“No time to rest”: Ryan Blaney looks back on solid result at Bristol

Modified Apr 17, 2025 17:51 GMT

NASCAR: Cup Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn

In what's been a season of highs and lows, Ryan Blaney experienced a high last Sunday when he came home fifth in the Food City 500 at Bristol. The driver of the #12 Team Penske Ford posted a top five at one of the most physically-demanding racetracks, as he stated after the checkered flag.

When speaking to reporters after the race, the 2023 Cup champion gave insight on how brutal it can be to race at the Tennessee half-mile, especially on lengthy green flag runs. The final stage of Sunday's race ran green to its entirety of 200+ laps, which was the longest green flag run at Bristol since August 2004.

"This place beats you up every time you go. Especially longer runs like that. My back started hurting me at the end of stage two. I was like, 'Ugh, we're only halfway through this thing and my back hurts already.' It's a physical racetrack. There's no time to rest. I think that's the biggest thing. There's no time to take a breath," Ryan Blaney said via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. (0:40 onwards)

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The Team Penske star contrasted racing at Bristol to Martinsville, another 0.5-mile short track. While it might be the same style of racing, Blaney explained that the G-forces "shoving" the driver in the seat at Martinsville doesn't take as much of a toll as it does at Bristol.

"It's more brutal on your body every lap but that's what you sign up for," Blaney said.

After nine races in the 2025 season, Blaney sits sixth in the points standings and has posted three top fives and a pair of stage wins. However, the 13-time Cup Series winner has registered three finishes outside the top 25. One of those was at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Blaney won a stage and led a race-high 124 laps until his engine expired and ended his race.

Ryan Blaney reflected on "solid weekend" at Bristol in social media post

While last Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol was largely dominated by Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney had his moments throughout the race. The driver of the #12 led 48 laps and took the checkered flag in fifth spot.

Blaney reflected on the strong result for his Team Penske team on X the following day. The former Cup champion expressed his gratitude for his team and his partners, writing:

"Solid weekend for the 12-Crew. Thank you to all of our partners and everyone back at the shop."

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Ryan Blaney is in his 10th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series and his eighth behind the wheel of the #12 Team Penske car. Since joining the team in 2018, Blaney has tallied 12 wins and became the Cup champion in 2023. He finished runner-up in the championship to teammate Joey Logano last year.

About the author

John Breeden is a NASCAR content writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of sports journalism experience. His career began back in 2021, when he started writing for The Breeze - a student-run publication at James Madison University that covered a wide variety of collegiate sports. He graduated from JMU in May 2022 with a degree in media arts and design concentrating in journalism. He currently writes for his local publication, the Daily News-Record, in Harrisonburg, VA, where he covers a variety of sports at the high school and collegiate level.

John has been a lifelong NASCAR fan and has followed the sport closely since 2005. He stays informed on motorsports developments through social media, NASCAR.com, and NASCAR podcasts, which help him craft unique and engaging stories. Interviewing Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon at Martinsville Speedway was a career highlight for John, where he wrote about William Byron taking the famed No. 24 car back to the Championship 4.

Beyond motorsports, John enjoys writing about other sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. He believes that NASCAR could reach the global popularity of Formula 1 by expanding its audience with more international races and enhancing its mainstream appeal, just like F1 has done.

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Edited by Luke Koshi