Cup RACE thread --- Phoenix

I thought it was a good race. 750 HP + softer tires definitely improved the racing at Phoenix. Saw a lot of comers and goers and the good cars were able to drive up through the field after mistakes on pit road.

I know 1.5 mile tracks has been pretty dang with this car and I understand why they don’t want to change anything with that , but I’m curious how the racing would look 750 HP + softer tires with this car on those tracks especially places like Kansas and Homestead.
 
More horsepower is never a bad thing...

I honestly would love to see if they would try 750 hp on 1.5 milers and 800hp on shorter tracks in 2027.

I mean come on it's 2026. Surely the engines are durable enough to take a few races at those levels.
 

1773079155933.png
 
Connor Zilisch having a brutal start to the season. His teammate Shane van Gisbergen is off to a great start. Before the season started, I thought it would be the opposite between those 2.
 
Ernie_Irvan#4 said:
I thought it was a good race. 750 HP + softer tires definitely improved the racing at Phoenix. Saw a lot of comers and goers and the good cars were able to drive up through the field after mistakes on pit road.

I know 1.5 mile tracks has been pretty dang with this car and I understand why they don’t want to change anything with that , but I’m curious how the racing would look 750 HP + softer tires with this car on those tracks especially places like Kansas and Homestead.
Click to expand...

If more HP significantly improves the racing this year, especially on the bigger ovals like Darlington, Dover, Nashville and what we just saw at Phoenix, NASCAR should consider using the same tapered spacer across-the-board next season.
 
Is anyone else comfortable calling Blaney a top 3 driver in the sport?

Penske, in general, doesn't have the week to week speed HMS/JGR and even 23XI does. However, Blaney has always seemed to have a lot of speed. He may be one of the best at managing pace over the long run.

While it took he and the team time to figure it out, Blaney is one of the maybe 2 drivers in the sport right now where you can pencil him as a lock for the win when he has the best car, along with Hamlin.

He's also only 3 wins behind Elliott, 18 vs 21.

He's a budding ATG, on that same level as Kenseth and Keselowski imo.
 
jaqua19 said:
Is anyone else comfortable calling Blaney a top 3 driver in the sport?

Penske, in general, doesn't have the week to week caspeed HMS/JGR and even 23XI does. However, Blaney has always seemed to have a lot of speed. He may be one of the best at managing pace over the long run.

While it took he and the team time to figure it out, Blaney is one of the maybe 2 drivers in the sport right now where you can pencil him as a lock for the win when he has the best car, along with Hamlin.

He's also only 3 wins behind Elliott, 18 vs 21.

He's a budding ATG, on that same level as Kenseth and Keselowski imo.
Click to expand...
Interesting question, being a Blaney fan I hadn't given that any thought.

At this point in Ryan's career a top 3 at any track is not a surprise and I believe he does consistently carry more speed than his Penske and Ford teammates.

His wins don't come in droves, but much like his driving style have come with consistency over the years. He is not going to be the most aggressive driver on the track and that is generally good. What I feel he lacks is that raw determination to get the lead, especially on a late race restart when he may not have the "best car." Don't get me wrong, like you said if he has a dominant car he has proven he will get the win. He just isn't on par with guys like Hamlin, Larson, Byron and Busch (back in the day) to get that run to the front in the last few laps.

His performance Sunday showed a level of maturity and temperate demeanor that we haven't seen from him before. What this leads to remains to be seen. Throughout his career he has always been "on the verge" of becoming a more dominant driver.

Those of us that have followed the Blaney's for years, still call him YRB (Young Ryan Blaney). His father, grandfather and uncle have been admired by race fans for years, not only for their on track performance but for the way they live their lives. Ryan is no exception.

Top 3 current driver? If I had to pick a teammate he would definitely be one of my choices.
 
DIDIT said:
Interesting question, being a Blaney fan I hadn't given that any thought.

At this point in Ryan's career a top 3 at any track is not a surprise and I believe he does consistently carry more speed than his Penske and Ford teammates.

His wins don't come in droves, but much like his driving style have come with consistency over the years. He is not going to be the most aggressive driver on the track and that is generally good. What I feel he lacks is that raw determination to get the lead, especially on a late race restart when he may not have the "best car." Don't get me wrong, like you said if he has a dominant car he has proven he will get the win. He just isn't on par with guys like Hamlin, Larson, Byron and Busch (back in the day) to get that run to the front in the last few laps.

His performance Sunday showed a level of maturity and temperate demeanor that we haven't seen from him before. What this leads to remains to be seen. Throughout his career he has always been "on the verge" of becoming a more dominant driver.

Those of us that have followed the Blaney's for years, still call him YRB (Young Ryan Blaney). His father, grandfather and uncle have been admired by race fans for years, not only for their on track performance but for the way they live their lives. Ryan is no exception.

Top 3 current driver? If I had to pick a teammate he would definitely be one of my choices.
Click to expand...

I feel like Blainy Has a lot of raw speed and car control period And I think Is absolutely Superior to Byron period I think he's had some poor luck And some races get away from him. However, since 2023, it just seems like a near given that he's going to win when he has the fastest car in the field. And that wasn't always the case for him, and that isn't always the case for others either. Larson, Byron, Bell, etc all manage to sometimes lose races with the best car.

Blaney is one of the few who doesnt. I would love to find the win percentage Blaney has when his car has the #1 ranked speed rating (according to Motorsports analytics)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom