Last year in November, NASCAR fans were enraged. The 2024 season was supposed to be Kyle Larson’s time, given his 6-win streak. However, the spotlight fell on Joey Logano instead. Besides winning a wildly extended fuel mileage race in Nashville, Logano’s regular season was drab. Roger Penske’s guy capitalized on miraculously avoiding elimination in the Round of 8 to proceed to the championship. So, fans directed blows at Logano and also his teammate, Ryan Blaney.
Currently holding 7th place in the championship standings with a single win and 9 top tens, Ryan Blaney is a legitimate title contender. However, fans looked at his stellar progress with suspicion recently, prompting a stern response. Yet Blaney has issues with the playoff format, too.
Ryan Blaney is willing to meet halfway
After Joey Logano clinched the 2024 title with a meager 17.11 average finish, a massive uproar rocked the NASCAR community. From fans to the most seasoned veterans, people urged a return to the full-season Winston points system. Although not in place since 2003, the older format ensured the most meritorious driver got the championship, unlike the wildcard format of the present day. Even Ryan Blaney won the 2023 title with 3 wins and a 14.1 average finish – not enough for some fans to hail him. So, a few people called Blaney’s title a ‘Mickey Mouse’ championship, considering his title run under the current format. Blaney was not happy, as the idea of not deserving a title “gets under my skin.”
At the same time as calling out the fans’ harsh comments, however, Ryan Blaney also sought improvement on the other end. The Championship 4 playoff finale is what bugs Blaney the most, as it determines the champion based on just one race. He said in a recent Sirius XM NASCAR Radio episode: “Would I like to see the playoffs change a little bit? Yes, I would. I’m not a massive fan of like the one race take-all type deal. I think you have to have at least a handful of races in there to the end, where it’s a little bit of consistency, which consistency in this playoff format does matter. Like, you do have to be consistent through the three races of the rounds.”
At the same time, Ryan Blaney spoke for the ‘Game 7’ moments that the playoff format promotes. He faced this moment himself in the 2024 playoffs: “The Round of 8 last year for us, we wrecked in Las Vegas. We were kind of behind in points, had to go win in Homestead. Pretty much, I gave the race away…up against the wall, where you need to go win next week to step up to the occasion. Those step-up moments are what people love in sports…I mean, there’s exciting moments.” However, Blaney stuck to his demand for a little better format: “But would I like to see it tweaked a little bit? Yeah, probably.”
Ryan Blaney criticized NASCAR’s lack of action in the playoff controversy, contrary to fans’ expectations. He also matched fans’ voices in another area.
Applauding a popular decision
Well, popular would be an understatement for the February spectacle we saw this year. NASCAR went to the Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time since 1971, and it was a blast. The Cook Out Clash race was sold out, with fans whipping up a passionate ruckus as their favorite Cup Series drivers clashed on the short track. Known for its raw and grassroots atmosphere that spells peak NASCAR, Bowman Gray has always been a fan favorite. So, when NASCAR confirmed on July 9th that the Clash race will return to the ‘Madhouse’ for 2026, the reception was resoundingly positive. Not only for the fans, but also the Cup Series grid, of which Ryan Blaney stood out particularly.
Roger Penske‘s champion finished 2nd in this year’s race. And Ryan Blaney is eager for another blast at the iconic track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is extra special for him, given his childhood memories: “I’m excited. It’s going back to Winston-Salem. Growing up around that area meant a lot to me. High Point, Winston, Greensboro, like I spent a lot of time in those areas, and saw a lot of people that I grew up with that came out to that race.” Blaney continued about the 2025 race: “I thought it put on a great show. I like that we were there with the mods. So, that was nice… So yeah, I don’t really think I would change much about it. I thought it put on a really good race, honestly.”
While Ryan Blaney hails NASCAR’s Bowman Gray call, he is not fully onboard with the sport’s playoff format. Let us wait and see if the format changes in 2026.
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