Ryan Blaney addresses ‘pressure’ of NASCAR Playoffs after Loudon victory

It only took four races of the NASCAR Playoffs to realize that this season is trending in the same direction as the last three. Team Penske, and Ryan Blaney in particular, appear ready to march to Phoenix for another championship.

Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano dominated New Hampshire. Josh Berry had perhaps the best car on the track for much of the race. Outside of Austin Cindric, Penske and Wood Brothers were top of the field.

Does Team Penske and its drivers handle the NASCAR Playoffs differently than other teams? Is there a clutch gene in Blaney and Logano that doesn’t exist in others?

After his win on Sunday, Ryan Blaney was asked about the pressure of the postseason. It was a good insight into how he approaches these races.

“That’s just part of the playoffs. There’s pressure. There’s expectations that you should run well. Expectations with yourself. Expectations from the outside world. It’s just how do you handle that and how do you just clear all that stuff out and just go race at the end of the day? That’s how I’ve always tried to think about it, like just go racing and go do the best job that you can.

“That’s what I judge my team off of. Did we do a great job collectively? Did we communicate well through the week, through the weekend? Did we do a good job on pit road? Did I do my job on the racetrack? That’s what I think we did a great job of today. Yeah, it’s a lot of pressure. This is your season. This is your year, everyone’s year that can go win a championship. It’s nice that we could rise to the occasion today. Hopefully, we can continue to do it.”

Ryan Blaney embracing the pressure of NASCAR Playoffs

So, the pressure is there. While there are many critics of the NASCAR Playoffs, even among drivers, when it starts, everyone knows what the deal is. From Roger Penske to the drivers to the guy who sweeps the floors in the shop – they all know this is when it’s time to perform.

Ryan Blaney has shown for three years in a row that this is the time of the season when he is at his best. The thing is, we haven’t gotten to his best tracks yet. When the Round of 8 begins, that’s when Blaney is going to be at his best. Vegas, Homestead, and Martinsville.

During the NASCAR Playoffs, Penske just finds a way to separate themselves. When it happens once, that’s a coincidence. After two times, you get suspicious. This is now the fourth season Penske has found a way to up their game this time of the year.

So, is it inevitable? Will anyone be able to keep Penske from claiming another championship? While Ryan Blaney advanced this week, it could easily be Joey Logano a week from now.