"We executed it perfectly": Ryan Blaney on helping Joey Logano ace the Atlanta playoff opener battle

Ryan Blaney was content with his and Joey Logano's "perfect" execution at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Team Penske teammates drafted from the last overtime restart until the final moments of the Quaker State 400, with Logano acing the battle.

The Playoff opener race on the 1.54-mile track witnessed a strong display by the Team Penske Fords. Logano's #22 Mustang stood seventh fastest in the qualifying, Austin Cindric's #2 Ford was fifth, and Blaney's #12 Ford clocked the second-fastest speed. Front Row Motorsports' Michael McDowell was the polesitter for the 266-lap event.

Ryan Blaney triumphed in the first stage, with Cindric in the second and Joey Logano in the fourth. The #2 Ford driver aced the second stage, the #12 came second, whereas the #22 Mustang fell to 12th.

While Cindric plummeted in the final stage and collected a 10th-place finish, Logano and Blaney ran with the frontrunners and scored podium finishes. During the final overtime restart, the defending Cup Series champion kept pushing Logano to help him win the battle while settling his #12 Ford in third.

"It's a good day. I can't really complain, I think it's pretty much the most points you could score right there without winning. I'm just sure he (Logano) scored a ton today. So, yeah just proud of the speed and effort by our group. We executed it perfectly, first two stages and then just kind of caught up in that little deal (Lap 205 contact with Chris Buescher)," Blaney summed up his day via Peter Stratta on X.

After the wreck, Ryan Blaney pitted and the #12 crew taped his Ford and sent him back to recoup with the pack.

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Ryan Blaney's draft outperformed Trackhouse Racing teammates' relentless pursuit of grabbing the playoff win

NASCAR: Quaker State 400 available at Walmart - Source: Imagn

Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano weren't the only teammates who partnered up for a dominant result at Atlanta. The final overtime restart also witnessed Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain implementing the same strategy.

While Logano chose the inside line with Blaney behind him, Suarez was second on the outside line, and Chastain was behind his teammate's #99 Chevy. As Team Penske's #22 Ford took the green flag as leader, the teammates started pushing the frontrunners.

Blaney's draft lasted longer than Chastain's as the Trackhouse Racing driver lost some pace. Still, the latter regained momentum and resumed the draft with Daniel Suarez. However, as the pack entered Turn 3, Chase Elliott wrecked into Chastain's #1 Chevy and disrupted their maneuvers.

On the other hand, Logano gained more pace and gunned toward the checkered flag for his second Cup win of the season. Suarez and Blaney finished second and third, respectively, and were separated by a thin margin of 0.001 seconds.