Is this the year Ryan Blaney steps out of Logano's, Keselowski's shadows?
Sunday's win at Atlanta was impressive in how Blaney not only earned the checkered flag, but also the smart strategy en route
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for NASCAR
By Michael Eubanks
Kyle Larson stole the show in Atlanta, but it was Ryan Blaney who stole the checkered flag.
Larson dominated Sunday’s Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, leading 269 of the race’s 334 laps and winning its first two stages. However, Larson’s pace begun to slow in the final 15 laps, allowing for Blaney - who also had a fast car and stalked Larson all day - to catch up and pass him for the lead with eight laps remaining.
Blaney’s victory was his fifth in Cup Series competition, and he became the sixth different driver to win in the six Cup races held so far this season. With 20 races left before the NASCAR Cup playoffs begin, six of the 16 playoff spots are now already spoken for.
“We had a great long-run car all day,” Blaney told Fox Sports following the race. “It took us a little bit to get going. I was pretty free all day. We made a really good change to tighten me up where I needed it, and it looked like Kyle was getting loose.
“I’m happy it worked in our favor that there were a couple long runs at the end that let us get there and that he got stood up behind some lapped traffic.”
By winning at Atlanta Sunday, Blaney has now won a Cup race in each of the last five seasons. But he has yet to win more than once in a season. Winning one race a season may be satisfying for some drivers and teams, but Blaney drives for Team Penske - one of the best organizations in the business.
The 27-year-old native of High Point, N.C. already has established himself as one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers. His good looks, humble personality and approachability have made him a fan favorite. It could be argued that he’s the most popular driver within Penske’s NASCAR squad.
Now it’s time for Blaney to become Penske’s most dominant driver. His teammates, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, are both past Cup Series champions and have won multiple races each season for the last several years.
Blaney has proven he has what it takes to win multiple races a year before. Over the last few years, there have been multiple races where he’s led a lot of laps and had been in a position to win only to come up short.
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for NASCAR
However, Blaney’s crew chief Todd Gordon — Logano’s former crew chief from 2013 through 2019 — has a lot of confidence in his young driver, and believes that the No. 12 team will continue to win more races as the duo continues to work together.
“This is just the growth of a relationship (and) confidence building amongst each,” Gordon said. “It’s great to be in a position where you’re chasing them down as the hunter, not the huntee. I’ve watched Ryan grow in the last 14 months. He’s had tons of speed. He continues to do things.
“We’re understanding what we need to do as a race team to give him better stuff at the end of the race. There’s been places we’ve gone the other way. That’s all part of the learning curve.”
If Blaney continues to follow the learning curve, chances are he’ll win yet again this season — and potentially several more times. Four to six wins this season is not unrealistic.
“It’s nice to win a race every year, but you don’t want to just win one race,” Blaney said. “Honestly, it’s nice to get a win early in the season now. That’s something that has kind of eluded us. We got the win at Talladega last year, but it was mid-season.
“Getting one early is great. We had the potential to do it last year. Like Todd said, we’re just learning each other. Just really proud of the effort. I look forward to the rest of the season here.”