Ryan Blaney has made NASCAR's championship fight a three-horse race

Whether it was actual disbelief or delirium from racing until nearly 2 a.m. ET Monday morning, Ryan Blaney was surprised to learn that his win in the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta put him only 65 points behind NASCAR Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin. 

"Really? Wow," Blaney said in his post-race news conference. "Wow."

In a year in which Team Penske has struggled and, on a wider scale, Ford has struggled to find pace as a whole, Blaney has been a beacon of speed and hope. The 2023 Cup Series champion is the only Ford driver to win this season and in the last 13 months, for that matter. 

Blaney has eight straight top 10s and a series-leading 15 on the season through 20 races. And as if there were any doubt that the No. 12 team is making the fight for the points lead and the championship a three-horse race, Blaney put it to bed by leading a whopping 171 of 263 laps at Atlanta. 

"I couldn’t ask for a better weekend," Blaney said. "Sat on the pole, won both stages and won the race. My car was incredibly fast, leading. I could defend moves without having to throw, like, low-percentage blocks. I just never really did that. Some moves are kind of unbeatable to defend as the leader. I would just let people get to my inside. If they passed me, great, I think I can probably develop a run to get them back."

Ryan Blaney gaining ground on points leaders

Blaney scored 75 points with his dominant performance on Sunday in a race that kept trying to throw curveball after curveball at him. He fell outside of the top 15 after pit stops at the end of Stage 2 and was put into the wall late in the race by Bubba Wallace, which caused his No. 12 Ford to develop a horrible vibration. 

But time after time, it was the No. 12 who made decisive moves to get back to the lead. On the final lap, a well-timed shove from Christopher Bell gave Blaney the run he needed to score the win and avenge his heartbreaking loss at Atlanta in February 2024.

"Suarez won it from the top," Blaney said, referencing the thrilling three-wide finish. "I won it from the top."

Blaney's competitors for the regular season title, Hamlin and second-place Tyler Reddick, finished 12th and eighth, respectively. The final six races of the regular season should play into the hands of Blaney and the No. 12 Penske group, as the circuit heads to North Wilkesboro, Iowa, New Hampshire and Daytona over the next six events. 

"I don’t think it’s out of the question," Blaney said of taking the points lead. "We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. That surprises me we’re that close. I think before San Diego I was like 160 out. It shows you how quick things can kind of ebb and flow.

"Got to keep doing what we’re doing. Never know when we can get there or not."

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.