Ryan Blaney narrowly missed securing an automatic spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 after finishing second to Tyler Reddick at the Straight Talk Wireless 400 held at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Reddick’s win locked him into the Championship 4, while Blaney now finds himself 38 points adrift of the cut line as he heads into the upcoming Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
“It’s a bit disappointing. I felt I had a real chance to win, but the last lap didn’t go as planned. I pushed hard into turn three, but [Tyler Reddick] managed to hold his line impressively,” Blaney remarked.
“It stings to let one slip away like that. We regained the lead after the restart, but that final lap just didn’t work out. Huge thanks to everyone on the 12 team for providing a fast car. I still have one last chance to secure a spot in Phoenix, so there’s that to look forward to.”
“I’ll probably replay the race in my head all night, figuring out what I could’ve done differently. But I’m proud of our efforts and hopeful for next week.”
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Blaney and the No. 12 team can’t dwell on the second-place finish for too long, as the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 is this Sunday in Martinsville. Currently, Blaney is one of four drivers beneath the cutoff line for the Championship 4.
Chase Elliott sits in eighth, 43 points down, followed by Blaney (-38 points), Denny Hamlin (-18 points), and Kyle Larson (-7 points). With only two open spots available—held by Christopher Bell (+29 points) and William Byron (+7 points)—Blaney will likely need to clinch a win at Martinsville to qualify.
“Sure, it’ll be tough to shake off tonight’s result, but we’ll focus on Martinsville tomorrow morning,” Blaney shared. “Moving on quickly has become something I practice more as I’ve aged, whether the outcome is good or bad. This team will bounce back.”
“We had some luck at Martinsville last year. I hope we can bring that same speed this time around and be in the mix to win.”