Blaney lost sleep after last week's loss, needs a big showing at Martinsville to defend NASCAR title

Ryan Blaney had nan checkered emblem successful show and a spot successful NASCAR's title-deciding title wrong his grasp past week connected nan past thigh of a contentious battle.

Then retired of nowhere, Tyler Reddick slid past Blaney successful nan last move and snatched nan triumph away.

Reddick will now title for his first Cup Series title adjacent week astatine Phoenix Raceway.

Blaney? He needs either to triumph Sunday astatine Martinsville Speedway successful Virginia aliases a occurrence for a chance to take sides his NASCAR championship.

He admits nan conclusion costs him sleep, peculiarly successful nan hours aft nan title astatine Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I rewatched it erstwhile I sewage location Sunday night,” Blaney said. “I rewatched nan full title and rewatched nan extremity of it and mislaid immoderate slumber complete nan extremity of that race."

The replay showed Blaney he made nan incorrect protect move successful an effort to clasp disconnected Reddick and Denny Hamlin — and he's second-guessed himself for days.

“When I watch a shot game, I’m like, ‘Why didn’t he conscionable do that?’” Blaney said. "In nan moment, erstwhile you’re that personification and you’re that athlete, aliases surviving successful that time, it’s truthful overmuch harder than being connected nan extracurricular and watching connected TV pinch each different angles and things for illustration that. You’re making real-time decisions successful nan moment. You don’t person immoderate clip to process, deliberation astir it, spell done each nan options. It’s boom, boom, boom. It’s each happening ace fast.

“You’re ne'er going to beryllium batting 1.000 for making nan correct decision, nan correct telephone and that’s what nan trouble of sporting is, is tin you make nan correct decisions? And really often do you make nan correct decisions?"

The nonaccomplishment put Blaney sixth successful nan playoff standings and 1 of six drivers fighting for nan 2 remaining spots successful nan winner-take-all title race. Joey Logano and Reddick claimed nan first 2 spots successful nan title section pinch victories successful this 3rd information of nan playoffs. Blaney of Team Penske is 38 points beneath nan elimination line.

There remains a way for Blaney, though, who if he tin make it into nan title would subordinate teammate Logano pinch 2 Ford drivers having a 50% chance to triumph nan title. Chase Elliott was beneath nan cutline astatine Martinsville successful 2020, won nan title and won nan championship. Similar for Christopher Bell, who was beneath nan cutline astatine Martinsville and won nan title to beforehand to nan championship.

Blaney is nan defending Martinsville victor and utilized nan momentum from that triumph to triumph his first NASCAR championship.

“I consciousness for illustration nan intelligence broadside is nan toughest point astir our sport,” Blaney said. “It’s conscionable really do you mentally enactment successful it and really do you set to what you request to do week in, week retired and successful nan moment, and past for nan future. So I effort not to dwell connected nan past excessively much, and you conscionable study from it and move on.”

Hamlin had a short Saturday astatine Martinsville Speedway erstwhile he collapsed during practice. The harm to his No. 11 Toyota was truthful terrible that Joe Gibbs Racing spent nan remainder of nan convention deciding if nan car could beryllium repaired aliases if he'd request a backup.

His car was accelerated for nan 33 laps he made earlier he backed it into nan wall, and contempt his abbreviated convention he classed 3rd connected nan velocity chart.

Either way, he couldn't make a qualifying effort and will commencement past Sunday.

Hamlin blamed nan clang connected a stuck throttle and was livid — he's beneath nan elimination cutline and tin only make nan title 4 pinch a triumph Sunday aliases important collapses by nan drivers up of him successful nan standings.

“I americium disappointment for sure, we came present really prepared,” Hamlin said. “All nan activity — now they are going to person to activity each night. The measurement believe was going, it felt for illustration it utilized to for me. We've sewage immoderate activity to do.”

Hamlin is simply a five-time victor astatine Martinsville, but hasn't been to triumph lane since 2015.

“Nothing from nan past is guaranteed successful nan future. The autumn race, it seems for illustration everyone brings their best, and we person had immoderate unfortunate circumstances astatine nan extremity of nan races present that person kept america retired of triumph lane,” Hamlin said. “That is conscionable portion of it. You conscionable dream that nan rule of averages activity themselves out. It is for illustration thing pinch information and analytics, 1 at-bat — thing tin happen. You conscionable ne'er know. You conscionable dream you are connected nan bully extremity of fortune, right?”

Hendrick Motorsports vanished nan 2nd information of nan playoffs believing it had each 4 of its drivers successful nan information of eight. But a grounded inspection for Alex Bowman disqualified him and Hendrick moved connected pinch only Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson successful nan field.

Now nan trio heads to Martinsville pinch only Byron supra nan elimination cutline and Hendrick not guaranteed of advancing moreover 1 driver to nan last four.

If Byron scores 49 points connected Sunday, he makes it backmost to nan title nary matter what immoderate different driver does astatine Martinsville. Larson and Elliott either request to triumph aliases collapses by nan drivers up of them successful nan standings, though Larson sits conscionable 7 points down Byron.

Elliott felt assured contempt nan gangly task up of him.

“Being successful a must-win astatine Martinsville is not needfully a bully thing, right?” Elliott said. “You would overmuch alternatively person punched your ticket, aliases beryllium successful a constituent business that is not last. The reality is that we person to spell retired present and execute astatine an highly precocious level. If nan play is not perfect, it's sewage to beryllium really close.”

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