Talladega is a wildcard race in the playoffs, just like any other superspeedway race. The best drivers can get wiped out in the beginning and someone completely unexpected might take the checkered flag. But does that mean one has to go into the race with a negative mindset?
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Absolutely not as far as reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney is concerned. The Team Penske star is in a good place points-wise going into the event tomorrow and is looking to further strengthen his position before the subsequent Roval.
The race may be unpredictable but that does not mean proper execution would not be rewarded there. Sure, there is a much higher chance of wrecking out of the race than other tracks but that’s how things have always been at Talladega.
Blaney wants to control what can be controlled in the race and run near the front of the pack as much as possible. He will be starting from P5, which is a good place to be and will hope to contend towards the front.
Talladega is a crucial piece of the puzzle in The Playoffs. Watch this Sunday at 2PM ET on @NASCARonNBC as we go after another ‘Dega Playoff victory. pic.twitter.com/jOW9p1OfPg
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) October 4, 2024
“I know some people come out and say, ‘We don’t look forward to these events.’ That’s not a good mindset to have, so I think how do we maximize the weekend, whether it’s here or Daytona or Atlanta,” Blaney told the press.
“We don’t look at it like, ‘Oh, Talladega.’ You know that things aren’t fully in your control and that’s just a given, and you just put that out of the way and say, ‘Hey, how do we execute this race as good as we can,’”
It was the YellaWood 500 last year which served as the turning point for the driver of the #12 car. He won the race and kept his form going until the end of the season, which ultimately propelled him to the championship. A repeat of that would be very welcome at his team as Blaney looks to go back-to-back.
Blaney puts his money on teamwork for Talladega success
So what can be controlled at Talladega as per the reigning Cup Series champion? Teamwork is one of them. Superspeedway racing is a lot about bump drafting which helps both the car pushing and the one being pushed make up places up the track.
It’s very effective but requires a high degree of skill and precision. The #12 driver knows that he has to work with his teammates and that’s exactly what he aims to do on Sunday.
“How do we work together as a team between Joey, Austin, myself, and Harrison? How do we try to support each other and try to do the best we can for our groups? I feel like we do a better job at teamwork here than anybody else. I feel like we constantly look for each other. We constantly have each other’s backs, and that’s what you need here,” he explained.
Luckily for him, his teammates are not going to be too far apart on race day. Austin Cindric is starting the race from P2 while Joey Logano is just one spot behind Blaney in P6. The Fords have always worked well at superspeedways and Sunday could be another example of their prowess at the 2.6-mile-long track.
