Talladega Throwback: Ryan Blaney wins by inches over Ryan Newman

As we prepare for another Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, let’s go back to 2019 when Ryan Blaney inched his way to victory. Blaney is now a two-time winner at Talladega. However, just a few years ago, he was fighting for his NASCAR Playoff hopes, and his first win, at the track.

Ryan Blaney has become a contestant threat to win at Talladega in recent years. However, it wasn’t always that way for Blaney. 2019 was his big break when he was able to just barely take the win from Ryan Newman in the closing seconds of the race.

Fans will remember this finish. It was a classic superspeedway, nose-to-nose finish, and no one knew how it was going to end until it finally did.

Ryan Blaney was out front and in the wind. Then, Rocket Man came back and started to push for the lead. Just when it looked like Newman would win, Blaney found a little more speed and got his nose ahead of the No. 6 car.

Ford at Talladega, it’s hard to beat. Ryan Blaney was able to win again at Dega the following spring of 2020. Since then, Blaney has had some struggles at Talladega. That has changed in the last couple of seasons, though.

Heading into the Yellawood 500 this season, Blaney is going to be in the mix once again. He could use a win to put himself into the Round of 8, too.

Ryan Blaney has good odds to win at Talladega

Between 2019 and 2020, Ryan Blaney won two races at Talladega back-to-back. From 2022 to 2023, Blaney has finished P2 in back-to-back races now. The last two times the Cup Series has shown up to the Alabama racetrack, he’s been the bridesmaid.

This weekend, Blaney is listed at 12-1 odds. He is among the favorites for the race. While he isn’t the favorite, it is a Ford Mustang party as far as the bookmakers are concerned.

Brad Keselowski is the only driver favored above Ryan Blaney, at 11-1 odds. Blaney and his teammate Joey Logano are both 12-1 odds to win the race. 11 points below the cutline, Blaney could really use a good points day, or a win to help his hopes of making the Round of 8.

Coming into the Round of 12, I thought this would be Blaney’s best set of races. If he can make it to the next round, then he has a great shot at making the Championship 4. He had a speeding penalty bite him in the rear at Texas. No mistakes in the next two weeks will be important in keeping the postseason journey alive.