“Hopefully, we can get the win and not have to worry about it” Ryan Blaney on “realizing that you’re still points racing Martin Truex Jr.” for playoff
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Ryan Blaney
NASCAR cup series drivers will hit the track running in the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 22nd round of cup racing and with just 5 rounds of racing left in the regular season the race for a playoff spot will be on the next level as winless drivers and even the solo win drivers are feeling the heat for the remaining cup spot. At the same time, the battle to dethrone Chase Elliott from the top of the championship table continues with Ross Chastain being the front runner.
No:12 Team Penske Racing driver, Ryan Blaney, and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. are in a peculiar position this season as though they rank higher in the point table their winless run so far might come to bite them as only two spot remains for winless drivers to get into the playoff occupied by the duo. If a different cup winner arises this season one of them will surely be out of the race for a playoff if they remain winless.
Rayan Blenny who ranks P3 in the championship table is P15 in the playoff entry table and the probability of a new race winner emerging in the next five races is high prompting the driver to be concerned about his spot more. Bailey’s fight is not just for a win but also to keep his point gap to Truex Jr. if it comes to the spot where only one of them is going forward. Now Ryan Blenny has come forth to express his thoughts on this fight.
Find out what Ryan Blaney had to say about his fight with Martin Truex Jr.
Ryan Blaney acknowledged that his comfort level as Martin Truex Jr. is closing in the points is low as he made the advance following his impressive performance in the last few months, which he failed to emulate. He points out that with Martin closing in the easiest and hardest thing he needs to do to avoid this pressure is to get a win which he has been trying to do the whole season so far.
“That one is probably definitely out the window. He’s put together a really good past month-and-a-half and we haven’t. He’s kind of pulled away significantly from the whole field and then our race with Martin, I mean he’s closed the gap up pretty good. He’s been running pretty well, so it’s two-fold. I mean, the easiest but hardest thing to do is win, and I could stop talking about it, but we’ve been trying all year,” Ryan Blaney said.
Ryan Blaney went on to say that hopefully, he can get the win to keep the concern away as he is bugged by the thought of racing against the JGR man for points. He went on to say that with two more road course races to come it’s a balancing act for him between fighting for the win and staying in the bubble of hoping there won’t be any new winners this season.
“Hopefully, we can get it done and not have to worry about it, but you just have to be in the back of your head of realizing that you’re still points racing Martin – we are – for the final. You don’t want to be in the bubble if there are no new winners, and obviously, you want to try and win the race, so it’s a balancing act, especially the two road courses that we have,” Ryan Blaney added.
Ryan Blaney went on to add that his strategy in the races is situational and they are constantly in conversation with the team throughout the race week to decide upon what strategy will give him the advantage over the No:19 Camry after the chequered flag. He pointed out that at the end of the day its all about fighting hard for the whole important win.
“Do you pit? Do you take the stage points to try to keep a good gap to the 19, or if you think your car can win do you try to cycle to the lead? So, it’s kind of situational, I feel like. We talk about all these scenarios throughout the week and in our pre-race meetings, but at the end of the day the main focus is trying to win the race and just doing all you can to try and make that one happen,” Ryan Blaney explained.
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Justin P Joy
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