Ryan Blaney took a hit both literally and figuratively this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
After entering the race seeded second among the drivers in the Round of 8, Blaney tumbled all way to eighth in the standings — last among the remaining NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders.
So with one race down and two to go in this penultimate round, Blaney needs to make up some ground on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
But despite being in a less-than-ideal position to advance to the Championship 4, the Team Penske driver is not panicking. In fact, he sounds fairly optimistic.
How Did Ryan Blaney Take Such A Tumble In Las Vegas?
Just 70 laps into last Sunday’s 267-lap affair in Sin City, it all went south for Ryan Blaney when a tire failure ended his day.
He finished dead last in the 38-car field after smacking the outside wall with his No. 12 Ford.
Las Vegas goes wrong for Ryan Blaney … again. pic.twitter.com/2NE4JWkv7I
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 13, 2025
Although extremely sullen when interviewed minutes after the wreck, Blaney seemed far more upbeat on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway.
“I try to tell myself that you can be upset about something,” Blaney said. “And I allow myself to be upset about it until I wake up on Monday morning. But after that, you do whatever you have to do. When the new week comes and you open your eyes, you just gotta be fully focused on the next week. And I think all of the guys on our team do a good job of that.
“That just comes with time and experience and getting older. And if it’s something like the Vegas thing, I just gotta (get) past it. Otherwise, it just takes your mentality off what’s next.”
What’s next for Blaney is Sunday’s race at Talladega, where he’ll roll off from the eighth starting position.
“I’m just thinking about what I have to do now, and figuring out what I have to do to get myself out of this hole or position,” Blaney said.
Ryan Blaney Doesn’t Think He’s In A Must-Win Situation
Although reaching the Championship 4 will require Ryan Blaney to win one of the next two races or leapfrog four of the drivers ahead of him in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, the 2023 series champion doesn’t feel an overwhelming sense of urgency.
At least not yet.
That’s in part because history has proven that the points situation can get turned upside down at Talladega, a 2.66-mile high-banked track known for major multi-car wrecks that knock out contenders at will.
“I don’t think going into this weekend that I’m in must-win right now,” Blaney said. “Some things can happen during this race, and I can have a big day short of winning, and it can flip.
“I went to Vegas six points above (the Championship 4 cutline), and now I’m 31 back. And I can make a lot of that up. It just depends on how the race goes.”
Even with the unpredictable nature of Talladega, Blaney carries a certain amount of confidence into Sunday. He’s recorded five of his 16 career Cup Series wins at either Talladega or Daytona — the Cup Series’ only other true superspeedway.
In fact, Blaney prevailed at Daytona in August when the Cup Series last convened at the 2.5-mile track. So, he should have plenty of speed on Sunday at Talladega, where he’s triumphed three times.
“This place has been good to me,” Blaney said. “And it has been bad to me. That’s what these drafting-style tracks are gonna do to you. But I’m gonna enjoy this type of racing. I’ve never understood the guys who go to a place and they hate it.
“I’m just gonna go enjoy it and try our best.”
