlanta last month.
Starting eighth for Saturday night’s 160-lap regular season finale, Blaney does not have to conserve or scoreboard watch. All he has to do is what any driver wants to do – pursue the victory.
If there is one to expect from the 29-year-old racer at Daytona, he does not plan to be near the caboose of the 39-car train.
“I don’t feel like the ride around in the back works very well anymore at Daytona,” Blaney said in a Ford Performance press release. “You just need to go race, establish yourself and be smart at the same time – not throw wild moves on Lap 30 of the thing.
“You have to prepare for the end. At the same time, you have to compete and go racing. You have to show guys that your car is strong. That’s how you have help at the end of those things.”
Certainly, Blaney knows what it takes to be in position to contend toward the finish as he illustrated in 2021 at Daytona. Scoring a popular victory in that year’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, he showcased patience, poise and tactful tenacity when it mattered while running toward the front all evening long.
Blaney pursues his second win of the season before the postseason’s start next Sunday night at Darlington. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)
A victory in Saturday night’s race would likely gain two or three positions when the points are reset for the Round of 16 Playoffs. That matters because it offers some wiggle room, a margin for error if anything happens at Darlington, Kansas and Bristol.
Throughout Blaney’s career at Daytona, he has been more of a steady, consistent frontrunner as illustrated in his past seven starts. Finishes of sixth, 30th, first, fourth, 15th and eighth highlight how The Buckeye State native has been calculative and cunning in these high speed games of chance.
Daytona may not decide the overall season championship but it can provide confidence and momentum once the postseason kicks off. In his second full-time season working with crew chief Jonathan Hassler, the pair are starting to hit their stride with that Team Penske trademark poise and tenacity prevalent in their motorsports efforts.
As a bit of a sampling of what to expect in October’s Talladega race, Blaney considers his recent successes and keys to contending toward the finish at a superspeedway. In his case, it is about being the best player at the poker table even if the other challengers seem to leap ahead in the early going.
“If you’re racing all day, you show that you’re fast and have speed, and you can take and give pushes, guys pay attention to that,” he said. “Then they’re like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go with you if you make a move at the end of this race.’
“It’s because you’ve shown the speed in your car. That’s how I’ve approached these races – be smart, but at the same time, you have to actually race.”
