Ryan Blaney Explains Reason for Refusal to Change No:12 Crew Despite Massive Mistakes in 2026

Team Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney has shared his thoughts on the difficult season his No:12 Mustang crew is having in the pit-stop.

Ryan Blaney Explains Reason for Refusal to Change No:12 Crew Despite Massive Mistakes in 2026

Ryan Blaney (Via IMAGO)

The 2026 season so far has witnessed a dominant consistent run from Tyler Reddick, earning him four wins out the possible seven. Team Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney has been the only driver that has shown elite consistency this year, earning him P2 in the championship table. Unfortunately, he has secured just one win this season and his crew deserves significant blame for it.

The No:12 Ford Mustang crew has been making multiple costly mistakes this season, with loser tires being their biggest weakness. Despite the struggles of the crew, the 2023 champion has decided not to make changes. In his recent interview, the veteran explained that the call was made because Penske believes the crew is capable of becoming the best in the garage with some refining.

We didn’t want to make any changes. We wanted those guys to keep working on it and keep doing what you’re doing and just try to refine it because I think they have the potential to be one of the best crews on pit road. It’s just a matter of refining everything they’re doing and straightening some things out.

Ryan Blaney said via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Further talking about the point, Ryan Blaney added that he is proud of his crew despite the disappointment and highlighted that after a clean race at Martinsville, they also have the momentum on their side. He wants the crew to keep their heads down and work hard in the off-season to get into the elite group they are capable of being on.

I’m proud of the effort they made. It was a great weekend for them to have going into the off week to really let’s use this momentum and continue to work through the off week and let’s go put together some good runs. So, proud of them for keeping their head down and working through it together.

Ryan Blaney added.

Ryan Blaney explains why his team was making mistakes on the pits

In the same conversation earlier, Ryan Blaney pointed out that making mistakes is part of racing for both the drivers and crew. Everyone is on the edge, working hard to find that one second advantage and in those tough moments, mistakes happen.

Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney (Via @Blaney/X0

That stuff is so tricky because you want to be fast, so you’re pushing it all the time, those guys are. When you’re on the edge like this, just like racing, sometimes you make mistakes in trying to be the fastest. I could go out there and a run a half a second off the pace and never make a mistake all day. But if I’m trying to push it to the edge and the limit, then I might make a mistake and hit the fence or something.

Ryan Blaney said.

Further talking about the point, the veteran pointed out his crew is always on the brink of perfection and no one is consistently capable of being on the that event for a long-period, so mistakes happen. Hence, he is also proud of them, regardless of the mistakes.

Same thing with those guys, right? They could slow down half a second, but now you’re losing a second on pit road, so they’re working on the brink of perfection. They might make a mistake every now and then, but I was proud of them for understanding, ‘Hey, we have to get better here and just continue to work.’

Ryan Blaney added.

The comments from the veteran racer are on point and shows how belief in each other during tough moments build championship teams. It would be interesting to see how everything is to playout for the star driver in the coming days.

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