“My stress has been reduced”: Team Penske chief makes feelings known as Ryan Blaney becomes first teammate to advance in playoffs

Ryan Blaney's crew chief, Michael Nelson, shared his relief with the No.12 driver securing a spot in the final eight. He admitted that Blaney's win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway allows for some 'breathing room' until the next round.

During Sunday's(September 21) Mobil 1 301, Blaney became the first Team Penske driver to win a playoff race. Notably, the 301-lap event was a strong suit for the team due to their July tire test at the Loudon track.

Logano wound up on pole and was followed by Blaney in second. The reigning champion went on to have a race-best 147-lap lead, while Blaney led 116 laps, including the final 39.

In a post-race press conference, Nelson had this to say about the feat (via ASAP Sports.com),

"I said earlier my stress has been reduced by one-third. We've got two more to try to get in here these next couple weeks." "No, this goes a long way. It's really good to see this team get the win. They've had the fastest car quite a bit here recently. It's good to bring it home for them just for the win's sake, but also it's huge to obviously have a little bit of breathing room for the next round," he added.

Ryan Blaney's win at the 1.058-mile track hints at the team's potential strength in Phoenix Raceway, another flat track and the site of this year's final four race. The result also marks Blaney's second win in five races, further underscoring the growing momentum within the No.12 team.

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Ryan Blaney looks forward to Las Vegas

Ryan Blaney addressed his spot on the final eight and signalled a shift in focus for the Las Vegas race. Nonetheless, he remained confident in acing the upcoming rounds at Kansas Speedway and the Charlotte Roval.

In a post-race interview shared by NASCAR reporter Claire B. Lang, Blaney said,

"It gives us a little bit more time to think of Vegas. We're still going to give max effort at Kansas and Roval... like the goal is to win every single week." “We will not shy any attention away from Kansas or Roval, but might start working on Vegas earlier than you would, knowing that you're going to be in the Round of 8 there,” he added.

The result bumped Ryan Blaney to the top of the playoff standings. Joey Logano, meanwhile, won Stage 2 and collected enough points to get himself ahead of the cutline. He currently has a 24-point cushion at sixth place.

On the other hand, Tam Penske's Austin Cindric runs the risk of elimination with 19 points below the cutoff. He has to overcome Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain, who's ahead of him by seven points.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna