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NASCAR insiders react to Ryan Blaney, Penske narrowly missing Championship 4 at Martinsville

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones16 hours agobrianjones_93
Ryan Blaney (12)
Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

Two NASCAR insiders had a lot to say about Ryan Blaney and Team Penske missing out on competing in the Championship 4. On The Teardown podcast, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic reacted to Team Penske narrowly missing the opportunity to win its fourth consecutive NASCAR Cup Series title.

“This is I think one of those that’s going to sting for Ryan Blaney,” Bianchi said. “You look at how this round unfolded for the 12 team, and it felt like missed opportunity after missed opportunity. What happened in Las Vegas with the tire issue hitting the wall. Everything was seemingly set up for them well at Talladega. And then come here (Martinsville), a track that he has been phenomenal at the last few years, then he qualifies 31st.

“…He just didn’t have it today, or they were just missing that last little bit. So this is going to be one that I think is going to sting for Blaney and Penske, too. How do you not feel like this got away from you?”

Ryan Blaney came close to clinching Championship 4 spot

Gluck talked about how he thought that if one of the Penske drivers (Ryan Blaney or Joey Logano) reached the Championship 4, it was likely they were going to win. But that won’t happen because the race will feature two drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing and two drivers from Hendrick Motorsports.

“I was convinced that Penske was going to be able to use these tracks that were to their advantage, Gateway, Loudon, Martinsville, Phoenix, to win another title,” Gluck stated. “I said they were going to get two drivers in there, and I said Logano was going to win. For a decent portion of this race, it did look like Blaney might get in there. But I had no Hendrick drivers in my final four.”

Blaney won the championship in 2023 and finished second last year. Logano won the title in 2022 and 2024. The four drivers that will be competing for a NASCAR Cup Series championship are Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, and Kyle Larson. Of those four drivers, Larson is the only one who has won the Cup Series title, reaching the mark in 2021.