Why Ryan Blaney Isn’t Panicking Ahead of Talladega

Ryan Blaney is no stranger to entering the final two races in the Round of 8 more than 30 points below the cutline, but surprisingly, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion doesn’t believe he has reached the must-win situation if he is to reach the Championship 4.

That’s because this year the second race in the Round of 8 is Talladega Superspeedway, the 2.66-mile track where unpredictability reigns supreme.

“Talladega, you never know what can happen,” Blaney says. “You could go have a massive points day, be short of the win but maybe a couple of other guys don’t have as good a points day, and you go into Martinsville maybe in a spot where you could maybe point your way in if you have another good day short of winning.”

Last year, Blaney entered the second race in the Round of 8 at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway 37 points below the cutline. This year, the Team Penske driver is 31 points below the cutline entering the Talladega event.

Prior to this year, Talladega was in the Round of 12, but the superspeedway replaced Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Round of 8 this season after the Southern Florida track was relocated to March on the 2025 schedule.

Blaney admitted that moving Talladega’s location in the playoffs didn’t bother him.

“Honestly, in my mind I was like, OK, well, I only have to worry about seven other guys as opposed to 11,” Blaney said. “It’s just less guys to keep your eye on, have to worry about winning or racing for points. It really didn’t change my outlook.”

Blaney believes having a superspeedway race in the playoffs is a necessity because it’s important to have every style of track that is in the regular season comprise the post-season schedule. One of Blaney’s three victories this season has been at a superspeedway—Daytona—but he crashed in Talladega’s spring race, which was one of eight DNFs this year.

“It’s definitely been a challenging year from that side of it,” Blaney said about the eight races he failed to finish, the most of any driver in the Round of 8.

However, the 31-year-old Blaney cites his age as playing a role in how much easier it has been for him to cope with the issues his team has faced this season.

“I think some of it comes naturally, just natural growth, but other is just like having these conversations with … myself years ago, of, hey, I want to change this up about me,” Blaney says. “Early in my career, I would stew on things a little bit longer, and now I try to just drop things and move on from them. That’s the healthiest way that I’ve been able to kind of deal with it.”