NASCAR Cup Series

Ryan Blaney 1-on-1: On locking up a playoff spot, trying to win at his boss' track in Indy

Updated Aug. 10, 2023 9:56 a.m. ET

Ryan Blaney heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway knowing he had chances to win both of the previous races on the track's 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.

Blaney came up empty both times. Last year, it would have been a big win because it would have vaulted him into the playoffs rather than him having to fight to the last lap of the regular season to advance.

Actually, it would have been a big win no matter what, considering team owner Roger Penske's résumé at the track, where he has won the Indianapolis 500 a whopping 19 times, including this year's event with Josef Newgarden. Penske bought the track in 2020.

Blaney talked with FOX Sports last week prior to the race at Michigan about his season — he won the Coke 600 to lock himself into the playoffs — and heading to Indianapolis to race at a track owned by his boss.

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Last year at Indianapolis and during this time of year, we were asking you about the playoffs — are you going to make it, are you going to make it? What's your summer been like knowing you're not having to worry about that?

It's definitely less stressful than last year — a lot less. This time last year it was getting a little worrisome not having won yet and in a big points battle with the 19 [of Martin Truex Jr.] and not knowing if you're going to win that weekend, if someone else is going to win that weekend and bump another spot out.

So it was nice to have won at Charlotte and just trying to focus on getting ready for next month and trying to get playoff points, trying to get wins, battling some guys in the points to try to get some bonus points when the regular season ends. It's nice not having that stress like we had last year. That definitely wasn't fun. But, honestly, the goal is still the same. It's just you feel a little bit better about it.

Were you stressed out over performance going into Michigan?

Not really. The past month, I feel like we've been fairly strong. The finishes might not have shown. We were running second at Loudon and had a pit-road penalty. We just got the lead at Pocono and had an engine issue. And then last week at Richmond, we were just OK. But I thought we've been pretty solid in the last month, just a couple of things went wrong for us. But I think we're getting there.

Last year, you're spending this time trying to get into the playoffs. Do you feel like you have spent time now preparing for the playoffs? Is everything focused on those last 10 weeks now?

No. We've tried to take it one week at a time and try to win every single weekend. You're paying attention to the playoffs. You're getting ready for the first round and going through those racetracks and how we were there — whether it was earlier this year or last year. You're always paying attention to that and you're kind of building towards that about probably a month out.

We've kind of started those conversations on, ‘Hey, how are we going to go different to Darlington than where we were there earlier this year?' But at the same time, you're focused [on upcoming races at] Indy, Glen, Daytona — so it's kind of a little bit of both going on at the moment. I try not to let one race get in your head too much. I thought the last two years we did a great job of getting through the playoffs and getting to the Round of 8. We got taken out at Kansas in the Round of 8 [in 2021] looking really good on points to make it to Phoenix and then didn't quite have enough to get in. And then last year, I made two mistakes at Vegas and Homestead that really kept us out of Phoenix. You just try to limit mistakes and you hope experience helps you out when it comes to that.

Ryan Blaney on how much less pressure he feels going into playoffs compared to last year

Indy this week. Is it any different going there now that Roger Penske owns the place compared to when you started your career?

A little bit. Not much. It was always a big emphasis to win there before he didn't own it. And it wasn't really talked about in the race shop. You just knew, right? Everyone knew the goal trying to win in a place that's special to Roger. And now that he owns it, I think it's even more important for us to go try to do well and win. And especially with the IndyCar guys being with us that weekend [racing Saturday at IMS]. That little doubleheader, that'd be cool to win for Roger on the same track on the same weekend. It was nice to accomplish that Indy 500-Coke 600 sweep earlier in May. But it'd be really cool to do it on the same weekend with all those guys there. And I think a lot of those guys are going to stick around. So if they can get it done Saturday, we'll try to do our jobs Sunday. But as I said, we don't really talk about it in the Penske race shop. It's just known. And everybody tries really hard to get it done. So that'd be a very special weekend if we could do it for him at his favorite track and at the track that he owns.

Did Roger say much to you personally about the 500-600 sweep?

We talked multiple times over the next couple of days after that. And I brought up how neat is it that we were able to do that for you. And we also talked about how hard it is to believe that it hadn't been done yet. He's done everything in motorsports. That was his 19th Indy 500 and third 600. And it's hard to believe we haven't done that in the same year.

So that was really special. He was just over the moon about it. And it was so cool to just be a part of it and contribute to doing something so meaningful for him and his career. And it's always really neat when you can check off a box for Mr. Penske that hasn't been checked already. For a guy who has everything, and he's done everything, that makes you feel really good. Everyone on the 12 group [of mine] was really happy and everyone on Josef's car was super happy, too.

That was a fun little party at the race shop that we had the following week. We had a little happy hour and to see everybody — not only the road crews, but everybody who works in the race shop who don't go to the racetrack, they contributed just as much. It was neat to talk to Mr. Penske that night. He was on a plane headed somewhere, but he can call from wherever he's at — in the air, on the ground or at sea, whatever. So that was a fun conversation.

Ryan Blaney on what it would mean to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

This might be the last race at least for a while on the Indy road course with likely going to the oval next year. You came close to winning in that first year in 2021. Having come so close, would it mean more if you can win it this time around?

