Ryan Blaney and other Penske stars suffer major setback before Kansas playoff race

Ryan Blaney, together with other Team Penske stars, encountered a serious problem ahead of the Kansas playoff race as NASCAR announced that all three of the team's cars would be rear starters for the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. This is a huge blow for the team as they will have to tackle the entire field at the intermediate track.

Blaney in the No. 12 Ford had to change to a backup car as a tire deflated, and he hit the outside wall during practice at Kansas Speedway. Although Blaney took a blow to his car, he has already clinched his place in the Round of 8 courtesy of his win at New Hampshire. So that should give him some breathing space in Kansas.

Joey Logano, the reigning Cup champion, confronted tire problems with a right-rear tire going flat during practice. He was able to decelerate and stay clear of an accident, yet the tire issue probably gave the underbody of the car some damage, which is the reason for the qualifying result that he is not happy with - 35th place.

The third driver of the Penske team, Austin Cindric, has a current position of 19 points below the cutoff line for the playoffs.

Toby Christie reported:

"#NASCAR has confirmed all three @Team_Penske cars will go to the rear before the green flag today. @Blaney (backup car) @joeylogano and @AustinCindric (unapproved adjustments)"

Toby Christie

@Toby_Christie

#NASCAR has confirmed all three @Team_Penske cars will go to the rear before the green flag today. @Blaney (backup car) @joeylogano and @AustinCindric (unapproved adjustments)

Ryan Blaney has been a force to be reckoned with during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season and has, in fact, been going from success to success for quite some time. In 30 events, Blaney not only achieved three wins, but also won at Nashville and the summer Daytona race, besides scoring 17 top tens with an average finishing position of 14.17. He was the leader on 647 laps and made it to the front of the grid twice.

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Ryan Blaney shared his thoughts on potential 36-race playoff format

Ryan Blaney gave a candid perspective on the possibility of NASCAR returning to a 36-race full-season points championship format, expressing a laid-back attitude toward whichever decision NASCAR makes. Despite the ongoing speculation fueled by a recent drop in viewership during the New Hampshire playoff race, Blaney emphasized that he is focused on racing and will adapt to any format, whether it be the current playoff structure or the classic season-long points system.

"Honestly, to me, like it doesn't matter either way to me, whether it's this 36 races, the original chase, like we race to the format and we're going to make the most out of any format that we're given," he said via Youtube/Frontstretch [1:02 onwards]

Blaney defended the legitimacy of champions crowned under the playoff system, pushing back against the narrative that they are somehow less legitimate than those who won under the old format.