“I thought we had a great shot”: Ryan Blaney reflects on Team Penske’s 3-4-5 finish at Richmond

AUTO: MAR 19 NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 - Source: Getty
Joey Logano (22), Austin Cindric (2) and Ryan Blaney (12) during the Ambetter Health 400. Source: Getty

Ryan Blaney came away from Richmond Raceway with both pride and frustration on Saturday night. Pride, because Team Penske executed one of its best collective performances of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with a 3-4-5 finish in the Cook Out 400. Frustration, because Blaney believed his No. 12 Ford Mustang had a legitimate chance to win, before Austin Dillon's late run sealed the deal for Richard Childress Racing.

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Just a year ago, none of Penske's cars cracked the top 10 at Richmond. On Saturday, all three lined up in the first five spots at the checkered flag, a turnaround that Blaney himself called a 'really good night' despite missing the top step of the podium.

"Great night by Penske. To have all of us right there, and obviously we would've liked to be 1-2-3, but it's a really good night," Ryan Blaney told Peter Stratta post-race.
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Ryan Blaney started 20th but went through the field steadily. By the close of Stage 1, he was seventh, and in Stage 2, he rose to third as his car came alive on long runs. Once the final stage settled in, he grabbed the lead after pit stops and paced the field for 39 laps.

That set up the defining battle of the night with Austin Dillon. The No. 3 Chevrolet, which had been strong throughout, short-pitted to gain an undercut advantage. Blaney and his crew tried to counter by stretching one lap longer in hopes of fresher tires at the finish. The plan didn't pan out.

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"I thought we had a great shot at having a chance to win it there... I was really good at the end of the first run of the third stage and then... we pitted a lap earlier than him. And he got back by me at the end there, and then we ran a handful of laps later. Just trying to have a little tire advantage at the end," Blaney added (0:18 onwards)
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Dillon led 107 laps to secure his first win since 2022 and his sixth career Cup Series victory, and qualified for the playoffs.


Ryan Blaney leads Team Penske's resurgence at Richmond

Austin Cindric (2), Joey Logano (22), and Ryan Blaney (12) during the NASCAR Cup Series. Source: Getty
Austin Cindric (2), Joey Logano (22), and Ryan Blaney (12) during the NASCAR Cup Series. Source: Getty

Ryan Blaney wasn't the only Team Penske driver to shine in Saturday's Cook Out 400. Austin Cindric's composed run led him to a fifth-place finish. He kept his No. 2 Ford in the top 10 throughout the race and jumped a spot to 15th in the standings.

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Defending champion Joey Logano started at the end of the field after pre-race repairs. But he still worked his way through the field, overcoming a flat tire scare in Stage 2, and rallied to a fourth-place finish. It was his first top-five since Nashville.

With Ryan Blaney fifth in points (756), Logano 12th (616), and Cindric 15th (543), all three Penske cars are now locked into the postseason via race wins. Consistency has been missing for much of the year, but Richmond offered a reminder of what the group is capable of when all three hit the mark on the same night.

For an organization that has produced two of the last three champions - Blaney in 2023, Logano in 2022 and 2024 - the timing may be ideal. The regular-season finale at Daytona looms, and if Saturday's effort was any indication, Team Penske might be finding its stride just as the championship fight begins.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl
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