William Byron and Ryan Blaney were the first two drivers to clinch spots in the third round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, and the stakes are high for both to make sure it isn’t once again where their season ends.
Byron earned his spot with a victory at Texas Motor Speedway (Sept. 24), and Blaney followed with a last-lap pass at Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 1). It’s an accomplishment for both teams and a necessary step toward competing for the Cup Series championship.
But it’s a step both drivers have taken before. It’s getting past the semifinals that is the ultimate next step for Byron and Blaney, and one they both hope to take for the first time this season.
Byron made the Round of 8 for the first time last year, adding to his Cup Series playoff experience. And Byron went into the elimination race at Martinsville Speedway above the cutline, but after not earning stage points, a seventh-place finish wasn’t enough to advance.
It was a lesson that Byron believes will propel his team through the Round of 8 this year.
“I think the Round of 8 is a big accomplishment, no matter who you are or what team,” Byron said. “It’s really difficult to get to that point. So, I’m really proud of that, first off. And then I think (it’s) just execution. Last year, we left a lot of points on the table through the three races.
“We had decent finishes, but we could have finished a lot better than we did and still were close to the bubble. It’s execution, and trying to put three good races together. That means stage points and all those things. Martinsville has definitely been a focus of ours, so got some work to do there, but I think the other ones we feel really good about.”
Of the three races that make up the next round, Byron has won all of them. Byron was victorious at Las Vegas earlier this season, scored a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2021, and conquered Martinsville Speedway in the spring of 2022.
Byron earned the maximum 60 points in his victory at Las Vegas. However, he was 23rd in the finishing order at Martinsville in the spring (earning 15 points). And Homestead is seen only once a year by Cup Series teams, so many variables will have evolved by the time the series returns Oct. 22.
“Yes and no,” Byron said of those tracks lining up well for him. “I feel like all the guys competing to make the Championship 4 are good at those racetracks. It just seems like that’s the emphasis that is put on from the beginning of the year with those teams – they try to perform at those tracks.
“So, I don’t feel like we’re a favorite at those tracks, but I do feel like we are very capable of running top five, and honestly, just need to start there and try to do that first and see where we go from there. Vegas was a long time ago. I love our success there. I love the feel I have for the track. But the setups have changed, and we have to migrate with that.”
Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports have been championship favorites for much of the season. Entering the postseason, Byron had five wins and was the No. 1 seed. Texas was his sixth victory and further padded his playoff point tally.
Blaney is a more curious case when it comes to his postseason success. The Team Penske driver is set for his fifth appearance in the semifinal round and third consecutive. It’s been the ceiling for Blaney and the No. 12 team, while teammate Joey Logano is a two-time champion in this format, and former teammate Brad Keselowski was also a Championship 4 regular.
After not making the postseason as a rookie (2016), Blaney has finished no better than seventh in the championship standings. Getting over the hump and showing he can be a championship contender continues to be the focus for Blaney and Co.
“I think just learning from mistakes,” he said. “I feel like I’ve made mistakes. Last year, I made two massive mistakes that kept us out of Phoenix. So, learning from prior experiences is beneficial there. Obviously, you need your cars to be fast enough because it gets super tough, and there’s no superspeedway or no road course. It’s traditional tracks. When everything resets, you have guys that have tons of points.
“If we can learn from past mistakes and have our cars fast and just not mess up… you have to perform. Just believing in each other and continuing to work. I feel like our cars haven’t been quite the speed they needed to be to compete with maybe [Kyle Larson], or [Denny Hamlin] has been fast, but I think we’re still working. This could be a big shot in the arm for us. I’m excited to see what we have for them when we unload in Vegas.”
Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami Speedway will be big tests for Blaney. The intermediates and its downforce package have been tough on the Ford camp this season and Blaney’s results have been up and down on the traditional mile-and-a-half tracks. Blaney won the Coca-Cola 600 but finished outside the top 10 in both Kansas Speedway races, at Las Vegas, and in Texas. But he ran well at places like Darlington Raceway (ninth in both races) and Michigan (ninth).
“I obviously feel good about them,” Blaney said. “We’ve been working super hard to find this intermediate speed. I feel like we’ve gotten better. We ran better at Kansas than we did prior. We had a good run going at Texas. Didn’t qualify well, but got through there and was able to maintain.
“I don’t know, it’s kind of hard to tell until you unload. You are always trying to work on stuff, but you have to have confidence that you are going to unload fast and with speed and be able to compete.”
Byron begins the Round of 8 at the top of the leaderboard with a 20-point advantage on the cutline. Blaney begins the round at the bottom of the leaderboard, 10 points below a transfer spot.