Ryan Blaney is doing something in 2026 that shouldn’t be possible.
Through the first eight races of the season, the Team Penske driver has lost 88 positions on pit road — by far the worst mark in the Cup Series.
And somehow, it hasn’t stopped him.
Blaney already owns a win this season at Phoenix — a race he won despite again losing ground during pit cycles — and added another elite performance Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing second after a hard-fought battle with Kyle Larson. He also won the Bristol pole during the weekend’s qualifying session.
On track, he looks like one of the fastest drivers in the field.
On pit road, it’s a completely different story.
Bristol Exposes the Same Issue Again
Sunday’s race at Bristol may have been the clearest example yet of the disconnect defining Blaney’s season.
He ran near the front for much of the race and showed the kind of long-run speed needed to contend at a track where passing is notoriously difficult. But once again, pit road cost him.
Blaney lost multiple positions during pit cycles, including five spots in a single sequence, continuing a trend that has followed the No. 12 team all season. Entering the race, his pit crew ranked near the bottom of the field — and the struggles showed again.
Still, Blaney refused to let it define his finish.
Late in the race, he charged back through the field and made contact with Denny Hamlin entering Turn 3 while fighting for position, reclaiming spots the hard way.
It’s becoming a pattern.
If Blaney loses track position on pit road, he simply goes and takes it back.
A Weakness the Field Is Targeting
The issue isn’t just visible — it’s now a known vulnerability.
Kyle Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, made that clear during the race, pointing directly to pit road as the place competitors believe they can beat Blaney.
“The thing we can do on pit road is we can beat him [Ryan Blaney] off pit road, so we’re going to focus on that.”
That’s not speculation. That’s strategy.
Blaney’s speed has forced teams to look for any possible advantage — and right now, pit road is the one area where they consistently have one.
The Number That Defines the Problem
The stat tells the story better than anything else:
Eighty-eight positions lost on pit road through eight races.
In a sport where track position is everything — especially at places like Bristol — those losses aren’t small setbacks. They fundamentally change how races unfold.
Even Sunday, Blaney’s recovery masked what could have been something more.
A Championship Contender Facing a Real Problem
There’s no question about the speed.
Blaney has shown he can win. He’s shown he can contend anywhere. Week after week, the No. 12 car looks capable of running with the best in the series. And the Team Penske wheelman currently sits in the runner-up position in Cup Series standings.
But at this level, speed alone isn’t enough.
Execution matters just as much — and right now, that’s where the gap is.
Blaney has proven he can overcome mistakes. But championship runs aren’t built on recovery drives. They’re built on clean races.
What Happens If It Gets Fixed?
That’s the part that should concern the rest of the field.
Blaney is already winning — and nearly winning — while giving up significant track position every week.
If that trend continues, it will keep costing him. But if it stops?
That’s when this becomes something much bigger than a midseason storyline. Because if the pit road issues disappear, there may not be much left holding him back.
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