The mental pressure that a Cup Series driver faces as he is about to enter the playoffs is often overlooked. The hopes of an entire team and their efforts through an entire year all rest on the shoulders of the individual holding the steering wheel. That’s a lot of expectation to live up to. Team Penske superstar and the 2014 Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney, addressed this during the playoff media day.
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The No. 12 Ford driver pointed out that drivers cannot afford to make mistakes in the playoffs. If they do and step over a line, their hopes of making it to the end of the line can take serious damage.
So, what matters the most is how quickly and efficiently a driver can bounce back from a poor result and pull things back in his favor. He considers this important because he knows how easily a driver can fall into a dark hole.
Blaney said, “It is tough, just because you know what you’re going for. It is tough, and it’s how you handle situations, like if you have a bad week. How do you bounce back from it? There are a lot of ups and downs, and it’s how you handle emotions and try to just simplify everything.”
There are different ways in which drivers hold themselves together in such scenarios. For Blaney, it’s all about having a short memory. He explained that he just takes his lessons from the mistakes he makes and moves on from them as quickly as he can.
He has given himself a time frame of one night during which he can lament over bad results on Sundays. Once that night is over and the sun is up, it’s back to the game again to focus on the new week and the next race.
“I’ve just been able to do that and not let everything pull my hair,” he added. “I’ve worked really hard at trying to do that, but I don’t really have a ritual. That’s just what I find helps me. Be upset about it all you want for that night, but wake up the next day, you’d better be over it and let your brain reset.”
Interestingly, Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson follows a similar approach. Earlier this season, he faced a tough corner with an IndyCar Series wreck (during practice), a High Limit Racing Series accident, and the loss of a Craftsman Truck Series start.
Asked how he managed to overcome such disappointments and still perform at his highest level on the track, he joked that perhaps he had hit stuff too hard to the point where his memory had become short and faded.
Larson continued on a serious note, “I do think it’s because I race a lot, I’m guessing. I would say that that’s a big part of me being able to move on quickly from things, whether it’s a good race or a bad race or a wreck or good result, bad result, whatever.”
The youngsters in the sport can take a lesson or two from these stalwarts about being resilient in the face of defeat.
