Ryan Blaney holds the ‘12 crew’ in high regard for a ‘solid’ Martinsville race: “The people I want behind me”

Following a disappointing three-week stretch, Ryan Blaney returned to form at Martinsville Speedway with an 11th-place finish. He credited the No. 12 crew for a strong race weekend, saying they are the right fit for his NASCAR campaign.

Driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, Blaney, who had three consecutive DNFs, started the Martinsville race 32nd. He concluded stage two with a sixth-place finish before crossing the checkered flag in 11th, with Denny Hamlin winning the race.

Ryan Blaney applauded his team for a job well done at Martinsville Speedway and hoped to continue the momentum at Darlington Raceway. He made a post on X that read:

"These are the people I want behind me. This 12 Crew is solid. We fought all weekend to get back to where we belong - up front. Looking forward to keeping the momentum going into Darlington."

In one of the photos on the post, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion left a note reflecting on the No. 12 group's performance at the 0.526-mile track.

"Really proud of the effort from our 12 group after the way our weekend started," Blaney wrote.

"The strategy played into our favor early to gain back some track position, and the changes we made throughout the day allowed us to maintain in the top 10. Just needed a little more for the final run there, but a solid day to get us back in the right direction," he added.

Ryan Blaney driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang at Martinsville Speedway - Source: Imagn

After the race, Ryan Blaney retained his 10th spot in the points standings behind Team Penske teammate Joey Logano. The No. 12 driver has scored 193 points (66 points behind leader William Byron) with one top-5 and two top-10 finishes.

The 31-year-old will attempt to post another strong race weekend at Darlington Raceway, taking place next Sunday from 3:00 p.m. ET.

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Ryan Blaney set to honor father Dave with throwback livery at Darlington

Ryan Blaney will pay homage to his father, Dave, on his No. 12 Ford Mustang on the upcoming Darlington Throwback Weekend. The Team Penske driver will run a paint scheme reminiscent of Dave Blaney's Hass Avacados livery from 2006.

The reference car was the only one Dave Blaney brought to victory lane in a Nationwide Series (Xfinity) race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"Taking it back to 2006," Team Penske wrote on X.

His teammates, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric, will also participate in the Darlington Throwback Weekend.

Joey Logano will feature Cale Yarborough's tri-color paint scheme from 1976 on his No. 12 Ford. The season marked the first year Yarborough won his first of three championships. Both Logano and Yarborough are three-time champions.

Meanwhile, Austin Cindric will sport a Dale Earnhardt Sr. throwback paint scheme from the late 1970s. At the time, Dale Sr. won the 1979 Rookie of the Year award before winning his first of seven NASCAR championships the following year.

Team Penske will enter the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway as the team with the most laps led combined at 566 (Joe Gibbs Racing comes second with 446 laps led).