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”I want to scare every other team” Ryan Blaney has proven he can climb the mountain, changing his perspective by coming back to the playoffs one year later.

2 months ago

”I want to scare every other team” Ryan Blaney has proven he can climb the mountain, changing his perspective by coming back to the playoffs one year later.

Ryan Blaney brings the confidence of a NASCAR Cup Series  champion to this  year’s playoffs.The Team Penske driver  has won a title in 2023 as the No.  12, which suits the No. 12  Ford driver well, but there are fewer questions about  his and his  team’s abilities heading into the 2024  playoffs, which begin Sunday at Atlanta Motor  Speedway.
His championship  campaign last season  included wins at Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway along the way,  along with  sixth, second, first and second  place finishes en route to the  French Bill  Cup. But  all of that  followed a lackluster regular season in which  Blaney’s lone victory came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway,  his last top-five finish before his  triumph at Talladega  in the  12th round.

Blaney’s 2024 campaign has been  significant. most impressive, with wins at Iowa Speedway and Pocono Raceway for seven top  5s and 11 top 10s in 26  wins, the top 5 and  their win totals each  coming within one  point of  their 2023 numbers with 10 races  to go to run this  year.

“I said a  few months ago  that I thought our group was in a great  position,” Blaney said Wednesday  during Cup Series Playoffs  media day. “Mentally, in terms of performance, whether  it’s in the pit  lane or on the  track, I feel like  we’re really good.
I  think this time last  year we were  digging to  figure out how we were going to perform  the way we  needed to because we were  a little  behind. And this year, I think  we’re in a much better  position. So I hope we can continue to  keep the same pace and  learn  at the pace  we have had for the last few  months.”But yes, this group is in a  much better  position.

I think  that we in general – as  ‘and a  Penske  team as a whole,  we are also in a much better  position. So we hope that all that means a lot for  our three  cars and  21 (Harrison Burton) to  have a good  race the team is  a target. With the trophy still in the  hands of Group No.  12, Blaney wants his  competitors to fear him as a threat to win every  week. my guys: I want to scare  all the other  teams,” he said.
“I want you  to be so good that everyone is nervous  for us when we  download. That’s the kind of  mentality that  we tried to have because I think  it’s a great  mentality for everyone  in the  team. You want everyone to  worry about you because you can be  very dangerous , and I think we  really are.”

This outward  toughness is not something Blaney  has shown before his  championship. But with a title in his  pocket, the 30-year-old  proved he  could climb the mountain, changing his  outlook by returning to the play-offs a year later.
“I definitely think you have more confidence to try to come back to  Phoenix,” Blaney said.  “It’s not as simple as  ‘do what you did last  year.’ of confidence  like , hey, we know we can do  it there before, and now  we try to  find a way to do it again and  take all the challenges that  will be thrown at you  and use your experience to your advantage.  “So hopefully we can bring  back the same intensity  we  had in the playoffs last  year.”Joey Logano has been  Blaney’s teammate since 2018.

The Blaney  you see today is not the same Blaney  that he saw a season  ago.« Yes, he is a different person  – in a good way, not  a bad  way, “said Logano,  champion in 2018 and 2022.  “It’s not like  he went  crazy or  something. He’s still a good  guy, but you can tell  in the last couple  of years he’s become more confident, not only off the  track, but you see  him on the  track , where  he runs after the races, and all  that kind of  stuff, right?  That’s why he won the championship last  year.” He can do all that.

“I mean,  it’s part of  the experience.  This is something that takes time to learn and do.  But yes, it grew. Our little  Ryan has grown  so much.

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