With just three weeks into the season, Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet look like a match made in heaven. As the series moved to Sin City, to mark the initiation of racing on intermediate tracks, the bread and butter of NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports speedster Kyle Larson unleashed his racing prowess. After promising qualifiers and starting the race on the front row, Larson did not leave room for regret as he surged to seize the victory. Meanwhile, Ford’s Ryan Blaney was left to contemplate their dismal performance in the race.

Although his teammate Joey Logano had earned the pole position for Sunday’s race, the #22 Ford driver failed to capitalize on his conducive position. Facing a major heartbreak, Ryan Blaney did not shy away from bashing out at the newly unveiled Dark Horse Ford Mustang.

Ryan Blaney reiterates the need for more work on their machines

The consensus after Sunday’s race in Las Vegas was that the track holds a pivotal position for both Kyle Larson and his team Hendrick Motorsports. The Yung Money secured a second consecutive victory on the 1.5-mile track to reinforce the undefeated stature of Chevrolet on the track. The #5 Chevrolet driver fended off Tyler Reddick after a cat-and-mouse chase to mark his 24th victory in the Cup Series race. 

Amidst this clinical performance by both Chevrolet and Toyota, it was the Blue Oval who was left scrambling on the track. Although the 2x Cup Series champion Joey Logano secured the pole position, he succumbed to Larson and settled for the ninth position in the race. However, it was Ryan Blaney who tried to alter the fate of Ford after finishing third in the race. Commenting on the outcome of the race, Blaney sighed, “I don’t know. Chevys are still so fast, Toyotas are so fast and Fords had a good showing today too. We just got a little bit of work to do.”

Read More: 2024 Pennzoil 400: Kyle Larson Reigns Over Victory Lane as Kyle Busch Fumbles the Bag at Las Vegas Home Track

Speaking on his third-place finish, the Team Penske driver also stated, “It was good. Proud of the effort of getting better all day, so that part was good. That’s all you can ask for is try to get better, so hopefully, it’s a good learning for the next mile and a half and next couple of weeks.”

However, Blaney did not seem content with the rebranded version of Ford Mustang, which was evident from his post-race interview. He exclaimed, “Lot of the same traits I feel like as the old car. We will have to kind of get back and rethink about everything. Maybe a couple of things are a little better but got to think about that.” These results come just months after Ford unveiled its new look for the 2024 season with promises of better handling. 

While Ryan Blaney seemed not so satisfied even with a P3 finish, there was Noah Gragson, who showed a lot more satisfaction with his performance.

Tony Stewart’s rising hope shares his elation after a favorable finish in front of his home crowd

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While the defending champion seemed to be dissatisfied with the performance of the Blue Oval, on the contrary, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Noah Gragson seemed to be over the moon with the final outcome of the race and the performance of the Dark Mustang. After his deplorable rookie season in the 2023 Cup Series, Gragson is finally ready to unravel his racing prowess.

It was evident from his runs at the Daytona 500 and at Las Vegas. On Sunday’s race at the 1.5-mile intermediate track, the SHR driver notched a top-ten finish. Commenting on his best finish so far in the season, Gragson complimented the new Ford Mustang. He stated, “These guys are good. It feels good to do it in front of the hometown crowd […] Coming from 30th to sixth I am just really proud of everyone’s effort.”

Speaking on the new Ford car, Gragson added, “This compared to last year just has a lot more speed. You can go where you want. We have got a good pit-crew and just a good team.”

Also Read: Following the Highest Finish in 2 Years, Noah Gragson’s Crew Chief Urges Drivers to “Unload” and Improve in 2024

While two Ford drivers seem to portray two contrasting pictures, it will be interesting to see what awaits them in Phoenix, especially for Ryan Blaney, the defending champion on the track.