Ryan Blaney has once again expressed frustration with his team following a lackluster performance in Kansas. On Sunday, Tyler Reddick secured his fifth victory of the season in an exciting overtime finish at the AdventHealth 400. This win solidified Reddick’s position at the top of the NASCAR standings, as he left Kansas Speedway with a 62-point lead.
Blaney currently holds the second position in the standings, with one win and three top-5 finishes to his name. Before Sunday’s race, Team Penske made changes to his crew in an effort to turn things around. The adjustments included bringing in a new jackman, replacing Landon Honeycutt with Patrick Gray. However, these changes did not yield the desired results, as Blaney finished 23rd and was overheard on the radio saying, “F—–g unbelievable how bad we are.”
Since the Bristol race, Blaney’s pit crew has consistently ranked among the worst in the Cup Series, placing 35th out of 36 full-time entries. In the Food City 500, Blaney lost 11 positions on pit road, bringing his total loss to 88 positions this season. He managed to retain his position only 51 percent of the time.
The issues with pit stops have also drawn criticism from rival drivers. Kyle Larson, the reigning Cup Series champion, noted that Blaney’s pit crew’s performance cost him valuable positions during their clash at Bristol. Larson said, “He [Blaney] was extremely good. By far had the best car once again. He just kept getting put behind on pit road and allowed us to go out there and lead laps and try to manage the car and tires the best I could to fight him off.”
Larson added, “He just got better throughout the race as the bottom kinda stacked more rubber. He could just really wrap more grip. It was fun battling him. Good short-track racing, and Ty [Gibbs], he did good as well.”
Blaney acknowledged the challenges faced by his team after the Bristol race and previous events. He stated, “We gotta get it better. If we’re going to keep competing and get cars that can win the races, we’ve got to clean that up.”
Looking ahead, Blaney is hoping for a more refined performance when the NASCAR Cup Series continues with the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 26.
