CONCORD, N.C. — Safety has been a leading concern on the minds of NASCAR Cup Series drivers throughout the 2022 season, ever since the controversial introduction of the Next Gen car.
However, for Ryan Blaney, there’s two aspects of safety that he’s concerned with — his protection behind the wheel and his security in the NASCAR Playoffs.
The No. 12 Team Penske driver is sitting second in the championship as he gears up for the Bank of America ROVAL 400, but as eliminations proceed to tighten the competition, Blaney knows he can’t afford any mistakes.
“Each round it intensifies,” Blaney said. “We’ve managed our playoffs pretty decently so far, just want to continue to do that.”
There may not be a points-paying win on Blaney’s record this year, but he’s managed to secure a number of top-five finishes and, with the exception of Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, he’s also been a consistent force in the playoffs.
Blaney filed his best result this season last weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway when he came across the line 0.046 seconds behind leader Chase Elliott. While heartbreaking, the near-win was yet another step in the right direction.
It’s been four years since Blaney scored a victory at the ROVAL — which came in 2018 — and although he isn’t in a must-win situation in regards to the playoffs, he hasn’t let himself get too comfortable.
“You have to realize that you’re never safe,” Blaney said. “Perform the best you can to stay in the race and keep moving on.”
Four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs after Sunday’s race, but Blaney doesn’t plan to be one of them. The high-intensity track has been known to create chaos, so survival through the 109-lap race will be key.
But in order to have the confidence to keep the pedal to the floor, the second facet of safety comes into play.
In July, Kurt Busch was the first to discover the fully negative impact of Next Gen car when he sustained a season-ending concussion that was the result of a qualifying crash at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. While other troubling crashes and fiery eruptions have plagued the season, the second driver to be sent to the sidelines was Alex Bowman.
On September 25, Bowman hit the wall in his No. 14 Ally Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway, but continued to finish out the 334-lap race despite the hard impact. After being evaluated by physicians later in the week, Bowman confirmed that he would not be racing the upcoming weekend in order to recover from concussion-like symptoms.
“It’s unfortunate that a couple guys have had to get injured to see what needs to be worked on,” Blaney said, referring to Busch and Bowman.
NASCAR officials hosted a meeting with several Cup Series drivers on Saturday morning with the premise of listening to their concerns about the Next Gen car. Blaney was among those set to attend. In light of the recent crash testing that NASCAR performed, many of the drivers were anxious to see the data and begin moving forward with an adequate solution.
“I want all the details possible, every little thing,” Blaney said. “I’m not the most technical guy out there, but I want to know everything about everything.”
At this point in the season, the conversation has transitioned towards making changes for next year. While Blaney admitted that drivers are still asking for short-term fixes, it’s likely that the issues won’t be fully resolved until 2023.
With only five races left, Blaney has been keeping a narrow focus on the championship. The safety concerns about the Next Gen car he wrestles with during the week become safety concerns about his spot in the playoffs on the weekends.
“It’s not something I think about when I strap into the car,” Blaney said. “I think about how to go as fast as I can.”
The Bank of America ROVAL 400 will commence at 2:25 p.m. (ET) on Sunday.