Talladega Superspeedway could be the perfect place for NASCAR’s DVP policy to shine, while also giving the eight remaining playoff drivers to earn crucial points if they wreck at ‘Dega and try to repair damage and get back on track.
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Doing so would essentially give them more points toward one last chance for the following week at Martinsville to potentially advance to the Championship 4 season finale two weeks from now in Phoenix.
The DVP policy previously prompted NASCAR teams to be disqualified if they took their cars to the garage to try and make repairs within a limited time window. Now, that time limit is gone, which means if playoff drivers that potentially get into the inevitable “big one” or multiple-car crashes, can fix their cars and get back on track to earn whatever few remaining points they can grab.
And those extra points can be crucial heading to Martinsville and Phoenix.
Ryan Blaney knows he’s pretty much in a must-win situation at ‘Dega – and if not there, at Martinsville – if he hopes to advance to the final round in the Valley of the Sun. Blaney is last among the eight remaining semifinal playoff entrants, 31 points below the provisional cutoff line.
Meanwhile, Blaney’s Team Penske teammate, Joey Logano, isn’t in a much different boat: he’s 24 points below the cutoff line heading to ‘Dega.
That’s why the DVP is so important for drivers, crew chiefs, and pit crews to be on top of their game to fix damage and get the car back on track as quickly as possible.
“Yeah, (the DVP) could definitely come into play,” Blaney said in an online media call this week. “You never know what your damage is until you can assess it and (say) ‘Hey, can we repair this thing to get back out?’ You might see that, for sure.
“So that changes it in that way to where, like as before, if you got in a little accident and you can’t fix it on pit road, you’re done. Now, you at least have a shot, which I think is the right way to be. So, yeah, you could definitely see a little race within the race depending on what goes down throughout it.”
Sunday could wind up being two races in one
Blaney’s use of the term “race within the race” is both interesting and realistic. For example, if he, Logano or one of the other six remaining playoff drivers gets into an early wreck where the car can be fixed in due time to get back on track to earn more valuable points, it truly becomes a second race so to speak – particularly if one or more other playoff drivers are also involved in the same wreck and are also fighting as hard as possible to repair the damage and get back on the track.
How does Blaney approach both the race as a whole as well as the potential DVP element? Blaney said he tries to keep his focus narrow and steady, “with blinders on,” always looking to move forward but knowing when to defend his position.
Blaney explained that racing at superspeedways requires a completely different mindset compared to other tracks. The coordination between the driver, crew chief, and spotter becomes even more critical, as every move can either set up a win or lead to disaster.
“Superspeedway racing is such a different mentality than everywhere else,” he said, adding that restraint often pays off more than aggression.
Instead of rushing to make moves early, Blaney prefers to let the race unfold, picking his moments carefully. He admitted it’s easy to get caught up in the urgency, the feeling of “I’ve got to go now,” especially when the field starts tightening late in a stage.
But his philosophy, inspired in part by Denny Hamlin, is to stay calm and trust that opportunities will come. Hamlin’s advice years ago — to believe that another chance will present itself — stuck with Blaney. He tries not to force situations, instead allowing the draft and track position to develop naturally.
“I try to keep in my head that I’m gonna have another shot,” he said, a mindset that helps him avoid unnecessary risks early on.
That patience has become a defining feature of Blaney’s superspeedway style. Rather than charging forward recklessly, he focuses on staying in contention and surviving the chaos that often unfolds around him.
