Ryan Blaney sees Phoenix as 'must-win' scenario to stay in championship contention
Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor
Avondale, AZ- With four races left in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Chase, the conversation has centered on Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, the current top three in the championship. For defending Phoenix winner Ryan Blaney, a dominant day around the short oval on Sunday could turn his postseason around.
“We ran second when we won the championship in 23, but you treat it as like a must-win,” Blaney said. “So I feel like I've been in some of those situations before. I look at Martinsville in 24. That was a must-win for us to get here, and I thought we faced that challenge head-on and did a very good job. So we've been in these spots before.”
Blaney and his No.12 Team Penske team see Phoenix as a “must-win" situation above all, even with three straight Top-5 finishes. Yet his testament rings true when you evaluate Larson’s historic postseason run through the first six races of the Chase.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver has averaged a finish of 2.83 through six races, highlighted by wins at WWT Raceway and Kansas Speedway. The low point was a sixth-place finish last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“I'm treating it as if they're not going to make a mistake, and we have to go win races to catch them,” Blaney said. “It could go either way.”
Since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022, Blaney has only one finish worse than fifth at Phoenix, and that was due to a blown engine in the track’s spring race last year. Aside from the hiccup, it's been smooth sailing with two straight wins since the incident.
He looks to be the first driver in the Next Gen era to sweep a track with multiple races in the same season if he can win on Sunday.
“I think it's better when people are chasing you and kind of watching your car through practice of what your car does really well,” Blaney said. “That's flattering.”
Blaney isn’t feeling the pressure given his recent string of good finishes at Phoenix. He looks at it as a compliment that everyone is chasing him at Phoenix.
“I don't feel any more pressure with what you described,” Blaney said. “People are trying to chase you, you know. So it means you're doing something well.”
He backed that confidence on the racetrack. He timed fastest in practice with a 26.969s and qualified on pole with a 26.250s time ahead of the Freeway Insurance 500. Fans can watch Blaney's postseason push on USA Today at 12:00 pm EST on Sunday.
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