“We’ve Never Been Able to Finish”: Ryan Blaney Insists Record Not Telling the Full Story About His Vegas Runs

Ryan Blaney heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a spring in his step after winning in Phoenix last week. Momentum now rides with the Team Penske driver, yet the Nevada track has often dealt him a rough hand.

Across 19 starts at the speedway, Blaney holds an average finish of 15.2 and has placed inside the top five six times. Since the introduction of the Next Gen car, however, the numbers tell a different story. In six starts during that era, his average finish stands at 21.2.

Blaney insists those figures do not paint the whole picture. From his point of view, the team has often shown speed at the track, only to see races slip through their fingers before the checkered flag. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the Team Penske driver addressed his record at Las Vegas and the goal for the upcoming weekend.

“Number one goal is just to finish the Vegas race there in probably a year and a half. I feel like we’ve had pretty good speed there. It’s just we’ve never been able to finish. And whether that’s some tire issues or getting caught up in a wreck,” he said.

“Like, I made the mistake in the fall there or the spring there last year. I caused that wreck. I didn’t realize how many cars were to my outside and kind of pinched them, and I was self-induced.”

“But it’s been historically a good speed track for us. We just have to figure out how to finish,” he added.

Blaney also noted that the track often produces action once the field takes the green flag. For now, he is simply looking forward to getting there, finishing the race, and seeing the checkered flag. In many cases, his runs at Las Vegas have looked stronger than the final result. The No. 12 team often gambles with setups that use low tire pressure to chase extra speed, but that gamble has sometimes backfired, leading to tire failures or crashes during practice that forced Blaney to switch to backup cars or start from the rear.

Last season brought more trouble. During the playoff race at Las Vegas, Blaney qualified 14th and began the race without incident. On lap 72, while running 12th, a left front tire failed between Turns 3 and 4, sending his car into the wall and ending his run in 38th place.

Across his recent visits to the track, Blaney has recorded three finishes of 32nd or worse, many tied to damage from crashes or tire issues. Even so, more than half of his career starts at Las Vegas have still ended inside the top 10.