2 days agoDespite his strong practice speeds this weekend, you should be leery of Ryan Blaney this weekend for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Why? Because, for whatever reason, the Team Penske driver can't seem to figure this track out. In 16 career starts at "The Lady in Black," Blaney has led a combined 22 laps at this track and has yet to post a top-five finish. Additionally, he has just three top-10 results, and his 19.6 career average finish at Darlington makes it one of the worst tracks on the schedule for Blaney. Of course, the lackluster results here will eventually turn around for the Cup Series Champion, but when will that happen? Until it does, it may be best to look elsewhere with your fantasy picks. There's a big difference between being fast in practice and being fast in the race at a track like Darlington, and Blaney hasn't shown to be capable of doing the latter as of yet.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
1 week agoRyan Blaney's No. 12 Ford was one of the fastest cars during practice at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday afternoon, but you'd have no idea by talking to him. Blaney was the fastest when it came to 30-lap average, but the Team Penske driver was skeptical when interviewed afterward, saying that the team had some work to do to get the car dialed in. He did acknowledge the speed, though, stating, "We have a fairly fast car." Blaney is a constant contender at Martinsville and hasn't finished worse than seventh at this race track in the Next Gen era. He's also won two of the last three at this track. Blaney is the highest-priced driver ($11,200) on the DraftKings slate this weekend, and with his dominating and race-winning potential, he's a strong play despite the high price tag. And that doesn't even take into account the fact that he qualified way back in 32nd-place. With the Place Differential upside as well, Blaney is a slam-dunk DFS pick this weekend--even with his concerns about the speed in his car. Sportsbooks still have him pegged as the favorite despite the deep starting spot.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 weeks agoLook for Ryan Blaney to contend for the win at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The Team Penske driver had one of the best long-run cars in practice this weekend, as the No. 12 Ford ranked second behind Kyle Larson in 30-lap average. Additionally, Blaney had a strong effort in qualifying, laying down a lap of 32.141 seconds, which will allow him to start from the third row when the Straight Talk Wireless 400 goes green. Homestead has been a very strong race track for Blaney over the years, particularly in the Next Gen era. Over the last two races here, he has finished runner-up each time and led a combined 100 laps between the two events. At $10,000 on DraftKings, Blaney is still a viable DFS option this weekend due to his dominator potential and race-winning upside.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
3 weeks agoRyan Blaney's performance on Sunday was defined by struggle and disappointment. Starting from the rear of the field due to having to his team having to repair his car due to a practice crash, Blaney began the first stage, making moves through the field. Blaney intended to split the first stage into two green flag runs but had issues during his pit stop, causing him to go two laps down. It wouldn't be until lap 109 in the middle of the second stage when Blaney returned to the lead lap, and he made the most of it as he got to sixth by the end of the stage. In the final stage, Blaney ran around the top five before getting caught in contact with Noah Gragson and Bubba Wallace, causing his car to spin and get massive damage. The No. 12 Ford driver would be unable to continue the race, being scored 35th for the day.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
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