Ryan Blaney explains mindset in NASCAR Playoffs, preparing for each track

For the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, the Playoffs take a special mindset. Ryan Blaney is taking things one race at a time. While it seems cliché, it is not something many drivers are able to do. Others don’t have the privilege of being able to operate that way, either.

Blaney could arguably win on any track on the schedule. He’s proven that time and again in his career. He is not a one-dimensional racecar driver. So, the variety of tracks in the NASCAR Playoffs is not a detriment to him advancing.

Yes, Blaney, like all drivers, has his strengths and weaknesses. He has tracks that he is better at than others. But when it comes to the NASCAR Playoffs, he is focused on maximizing his performance on a weekly basis. That takes a certain outlook.

“I mean, I think historically, we’ve had good runs at the playoff tracks,” Blaney said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “But you never know what’s going to happen, right? You could miss it one weekend and be behind the eight ball. You just go try to do the best job you can. I don’t know, I don’t really look forward to one more than others.

“I just try to look at what’s the next race and I look forward to that one the most. Like, I focus all of my energy into just one week at a time type situation and how do I give all of my effort to Gateway this weekend, and that’s the one I’m looking forward to the most and then it will change to Bristol next week, you know?”

Blaney has won on short tracks, intermediate tracks, a road course, and superspeedways. He has won a Crown Jewel. Blaney also has three wins at Talladega, the biggest wildcard in the NASCAR Playoffs.

“The one that worries me the most? I mean, I think everyone is going to say like, Talladega,” Blaney explained. “Just because it’s a speedway, you never know what’s going to happen. But you just hope to make it there. You hope to make it to the Round of 8, and then you just go tackle that weekend and see where you’re at after Vegas and go understand the job you gotta do. No, I look forward to every race.

“That week of Talladega, I’m looking forward to Talladega, you know? It’s just the way it is. It’s the way I have to think of being in a good headspace, going to each racetrack and thinking you can win every single week, and looking forward to go competing no matter what kind of racetrack it is, your historic runs there. You just go look forward to every week and try to make it the best you can.”

While many drivers have to pick and choose their best opportunities to win and advance, Blaney is competitive at every NASCAR Playoffs track. That is especially true for Gateway this weekend. Will the next Penske champion start their run to Phoenix with a win this weekend?