Blaney’s masterclass at EchoPark Speedway proves he is overachieving in lackluster equipment, as Ford is holding him back from being a true contender for the NASCAR Cup Series championship
ATLANTA, Ga. — Ryan Blaney just put on a masterclass Sunday night in the rain-delayed Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and it only made one thing clearer: the guy is being completely held back by Ford this season.
Blaney picked up his second win of the year in dominant fashion. He led 171 laps — the second-most laps led by any driver on a drafting track in Cup Series history. He swept both Stage 1 and Stage 2, dropped the hammer when it mattered, and walked away with 75 points.
That’s the most points any driver has scored in a single race this season. He was one point shy of a perfect night.
Those numbers are insane. Blaney now sits just 65 points behind Denny Hamlin for the top spot in the standings. He’s got the most top tens of any driver this year with 15, and he’s won the last six races for Ford dating all the way back to Nashville in June 2025.
On paper, it looks like a championship-caliber season.
But here’s the biggest kicker in all of this — Blaney is carrying the entire Ford manufacturer on his back.
Ford has been terrible this year.
They’re a distant third behind Toyota and even lagging behind Chevrolet on most weekends. Yet here’s Blaney with two wins and third in points, doing everything possible to keep his team relevant.
The numbers don’t lie. Without him, Ford would be in even worse shape.
He’s the only one consistently bringing home results while the rest of the Blue Oval teams struggle to crack the top 10 on a regular basis.
Imagine if Blaney was in one of those Toyotas right now. We’re probably talking six or seven wins and a massive points lead instead of fighting tooth and nail just to stay in the top three. That’s how good he’s been and how much better his equipment could be.
As impressive as Blaney’s performance has been, it’s hard to call him a true championship favorite until Ford figures out how to give him consistent race-winning speed.
Right now, unless it’s a drafting track like Atlanta or a one-off place like Phoenix, Blaney isn’t really contending for wins. That’s not on him. He’s doing his part and then some.
His pit crew has been one of the worst on the circuit too, costing him positions on more than one occasion this year.
Brad Keselowski was right when he called out the lack of teamwork within Ford. It’s not some crazy complicated fix either.
Toyota’s advantage isn’t magic — a lot of it comes down to 23XI Racing buying data from Joe Gibbs Racing. Better information sharing across the Ford camp could go a long way. Right now it feels like every Ford team is doing its own thing while Toyota is working more like a unified group.
Bottom line, Ford is wasting Ryan Blaney’s prime right now. He’s in the middle of what should be his best years as a driver, and instead of being the guy everyone fears every single weekend, he’s having to overdrive equipment just to stay relevant.
Blaney deserves better.
He’s shown time and time again that when the car is right, he can beat anybody. He’s a proven winner and a guy who performs under pressure.
There’s still time left in the regular season for Ford to turn this around. They’ve got the resources and the talent. But if they don’t start delivering better cars week in and week out, they’re going to look back and regret squandering one of the best drivers in the sport during his peak years.
Ryan Blaney has done his part. Now it’s time for Ford to do theirs.
