CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the first time in his career, Ryan Blaney is entering the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs among the favorites to win the title.
The Team Penske Ford driver has qualified for the 10-race run to the championship for the fifth time, but is riding a wave of momentum into Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Blaney, 27, won the last two races of the regular season and enters the playoffs as the No. 2 seed behind regular season champion Kyle Larson.
“Momentum and confidence are something that we have right now in the 12 group because obviously, the last couple of weekends it really helps get that rolling,” said Blaney. “It’s good for everybody, not only for the driver but for the team as well when they have a lot of confidence in themselves and their abilities and you can believe that you can do it and make a strong run at the championship. That’s part of the game.
“You’ve got to believe you can do it and this team does believe in themselves and they have every right to. They’re a great group of guys. It’s been a pleasure to work with them, but it’s nice to end the regular season strong and have a good year,” said Blaney, who won three times this season. “Three wins on the year and you hope to keep that going throughout the playoffs and keep transferring and try to make it to Phoenix and have a shot at a championship. So, it has been a fun year and it has been nice to end the regular season out this way and start off Darlington here this weekend with a bunch of momentum and our heads held high and we just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Blaney’s run of success came after crew chief Todd Gordon, who won the Cup Series title while working with Joey Logano, announced he was retiring at the end of the season.
“We are trying to do well for him, trying to get him another championship,” Blaney said. “That would be a heck of a way to go out for him, and at the same time trying to focus on this and then focus on the future for sure, but the main thought point right now is to get Todd to go out in a blaze of glory. That’s what everyone wants and, hopefully, we can give that to me. It’s been a good year so far. We’ve done some pretty cool stuff and you just hope to keep it going and send him out with a bang. That would be pretty neat.”