Ryan Blaney was close to winning and securing a spot in NASCAR’s title race last week when Tyler Reddick unexpectedly overtook him in the final turn, taking the victory. Reddick will now compete for his first Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.
For Blaney, he needs to either win this Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia or hope for a miracle to have a chance at defending his NASCAR championship. He admits that the loss affected his sleep, especially in the hours following the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“I rewatched it when I got home Sunday night,” Blaney said. “I rewatched the whole race and rewatched the end of it and lost some sleep over the end of that race.”
Watching the replay showed him that he made the wrong move trying to fend off Reddick and Denny Hamlin, and he has been second-guessing himself since then.
“When I watch a football game, I’m like, ‘Why didn’t he just do that?’” Blaney said. “But when you’re the one in that moment, it’s much harder. You’re making decisions in real-time without time to think through all the options. Everything is happening so fast.”
Blaney acknowledged that nobody can always make the right call in sports, and the challenge lies in making the best decisions as often as possible.
The loss placed Blaney sixth in the playoff standings, with six drivers competing for the last two spots in the championship race. Joey Logano and Reddick secured the first two spots with their wins in this playoff round. Blaney is currently 38 points below the cutoff line.
However, there is still a chance for Blaney. If he can make it to the championship, he would join his teammate Logano, giving Ford drivers a 50% chance of winning. Chase Elliott was below the cutline in Martinsville in 2020 but went on to win the race and the championship. Christopher Bell also did the same.
Blaney is the defending winner at Martinsville, using the momentum from that victory to clinch his first NASCAR championship.
“I feel like the mental side is the toughest thing about our sport,” Blaney said. “It’s about staying focused and adjusting week by week, in the moment, and looking ahead. I try not to dwell on the past too much; you just learn from it and move on.”
