“A lot of things go into it. I can’t do it by myself… I didn’t just turn left and pass everybody by myself.” Ryan Blaney put up a thrilling late-race dash to the victory on Saturday night. He rocketed forward from 12th in the running order with three laps left in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, overtaking Daniel Suárez to stamp his season’s second victory. Although this marked a grand end to the regular season, Blaney has a rocky path ahead in the postseason – and he needs his team for that.

In late 2024, Joey Logano surged from 17th in points to winning his third Cup Series title. It also marked Team Penske’s third consecutive championship, as Ryan Blaney had won earlier (2023) and Logano (2022). Now it is Blaney’s turn to win again – so he analyzes the threats ahead.

Ryan Blaney reveals the thorns in his path

Last weekend’s win landed Ryan Blaney nine playoff points – five for winning, and four for his late-race showdown. However, it was more than just a point haul – Blaney got over a superspeedway jinx. In the past 6 races at drafting tracks, he had taken some wicked hits while finishing 37th or worse three times.

Blaney wrecked out in three straight races in Daytona before finishing both in 2025. What is more, crashes plagued Blaney’s last two races in Talladega, where he has won three times. The No. 12 Ford team has historically also struggled with its road course program in the past, as Blaney’s crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, admitted recently.

Hence, Ryan Blaney knows what challenges he faces during the tightly competitive 10-race playoffs. He divulged the same to Kevin Harvick recently: “The only tracks I’d be worried about are if you get to Talladega in the Round of 8…You never know what can happen at the Roval…You can go and have a bad weekend anywhere you go.” Yet, his Daytona win offers a glimmer of hope. So does his run in Sonoma this year, where Blaney won a pole and contended for the win.

Blaney continued, “I think all the tracks you really do well at are road course programs…from Sonoma and the Glen, hopefully we can learn some stuff for the Roval.”

On the reverse side, Ryan Blaney is also aware of his strengths. In the 2024 Gateway race, he was leading the race when his fuel tank sputtered and gave out, and his teammate, Austin Cindric, clinched the victory. Similarly, Blaney also led for 83 laps in 2023 and finished 6th. Hence, he has his hopes on World Wide Technology Gateway, which entered the playoffs for the first time this year. “I look forward to the tracks in the playoffs… I’ve always been good at Gateway. I hope that continues.” 

Most of all, Ryan Blaney is confident in Team Penske’s robust planning. Seeking a fourth consecutive title is not too crazy, as he said, “I think the Penske group they just understand that it’s a constant group to be better, trying to figure out ways to always improve. It all comes down to people. If you don’t find people that can dig down deep, find new things, and not be complacent, that’s what it’s about.”

Ryan Blaney is therefore wholly optimistic about his championship chances. In his path to the title, however, he set off ripples of worry in his family.

Anxiously watching every turn

Before Ryan Blaney fetched fame in NASCAR, his father was a motorsports legend. Dave Blaney won 95 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series features throughout his career. He is also one of just 11 drivers who have won a WoO championship in the series’ 46-year history. Considering the high-speed, unregulated nature of sprint racing, Dave has experienced far more dangerous situations.

Nevertheless, he was left supremely worried during last weekend’s Daytona race, where his son was competing. He and his wife, Lisa, made a reluctant trip to Florida’s Surf Coast to watch the Coke Zero Sugar 400. And both parents were handsomely rewarded as they saw Ryan fetch his fifth superspeedway win.

But considering Ryan Blaney’s history of wrecks on drafting tracks, both Dave and Lisa were left worried. The Team Penske driver finished second in regular-season points despite having 7 DNFs this season. Although it is a remarkable feat, it also showed how prone he is to crashing out.

Hence, both of Blaney’s parents were scared, as Ryan said, “Dad hates [watching] speedway racing. Absolutely despises it. My mom is a nervous wreck the whole time. I’m like: Just stay home. They just pace and pace and pace. But it’s fortunate that we were able to pull one out, so it was good to see him in Victory Lane.”

Overcoming the crash-riddled hurdles along the way, Ryan Blaney can potentially fulfill his title ambitions. Let us see how the Team Penske driver performs in the playoffs.