Ryan Blaney didn’t expect to be playing catch-up this season. The 2023 Cup Series champion began 2025 with big hopes, but it’s turned into a messy slog. After enduring 5 DNFs so far, Team Penske scrambles to find answers. Despite the win at Nashville, problems, broken engines, and crashes have persisted even as the rest of the field has accelerated ahead. But one track might just be the perfect plot twist.
This weekend’s Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway has been Blaney’s sanctuary in past seasons. With two wins at the tricky triangle, including his first-ever Cup Series win in 2017, it’s a place where he’s found dominance. Ryan Blaney and Team Penske are in their redemption arc, and if they are going to turn this season around, there’s arguably no better place to do it than here.
Ryan Blaney isn’t feeling the heat of the summer stretch
Despite his multiple DNFs and just one race win, Ryan Blaney has been one of the most consistently fast cars this season. And the No. 12 driver wore his failures as a badge of honor, not shying away from them. He keeps a positive attitude ahead of the Pocono race, knowing that his team has shown the speed, and it’s all about clicking at the right time.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM Radio, Ryan Blaney is nothing short of happy with his team. He is a self-aware driver, and frankly summed up a topsy-turvy campaign, saying, “7th in points with 5 DNFs shows how good we’ve been running through the races and things like that, and just haven’t really been able to get some finishes out of them. So hopefully all that’s out of the way. We’ll see, but I’ve been happy with where our program is at with all of Team Penske and especially my 12 group.”
The DNFs started stacking up early for Ryan Blaney. The trouble began at Las Vegas, where a late-race wreck claimed the No. 12 car. Then came Homestead, where a dominant performance, leading 124 laps and running third, ended suddenly with a fatal engine blowup, spewing a plume of white smoke that sidelined him roughly 60 laps from the finish. It was the second engine failure in just three starts, marking his first ever stretch of three straight DNFs.
However, mechanical issues persisted. At Phoenix earlier in the season, an engine failure robbed Blaney of a solid run. And a suspension issue at Darlington ended his day prematurely, compounding the series of unfortunate events. Then suddenly, his patience paid off at Nashville, where he led 139 laps en route to his first 2025 win, breaking the streak of bad luck and setting the stage for his summer comeback.
Through it all, Blaney stays optimistic, saying, “I’ve been really happy with the work we’ve done through the offseason to be fast at the beginning of the year and starting this summer, hopefully the stretch of summer races, kind of some oddball races, not oddball races, but some different tracks in there. Hopefully, we show speed there as well. So I’ve been happy with it and hopefully we can just have a good summer and try to rack up a couple more wins before we get going in the playoffs.”
“I’ve been very happy with where our program is at with all of Team Penske.”
Ryan @Blaney is looking to get some more wins in the bag as he prepares for the Playoffs.
Full Interview https://t.co/WGRTG5gnEd pic.twitter.com/vprVEcCJ3m
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) June 20, 2025
And there’s good reason for that hope. The next two races, Pocono and Atlanta, are tracks where Blaney has consistently shown speed and found success. At Atlanta, Blaney is currently on a streak of six consecutive top-10 finishes, with all of his last three being in the top 5! He also tasted Victory Lane in 2021, so hopes would be high to succeed again, but the focus will be on this weekend at Pocono.
Blaney boasts an impressive resume at the Tricky Triangle. In his 15-Cup series starts at Pocono, Blaney has won two times, one pole, a fifth-place finish, two sixth and two tenth-place finishes. Add to that the Truck Series win in 2013, and the tricky triangle feels like home. Moreover, Blaney has even expressed his adoration for the track, telling the Times Tribune, “I love the area; I love the racetrack. That place means a lot to me. Places where you have your first win, success, stuff like that, they always mean a little more. So I look forward to getting back there.”
It’s just a matter of time before the 2023 Cup Champion regains his claim. After all, Team Penske is known for heating up toward the end of the season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s thoughts on Jones-Blaney Mexico clash
In a fiery moment during last Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250, Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney reignited their long-simmering feud. As the pair fought for position, the Team Penske driver nudged into the back of Jones coming out of turn 4, then watched as Jones retaliated by steering right into Blaney’s No. 12 Ford. The collision wasn’t a gentle tap; it was retaliation in motion and captured live on Prime Video.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., calling the races, couldn’t hide his excitement. On his recent Dale Junior Download episode, he goes on to say, “Ryan Blaney got used up by Erik Jones coming out of Turn 4. I guess Blaney might have doored him or something, and Erik didn’t like it. Erik just turns right and tries to drive into Blaney. It was awesome, even though it was Blaney. [Blaney got back to him,] and Erik didn’t do anything. I wanted him [Jones] to ship him [Blaney]. … I said, ‘Guys, stay on that 12 or just kind of be mindful on that 12 if he gets to the 43, let’s get that back on the screen.’ ” This wasn’t the first time sparks flew between the duo. The two tangled at the 2022 Clash at the Coliseum, when Blaney’s anger boiled over from contact, notoriously hurling his HANS device at Jones. That moment made headlines then, but this latest clash in Mexico is part of a longer storyline.
As the dust settled, both drivers left Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with subpar results, with Blaney finishing at 14th and Jones going home with 17th. The outcomes carry a different weight. Blaney is snugly locked into the playoffs in the top 16, while John is inching his way upward, now 22nd in points, but still outside the postseason bubble.
However, as the Great American Getaway 400 comes knocking on their door, it may not crown a champion, but it may reignite one. If Blaney can keep it cool and calm and find a little Pocono magic, don’t be surprised if the No. 12 Ford finds itself in Victory Lane.
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