As the NASCAR Cup Seriesplayoff opener approaches at Darlington Raceway, Steve Letarte expressed doubts about Ryan Blaney’s ability to advance far despite his two victories in the regular season, including the recent finale at Daytona. Letarte’s main concern centers on Blaney’s inconsistency, marked by numerous DNFs (Did Not Finish) during the season.
DNFs Present Major Challenge Amid Strong Overall Performance
Blaney has recorded seven DNFs in just 26 races this year, a statistic Letarte highlighted with disbelief on NASCAR Inside The Race.
“Seven DNFs this year. Seven! We’ve only run 26 races!”
Letarte said incredulously, adding,
“Man, they’ve had some stuff happen to them.”
Despite these setbacks, Blaney finished second in the regular season point standings and begins the playoffs ranked fourth after points were reset.
Playoff Structure Increases Pressure on Consistency
Letarte pointed out that the playoff format, which narrows to three races per round, reduces the room for error significantly. Although Blaney starts the playoffs with a 20-point cushion above the cutoff line, a single ill-timed DNF could quickly jeopardize his position. Letarte warned that a misstep at Darlington could push Blaney under the cutoff heading into the subsequent rounds at Gateway and Bristol.
The Critical Importance of Avoiding Mistakes Early in Playoffs
Elaborating on the challenge, Letarte said,
“When the sample size is 26 weeks, he ended up second. Scored second most points of anybody. But in a sample size of three, it’s hard to recover from a DNF, whether it’s your doing or somebody else’s. This format rewards winning and excellence.”
Co-host Alex Weaver agreed, emphasizing the risk of early errors:
“You cannot have a DNF week, especially in this opening round. Like, if you make a poor mistake, especially early in a race, yikes, good luck.”
Analyst’s Optimism Despite Potential Setbacks
In contrast, Russell Wenrich of Racing Insights offered a more hopeful outlook for Blaney. He noted Blaney’s resilience and proven capability to bounce back, recalling a near win at Gateway last season despite running out of gas late in the race. Wenrich remarked,
Image of: Ryan Blaney
“But he’s one of those that has the firepower to come back and win, too. Like he was leading and ran out of gas at Gateway with like three (laps) to go last year. Like, he’s great at Bristol.”
Playoff Pressure to Define Blaney’s Season Trajectory
Ryan Blaney’s NASCAR playoff concerns stem from a combination of strong regular-season results tempered by multiple DNFs. As the postseason condenses the competition into fewer races, Blaney must maintain consistency and avoid mishaps to advance. His performance at Darlington and the following rounds at Gateway and Bristol will be critical in determining how far he can go in the playoffs, with many watching closely to see if his talent and speed can overcome the vulnerabilities highlighted by Letarte and his peers.
