WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Ryan Blaney has made a recent habit of dramatic charges in the preseason Clash exhibition, with 2025 being the latest instance. In this case, this year’s drive from the back of the pack put him squarely behind old friend Chase Elliott.
Blaney managed to avoid all the chaos of the inaugural Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, but — importantly — he also sidestepped the potential formation of an angry mob had he put a Madhouse-style maneuver on NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver.
“I think we were pretty evenly matched,” Blaney said, sizing up his No. 12 Team Penske Ford against Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “But yeah, I just, when I started to go, I just didn’t have enough right-rear (tire) and I’m like, ‘Oh, (expletive).’ Like, I’m not gonna make this pass, right? And I’m not gonna just bulldog him into him and get chased out of here with pitchforks.”
Blaney completed a stirring march from last place in the 23-car field to secure a runner-up finish in Sunday’s Cook Out Clash. It was a near-replica of his Clash effort last season, in the event’s final running at the similarly tiny Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, when he also drove from 23rd to finish third.
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It wasn’t quite enough to unseat race-long dominator Elliott, who led 171 of the 200 laps. But Blaney dazzled on the tricky, historic quarter-mile, putting on a show in front of a raucous, approving crowd.
“I had a blast,” Blaney said post-race. “I was saying last year we came from last to third, this year last to second. Got to not start last and have a shot to win one of these things. Yeah, that was fun. That was a blast.”
Blaney was put in that position by trouble in Saturday’s preliminaries, where a late spin resulted in a last-place finish in his qualifying heat. His team later discovered a faulty radiator that needed replacement, and Blaney started at the rear of the Last Chance Qualifier. He started Sunday’s 75-lapper to shake his car down but relied on earning the final provisional berth in the main event as the highest points finisher in last year’s NASCAR Cup Series standings.
“We had a slight, just a radiator leak — something that we certainly don’t have,” said No. 12 crew chief Jonathan Hassler. “So fortunate that wasn’t a points race, obviously, for it to be as big a penalty for us. That kind of put us behind the eight ball, but like I said, we had a good car and were able to move forward.”
Some of the customary stadium shenanigans eventually reared up, but Blaney kept his car clean and clear of the fender fracas, methodically picking his way toward the front.
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When Blaney found his way to the No. 9 Chevy’s back bumper, Elliott confessed to some initial surprise at seeing the bright No. 12 there. But Elliott also quickly recalled Blaney’s knack for navigating tracks where passing tends to be most difficult, noting his determined drive to victory in last year’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.
“I think the race track was racy, and there was enough tire wear that it allowed that to happen where a guy could conserve and make smart decisions and claw his way up there. Ryan certainly did that,” Elliott said. “He has become elite at places like Martinsville and here and Phoenix and some of these shorter tracks. You really have to be mindful of all those things.
“Yeah, when I saw him, I was, like, ‘Man, didn’t he start last?’ Then I thought about it a little more. I thought, ‘That’s really not all that surprising at all as good as he was at Martinsville in the fall.’ This isn’t super different from that. It is different, don’t get me wrong, but there are a lot of similarities. Not super-surprised to see him up there by the end.”
It was a sentiment shared by Hassler, who will have to do one finishing position better in next year’s Clash to continue the team’s trend.
“He’s a great short-track racer,” Hassler told NASCAR.com. “I mean, he’s able to pass on a lot of tracks where guys struggle to pass at, like Martinsville. This is our second year in a row to come from the back — we were third last year at LA and to get to second this year — so he’s just a really good short-track racer, and obviously, we gave him a good car as well.”