Ryan Blaney shows again how clutch he is with New Hampshire playoff win

In sports, being able to perform under pressure is an invaluable trait. 

Over the last three years, Ryan Blaney has become one of NASCAR's truly elite drivers, largely in part due to his ability to perform when the lights are the brightest. 

On Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Blaney passed Josh Berry for the race lead with 39 laps to go. Despite a hungry Berry making numerous charges, Blaney hung on to the lead and crossed under the checkered flag, scoring his third win of the season and securing a spot in the Round of 8. 

How Ryan Blaney continues to find success

It's the third year in a row that Blaney has won at least three races, including at least one playoff race, as he seeks his third consecutive Championship 4 appearance. 

That sustained success has turned the No. 12 team into one of the most feared groups in the garage area on a weekly basis. 

"All the guys on the 12 team are awesome," Blaney said in his post-race news conference. "(Crew chief) Jonathan (Hassler) is unbelievable. It’s been a pleasure to work with them for as long as I have and just continue to get better. These guys continue to refine the craft and become closely bonded and trust each other — you have a hundred percent trust already, but it just builds with time."

Part of that craft has been Blaney and his team turning into a team that can not only perform well enough to make the playoffs, but make deep postseason runs to the point where they've become expected. 

That leads to inherent pressure that's likely an acceptable price for the 2023 Cup Series champion and his team. 

"That’s just part of the playoffs," Blaney said. "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." 

With a Round of 8 berth in hand, Blaney doesn't have to sweat out the next two races at Kansas Speedway (Sept. 28) and the Charlotte Roval (Oct. 5). That gives the No. 12 team two weeks to prepare for the penultimate round of the playoffs, where Blaney will try and further build his legacy by putting pressure aside and advancing to a third consecutive Championship 4. 

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media unless otherwise noted.