Blaney Misses Key Opportunities as Logano Claims Overtime Victory at Texas Motor Speedway
In a dramatic finish at the Wurth 400, Ryan Blaney fell short despite commanding positions during critical late restarts. The Team Penske driver ultimately secured a third-place finish behind his teammate Joey Logano and Ross Chastain after failing to capitalize on his front-row starts.
During the race, Blaney was poised with multiple chances, restarting from the front row on three occasions in the closing laps, including an overtime finish. However, after struggling to clear Logano on a pivotal restart, he ceded second place to Chastain. “Just the driver making dumb decisions and not doing his job,” Blaney remarked post-race, reflecting on missed opportunities.
Blaney’s strategy saw him opt for the inside lane during two crucial restarts: one with 39 laps remaining behind Kyle Larson and another with 23 laps to go, where he again found himself chasing Larson. Michael McDowell capitalized on a better timed restart at 23 to go, seizing the lead while Blaney settled into second. Unfortunately for Blaney, a caution on lap 21 reset the lineup, but he managed to battle McDowell side-by-side before being declared leader at the next caution with 14 laps remaining.
McDowell initially maintained his lead at the 10-lap mark, but Logano made his move, passing Blaney and pursuing McDowell before the final caution came out with three laps to go. Following the late race incident involving McDowell, Blaney regained second position but could not challenge Logano, who sped off to secure the win.
Logano’s victory marked a strong resurgence for Team Penske, which has clinched the last two Cup Series races. Despite this, Blaney remains in search of his first victory of the season, moving to seventh in the points standings after notching his third top-five finish in the last four races.
“I appreciate the No. 12 car — it was a fast car,” Blaney concluded, signaling hope as he strives for better outcomes in upcoming races.
