“I don’t think we’re in a must-win”: Ryan Blaney refuses to hit the panic button despite major points deficit for Phoenix 

Ahead of the playoff race in Alabama, Ryan Blaney is betting on the chaos at Talladega and his past success in Martinsville. The No. 12 Ford driver for Team Penske believes he isn't in a must-win spot for the Sunday (October 19) race at the superspeedway.

In a recent media availability, Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, shared his honest thoughts about the next two playoff races, which will determine the final 4 for the finale in Phoenix. After suffering a DNF due to a tire failure in Las Vegas, the 31-year-old hasn't hit the panic button heading into the drafting track.

"It stinks where we are on points, but we’ve still got two races left. I don’t personally think we’re in a must-win quite yet," Ryan Blaney said via Racer.com

Furthermore, Blaney emphasized the unpredictability of superspeedway racing and added:

"But looking at Talladega, a lot of things can happen that can benefit or hurt you or benefit your competitors or hurt them. Why I say it’s not a must-win yet is … a couple of guys get torn up early who are in the playoffs, and you can go have a big day. Big point swings can happen at these types of racetracks."

It is worth mentioning that Blaney has two wins in the drafting track. Moreover, he has also won the Martinsville playoff race for the past two seasons. He continued:

"And then our history at Martinsville, we’ve been able to do a really good job there the last couple of fall races, and I hope that trend can continue. So, yeah, I like the next two tracks, for sure."

Ryan Blaney has shown immense confidence to capitalize on the coming two Round of 8 races. After finishing runner-up in last year's finale to teammate Joey Logano, the Ford driver is aiming for another chance at the coveted trophy.

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Ryan Blaney opens up on the team's prep for Talladega weekend

Ryan Blaney - NASCAR: Cup Series-South Point 400 Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn

After a major setback in the Round of 8 opener race in Las Vegas, Ryan Blaney shared his thoughts and optimism for the superspeedway racing in Alabama. He said:

"Our prep is really no different. It’s how do we be efficient during the stages and gather up all the stage points. That could change – let’s say the first two stages don’t go our way, and all right, maybe now it’s a must-win type scenario that might switch up a little bit. But as far as our prep this week, it’s business as usual. We’ll try to gather the most points that we can and go try to figure out how to win the race."

With the Penske domination in the Championship 4 race in Phoenix for the last three seasons, the two drivers, Blaney and Joey Logano, are battling for points to have a shot at the finale race. The #12 driver is 31 points below the line. Meanwhile, the #22 driver Logano is -24.