Yeah, we came close the first year, ran second. We had a great shot to win last year, too. We were third on the last restart and got bulldozed. We've had some good runs there on the Indy road course and just haven't been able to quite squeak into victory lane.

From the rumors I've been hearing — whatever year it's going to be when we go back, whether you switch up to the oval and road course every couple of years or whatever it is, it'd be cool to win one before we go back to the oval. It would definitely make it a little bit sweeter for multiple reasons — winning for R.P. on that racetrack and to do it after we've had really good runs the first couple of years.

You drove for Brad Keselowski in trucks, and then drove for Penske in a way with the Wood Brothers and then for Penske now. Was it weird going from somebody like Brad compared to somebody like Roger Penske?

It was interesting because when I initially got with Brad's truck program in the late summer, early fall of 2012, I drove some of the Nationwide cars [at Penske]. Brad was on his championship run in 2012 on the Cup side, so they filled me in for a lot of those Xfinity races later that year. I still drove for Roger a little bit when I got going. But now when you start doing more stuff for him, you drive full-time Cup for him, it wasn't all too weird. I had a couple of different bosses throughout the years at the same time. Brad was my boss, Roger was my boss, and then Len and Eddie [Wood] were my boss and Roger was my boss.

It was really neat to drive for a few amazing owners, huge pioneers of our sport. I owe Brad a lot for getting me going in those years. ... A lot of guys who came through his truck program are in the Cup Series right now. So that program did wonders for a lot of our careers, gave us tons of opportunities. But it wasn't bad. I just had to report to two different guys. As a young kid, I was just really excited to be able to get a shot in NASCAR, let alone be able to drive for a couple of great owners.

Do people still come up to you thinking, because your family has a long history on dirt and sprint cars, that you drove sprint cars and drove on dirt?

Yeah, I still get that. Not as much nowadays as it was maybe a handful of years ago when I was just getting going. That was a big thing, especially even a few years ago when the first Cup race at Bristol dirt came. They're like, ‘Oh, you've got plenty of experience on dirt.' I'm like, ‘No. I barely have any. It was 10 years since I drove a proper dirt car.'

People still confuse that a little bit. It's not a big deal to me. I never really did too much of it. I tested dad's sprint car a little bit in 2011-2012 but never really raced the 410 [sprint car] before that kind of got pushed aside for the NASCAR side. I still get confused for that a little bit every now and then.

Ryan Blaney on the misconception he has dirt/sprint car experience because of his background

It's almost a tribute to your family legacy that people think that you have that experience?

It doesn't bother me one bit. I enjoy it. It kind of brings the conversation over to my dad [Dave] a little bit more and my uncle Dale. That part is nice. Dad, for him to keep racing, even nowadays to run third in a [World of] Outlaw show at Weedsport (N.Y.) the other week. That's cool for him to still have fun doing that and still be running well. I cheer him on the dirt side 10-to-15 times a year when he runs.

What To Watch For

AJ Allmendinger and Tyler Reddick, the two drivers who have won Cup races on the IMS road course, likely should be considered the favorites.

But consider the sports car and international stars in this event, headlined by Chicago street course winner Shane van Gisbergen, who returns for a second race with Trackhouse Racing. And he has a friend from Australian Supercars coming with him — Brodie Kostecki is driving for Richard Childress Racing.

Former Formula 1 champion Jenson Button is driving for Rick Ware Racing. Two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller is in the Legacy Motorsports No. 42 substituting for Noah Gragson (suspension). Road-racing star Kamui Kobayashi will drive at third car for 23XI Racing.

All of those drivers could be threats to challenge the Cup stars.

There will be two new rules for the race this year. NASCAR will move the restart zone to between Turns 13 and 14 just prior to coming to the frontstretch, much like it was for the Chicago street course. Drivers can change lanes once they exit the restart zone rather than having to wait until the start-finish line. NASCAR hopes this will lead to a more manageable entry into the tight right-hand Turn 1 from the frontstretch to the infield portion of the track.

And after last year's Ross Chastain move taking the access road instead of Turn 1 and then using that to come back on the course, NASCAR says such a move would require a stop-and-go.

Thinking Out Loud

Zane Smith now has the freedom to look for an Xfinity or Cup ride as Front Row Motorsports did not pick up his option for next year.

Front Row, which opted to keep Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland in its Cup cars next season, would love to have Smith back in a truck next year with the possibility of select Cup races in a third car. But Smith has spent four years in the truck series with finishes of second, second and first in the standings. He feels he is ready for Cup.

Zane Smith on the possibility of racing in the Cup Series next season

Smith does have 33 top-5s (including nine wins) in 85 truck starts. He also has been solid in the Cup races where he has run, including a 10th-place finish in the Coke 600.

So where does he go? That is a good question as Smith doesn't have a huge suitcase filled with sponsor dollars coming with him.

He will be a candidate for any open ride, including if Stewart-Haas Racing's Aric Almirola retires, as well as the current opening at Kaulig Racing. Both of those cars likely could use some significant sponsorship.

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They Said It

"It still looks crazy. You're still going to arrive into Turn 1 in a massive pack of cars. It's going to be on. I don't really know how to be in those situations. I guess I'll have to learn on the fly. It's pretty awesome to watch on TV, but I think being in it, I don't know if I'll think the same." —Chicago winner Shane van Gisbergen on Turn 1 of the IMS road course

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass, and sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass.

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