Ryan Blaney’s Next Gen Talladega dominance towers over Chase Elliott

Ahead of the tenth NASCAR Cup Series weekend, Ryan Blaney's overbearing stat in the NextGen car against the likes of the 2020 champion Chase Elliott has surfaced.

The 188-lap GEICO 500 is set to flag off on Sunday, April 21, at 3.00 PM ET and will mark the 110th race hosted by the Talladega Superspeedway. The 2.66-mile oval is situated in Bubba Wallace's hometown Alabama. Dale Earnhardt is the most successful driver on the track as he has raked in 10 wins, 23 top-5s, and 27 top-10 finishes at the Superspeedway.

With a high banking of 33 degrees in the turns, making a pass while maneuvering through the corners is a cumbersome affair. Moreover, the NextGen car, which has been on the receiving end of criticism for its delicate stability in the turns has made the task even tougher.

While several drivers are yet to gel completely with the NextGen cars, a few have become well-versed with the know-how, and one among them is the 2023 Cup Series defending champion Ryan Blaney. Ahead of the Talladega run, a noteworthy stat has been unearthed, showcasing the top 10 drivers who led the most laps at the 2.66-mile track in the NextGen car.

Blaney reigned supreme as he topped the list with 109 laps led, followed by Erik Jones in second, and Aric Almirola in third. However, Chase Elliott was way down in the tenth spot, with just 36 laps led. (via Trey Ryan on X):

Ryan Blaney admits being "guilty as charged" after facing retaliation from Ryan Preece at Texas

The 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 saw Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott reign supreme over the entire pack. After leading 37 laps from the 276-lap run, the Georgian boy bagged his maiden win this season and ended his 42-race winless streak.

However, for Ryan Blaney, the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway had something else to offer as the Team Penske driver’s weekend ended with a dismal P33 finish in hand, courtesy of a run-in on Lap 182 by rival Ryan Preece.

The wreck was a retaliation for the previous lap battle when in a bid to pave the way for an overtake, the Team Penske driver ran up the #41 Ford driver a little over than "planned" and received the response on the very next lap. Following his Texas outing, Ryan Blaney put forth his "guilty" admission, saying (via Speedway Digest):

"I used him up pretty good in three and four, kinda ran him up the race track. I ran him up more than I was planning on...kinda got him out of the groove."

The Ohio native added:

"In my mind, I deserved to get used up for sure for what I did. I was guilty as charged but I don’t know if I deserved to get junked for what I did, but it’s just one of those racing things."