April 27, 2025
Ryan Blaney is the favorite to win the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend according to sportsbooks across the country. The Team Penske driver is one of the best at superspeedway racing and was a strong contender at both Daytona and Atlanta earlier this season. Here at Talladega specifically, Blaney is a three-time winner and has finished first or second in three of his six starts here in the Next Gen era. This weekend, Blaney will roll off the starting grid from ninth-place when the Jack Link's 500 goes green. This gives him a little bit of Place Differential upside with obvious race-winning potential as well. When it comes to DFS contests, Blaney is sure to be one of the higher-owned drivers on the slate. While it's important to have some exposure to a strong drafter like him, there's a strategy play in being underweight to the field in tournaments due to the volatile nature of races at Talladega.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: CBS Sports
April 17, 2025
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney finished Sunday's Food City 500 in fifth position at Bristol Motor Speedway. Beginning the race from the same position, Blaney quietly ran inside the top 10 and avoided any incidents and damage during the first stage. He would end the stage in the seventh position and earn three stage points. During the second stage, Blaney tried using an alternative pit strategy by pitting on lap 182, unlike the other top leaders of the race, to get fresher tires. However, this strategy didn't get Blaney right to the front, as even with a tire advantage, he finished the second stage in eighth, nabbing two more stage points. In the final stage, Blaney took another risky strategy by staying out and hoping for a caution while staying ahead of everyone for track position. A caution never came, and Blaney gave up the lead as he went to pit road on lap 439. The No. 12 Ford driver spent the rest of the race making up the spots he lost, and by the end of the race, he drove back to fifth. This marks the third time in his Cup career that Blaney scored a top-5 finish at Bristol and the third top-5 this season for the No. 12 driver.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
April 12, 2025
It's been quite a season of unfortunate happenings for Ryan Blaney in 2025, but eventually the bad luck should go away and he should start getting the finishes he deserves. The same has been true at Bristol Motor Speedway throughout Blaney's Cup Series career, as the Team Penske driver has led a bunch of laps here (507 to be exact) but has just two top-five results to show for it. Could he add a third this weekend, or maybe even a win? Blaney qualified fifth for this weekend's Food City 500 and the falloff of his lap times over the course of a long run in practice were above average. Blaney should be a top-five contender on Sunday--if (and it's a big if) nothing goes wrong. At $10,500 on DraftKings, he makes for an interesting pivot play off of some of the higher-priced drivers on the slate.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: DraftKings Network
April 7, 2025
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney finished fifth after the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. Starting ninth during this week's race, Blaney had one of the best cars that could make moves for the field. Despite having a setback of backing up during a pit stop, Blaney made up ground and ended the first stage in the seventh position, scoring four stage points. In the second stage, Blaney made it up to the top five but would fall short of competing for the lead. After going through pit stops, Blaney ended the second stage in the fourth position and acquired further stage points. In the final stage, Blaney's pit crew had additional issues with the jackman on pit road, causing him to restart deeper in the field. Blaney's car, however, was the best at getting through traffic on a longer run, and he made up plenty of ground in the final stage. Eventually, late in the stage, Blaney drove up to the lead by lap 290, passing Tyler Reddick until the race's final caution came out. Blaney's pit crew lost three positions, setting Blaney up for the final restart on fourth. The No. 12 Ford driver, however, was unable to regain track position from there and ended the race in fifth position. This was Blaney's first-ever top-5 finish at Darlington.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com