Ryan Blaney, who has been quietly putting together another consistent season, added yet another top-five to his tally with a strong P5 finish at Bristol — mirroring his performance the week prior at Darlington. While he may have fewer top-five finishes at this stage compared to last year, his recent runs indicate that he’s still very much in the mix owing to his good speed.
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Bristol, however, brought a new set of variables, with NASCAR reverting to PJ1 on the racing surface after using resin last year, along with Goodyear’s softer option tires.
Saturday’s practice session turned heads, as tire wear quickly became a concern, reminiscent of what teams experienced during last year’s spring race.
But with warmer conditions on race day, the track began to take rubber more effectively, avoiding the marbling that often disrupts grip. That unexpected development didn’t go unnoticed by Blaney.
After the race, Blaney admitted he walked into the weekend with no clear expectations about tire behavior. But he confirmed that it actually laid down more rubber than he thought it would. Speaking about the opening laps, he added, “So that was… It’s fun to get to the beginning of the race, everyone’s just puttin’ around because no one knew what to expect.”
Although the teams initially expected the tires to hold up for around 70 to 80 laps, they pushed the limits and managed to stretch them to 125 without any significant issues.
Reflecting on the experience, Ryan Blaney explained, “So, then after that, I was like gauging, how do you want to go, at what point. So, that was, that was, pretty fun gauge, but yeah, I thought it was a good race from the driver’s seat.”
“I thought the tire really surprised me, in a good way, compared to what it was yesterday” @Blaney finished 5th.
Blaney says it felt like no one knew what to expect with tires when the race started but 80 laps in he realized it wasn’t that bad.
@calebbarnes_ pic.twitter.com/uNfh5ZJprn
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) April 14, 2025
He acknowledged that while the race didn’t feature an overwhelming amount of passing, the performance of the tire caught him off guard in the best possible way, especially given how things looked during Saturday’s practice session.
Blaney wasn’t alone in his uncertainty. Brad Keselowski echoed a similar sentiment, describing modern-day NASCAR as a “weekly science experiment,” where even the smallest adjustment can send everything into a tailspin.
By Lap 50 on Sunday, the writing was on the wall for crew chiefs and teams — they had a clear picture of how the tires would behave. The Goodyears wore at the expected rate, which allowed most teams to stretch their first set across the entire 125-lap opening stage without issue.
Team Penske crew chief Jonathan Hassler seized the opportunity, using the manageable tire wear to play the long game. He kept Ryan Blaney and his #12 Ford on track 30 laps longer than the race leaders in the closing stretch, aiming to leapfrog the field through strategic pit timing.
At one point, Blaney found himself leading the race on his own lap, putting the entire field a lap down. Had a caution flag flown during that window, the move could’ve flipped the race on its head in Team Penske’s favor. While the yellow never came, Blaney still brought home a fifth-place finish, making the gamble well worth the risk.
Reflecting on the strategy, Ryan Blaney remarked, “It was a good call by Jonathan. I thought that was going to earn the shot to win. I mean, I was running fifth before the cycle started. I just kind of knitted out where I was at the end of the race. We almost were better. I had third and fourth right in front of me.”
While the Bristol race mirrored the rhythm and complexion of last September’s event, fans were likely left hoping for a bit more fireworks — a twist or two to shake things up.
