Ryan Blaney’s crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, has explained his approach to the upcoming race at Kansas Speedway. He said the mindset will be to allocate 80-90% of their energies towards the remaining races in the round and use the rest for the next round of races.On September 21, 2025, Ryan Blaney took a commanding victory at the Mobil 1 301 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which was his third win of the season and thus allowed him to qualify for the Round of 8. Blaney that day started from the front row beside teammate Joey Logano and, without losing time, laid down his pace, leading 116 of the 301 laps, the most important last segment.Jonathan Hassler explained that once Ryan Blaney had gotten through to the next round of the playoffs, the team could go to the races that were coming up, especially Kansas Speedway and the Charlotte Roval, with a somewhat different mentality. They aren't so committed to going full throttle for every point that they cannot “let up just a little bit” while still being conscious that the playoff points attained in these races may be vital for the subsequent round. In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Blaney's crew chief said:"It's a huge advantage. Like you said, um, you know, we're definitely in a position where we're racing for playoff points in the next couple of weeks...Um, you know, I think we can probably do 80 or 90% of the work that we would normally do and bank that last 10 to 20% and push that time into, you know, the weeks ahead. To make sure that we're ready for those races. Um, so we can certainly, you know, let up just a little bit these next couple weeks"Ryan Blaney's excellent drive also gave a big indication of the great superiority of the Ford cars of Team Penske, which practically dominated the race.Ryan Blaney unconvinced of Team Penske’s ‘favorite’ tag for the 2025 NASCAR Cup championshipRyan Blaney, despite securing his spot in the Round of 8 with his recent win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, remains unconvinced by Team Penske’s status as the outright favorite for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship. He emphasized the sport's unpredictable nature, calling NASCAR a "week-to-week sport" where performance can fluctuate wildly. Blaney expressed respect for the talent spread across all teams and drivers, noting that any team can dominate one week and struggle the next. He said via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:“Every team that's in this deal is really talented, every driver is incredibly talented, so you never know who's going to come on strong at what time. This sport is a week-to-week sport, and you can be on the top of the world one week, and then you can be struggling to find your own way the next week.”His focus remains squarely on improving his own team each week rather than getting caught up in labels or expectations.