There was a lot of excitement and anticipation regarding the new Ford Mustangs and Toyota Camry ahead of the Cup Series season. With the new designs, both manufacturers were confident about their upgrades. In theory, they were expected to start the season on a high. This disparity and lack of performance have led Ryan Blaney to question the new Ford Mustang’s ability going into the race at Phoenix.

It’s not that the new Dark Horse has not shown improvement. They are the quickest in terms of qualification, as all three races saw Mustangs take up the pole position. However, with the first short-track package race closing in, the reigning Cup Series champion has now shared his concerns about the new Ford’s capabilities.

Ryan Blaney wants to have a more competitive car to race against his opposition at Phoenix

The #12 Penske driver is currently holding the second spot in the driver’s standings, just behind Kyle Larson. The opener at Daytona International Speedway was not his best start to the season, finishing in the 30th spot. Bouncing back in form, he narrowly lost out on his first win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finishing second. But he could not get close to Larson in Vegas last weekend, and could only manage a P3 finish.

Given the significant gap between the Chevrolet and Ford in Vegas, Blaney recently shared his thoughts on the new Ford vehicle in a recent interview. “In the fall race in Vegas, there was like one or two runs in the race, I was like, I think I have a car that can win if we kind of just get up there. So I think we just got some work to do with our new car, and hopefully we can fine-tune it to where it needs to be.

“I obviously would have liked to be a little more competitive last week as far as racing for the lead, but not many guys raced the 5 for the lead, so hopefully as we get running this car, this week will be a big test… It’s really early to tell; you’ll get a really good idea here in the next month or so of where we stand if you’re in trouble or you’re not.”

However, going into the Phoenix race, Blaney might still have the chance to clinch his first win of the season.

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Phoenix Raceway has been a strong suit for Blaney in recent years

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The racetrack holds fond memories for the Penske driver as he secured his maiden NASCAR Cup Series championship last season. Interestingly in the last three seasons at Phoenix, Blaney has finished five times in the top-five standings. Well aware of his strong runs at the racetrack, Blaney, while speaking to Bob Pockrass in an interview, said, “Yeah. It’s a place that’s been really good to us, our whole [Penske] group, really, for a long time, and especially the last two or three years. I’ve had a few seconds there in a row, so hopefully we can figure out how to get one spot better.”

There is no doubting Blaney’s ability to churn out the results in the main events. However, if he is eyeing a win at Phoenix, he would still need to step up his qualifying game and get a better starting position.