"We had a shot to win": Ryan Blaney pens an appreciation note for his 'hard working' team amid cruel Homestead-Miami turnaround

Ryan Blaney reflected on the disappointing end to his weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, expressing appreciation for the effort put in by the #12 Penske team. Blaney heads to Martinsville in a must-win scenario, having missed out on victory at Homestead due to Tyler Reddick's impressive last-lap overtake.

Blaney started 20th on the grid but quickly worked his way through the field, finishing fourth and fifth in the first two stages. After leading most of the third stage, he lost the lead on the final restart but managed to overtake Denny Hamlin on the penultimate lap. However, he left the top lane open, allowing Tyler Reddick to make a race-winning pass and take the checkered flag.

The reigning NASCAR Cup champion expressed appreciation for the #12 Penske team’s efforts at Homestead and is now looking forward to winning at Martinsville to secure his chance at defending his title in Phoenix. He wrote on X (previously Twitter):

"I appreciate the hard work and fast race car from everyone at the shop, our partners and 12-Team here at track. We had a shot to win it, but that is just the way it goes. I am really proud of the effort and hopefully we can bring a win to them next week at Martinsville."

Heading to Martinsville Speedway, Blaney is 38 points below the cutline and in must-win territory. The Xfinity 500 is scheduled for this Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, November 3 at 2:00 PM ET.

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Ryan Blaney left impressed with Tyler Reddick's race-winning move

Despite his last-lap defeat to Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney appreciated the #45 Toyota driver's impressive overtake on the top lane. When Blaney chose not to run the top lane, Reddick carried incredible speed through the corner and managed to overtake the #12 Penske driver.

Reflecting on the Homestead-Miami race, Blaney acknowledged Reddick's move and admitted that his final lap wasn’t good enough to secure the win.

"Yeah, disappointing. I had a good shot to win it and I didn't have a very good last lap. I thought I got into three hard and [Tyler Reddick] just went in there and it stuck for him, which is really impressive. I hate to give one away there like that. I don't know if we gave it away. We got the lead back after losing it on the restart and just that last lap didn't play out for us. I appreciate everybody on the 12 team for bringing a really fast race car." he was quoted by Teampenske.com.

Blaney also finished second at Homestead last year, then secured a victory at Martinsville to advance to the season finale at Phoenix, where he ultimately clinched the championship. With his teammate Joey Logano already locked into the Championship 4, Blaney is now aiming for a Martinsville win to defend his title next weekend.