The pit crew plays an important part in a driver’s race, and subsequently, the entire season. But if the precision of the pit crews falters at any point, it can surely jeopardize the entire outing, something Ryan Blaney almost saw at Phoenix last Sunday. Highlighting it recently, a NASCAR insider dropped a wake-up call for the teams.

In a March 12 conversation on the Inside The Race podcast, Skip Flores, who formerly worked on the Team Penske pit crew, shed light on how pit crews play a crucial role for a driver. Comparing the importance of their job with the NFL, Flores said:

“I don’t even think we’re the kickers. I think we’re the placeholder. It’s really hard to win a race on Pit Road, but there are infinite amounts of ways to lose it there. I think the mentality on Pit Road has to shift from chasing the fastest stop to being reliable.”

Following this, Flores, who previously worked with Blaney in the #12 driver’s race-winning campaign back in 2023, shared his thoughts on the upset Ryan Blaney almost suffered at Phoenix last Sunday.

“The 12 team, they’re going to have to eat what happened this weekend, go back to the shop. You can’t hide from it. But they’re not going to be able to get it all back in one week. They have to start getting darts on the board. They can’t try to hit the bullseye. You got to get it on the board first,” he added.

Notably, Ryan Blaney faced back-to-back issues on pit road, including a penalty for pitting outside his box, on a Sunday during the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. In Stage 2, Blaney had to come to pit road to address a loose left-side tire.

Blaney joined the race and battled his way to ninth before disaster struck again. He had to go to pit road once again during a caution and stop at his teammate, Joey Logano’s pit box, to tighten another loose wheel.

This relegated him to the back of the pack once again. An angry Ryan Blaney hit out at his team, as he sent a fiery statement on team radio, criticizing Team Penske’s #12 team. Ultimately, Blaney won the race after taking the lead with 10 laps remaining, holding off Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson for the victory, and praising his team despite the slip-up.

Ryan Blaney hailed Team Penske after Phoenix win

Battling two pit road issues, Ryan Blaney picked up his first win of the season, which cemented Team Penske’s success story, once again.

“It’s cool to win, especially after a day like that,” Blaney said after winning the race. “Can’t say enough about the #12 guys for keeping their head down and doing what they do, and Jonathan again for making a good call at the end.”

Blaney came to Phoenix with a stellar reputation at this track. He won the season-ending race at Phoenix last year, and together with Joey Logano, Team Penske claimed six wins at this track since the early 2020s.

Having started from fifth place, the #12 driver was in contention for a win throughout the race. In the end, Blaney won the race and snapped Tyler Reddick’s streak of race wins coming into 2026.