Is Ryan Blaney trapped in playoff déjà vu after Vegas wreck leaves him in a deep hole?

Ryan Blaney's NASCAR Cup Series playoff hopes have taken a concerning turn once again. After winning the Round of 8 opener at New Hampshire, he saw a devastating repeat of his 2024 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Blaney arrived in Las Vegas as a title favorite. But a cut left-front tire sent his No. 12 Ford into the outside wall late in Stage 1. The Team Penske driver's day ended abruptly after a left-front tire failure in Stage 1 caused him to crash into the wall. The car suffered heavy damage, and his day ended in a 38th-place finish.

The setback places Blaney 31 points below the playoff cutline, below the Championship 4 cutline heading into the upcoming race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Last season, Blaney faced similar adversity at Vegas and is now left to deal with a playoff déjà vu as he himself admitted. He will most likely be forced to chase a win in the next two races to advance. He managed to advance to the Championship 4 after winning at Martinsville in 2024.

"We'll have to come from behind like we did last year. Hopefully, we can win one of the next two weeks," Ryan Blaney said (via NBC Sports).

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion's Las Vegas playoff weekend turned sour before the green flag after he crashed in Saturday practice, and the team put him in a backup No. 12 Ford. Blaney was later caught up in a multi-car crash and finished 32nd in 2024.

The second race of the Round of 8 is scheduled for Blaney has won the last two playoff races at Martinsville and also has three victories at Talladega in the past six years.

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Ryan Blaney banking on previous success to advance further in NASCAR Cup playoffs

Ryan Blaney leads active NASCAR Cup drivers with an average finish of 8.5 over 19 races at Martinsville. In the Next Gen era, his average finish has improved to 4.6 with five top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes.

Meanwhile, he has six top-5 finishes and eight top-10 finishes in 21 career starts at the Talladega Superspeedway. His average finish at the 2.66-mile high-banked oval is 16.0.

"We've had good success at the next two events, so hopefully we can come and bring the speed and try to overcome the hole we put ourselves in," Ryan Blaney said (via ESPN). "Maybe you look forward to those (tracks). Obviously, we have to look forward to them. Not the spot you want to be in," he added (via Yard Baker).

Denny Hamlin won the Vegas playoff race and has secured a spot in the Championship 4. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, who each have runner-up finishes, are holding second and third playoff spots for the Championship 4, respectively. Chase Briscoe completes the four and is currently 15 points above the cutline.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar