In the end, Ryan Blaney lacked a right-rear grip.
With 50 laps to go at Bowman Gray Stadium, Blaney sat second after starting last in the Cook Out Clash, and a few restarts went his way. By this point, he saved some good in his tires to make a run at his off-track friend, Chase Elliott.
It turned into a game of who could save more good in their right rear.
“I just didn’t quite have enough to lean on there at the end,” he said. “I started pushing with like 25 to go. I didn’t have enough. I was like, Uh-oh, I need some help by lappers.”
Which he got, in the closing laps. Enough to close the gap. With 10 to go, however, Blaney got loose in Turn 1, and the fight was lost.
“When it was time to go, I didn’t have quite enough,” he said. “I could turn really good, but I paid the penalty on exit to where he could just kind of keep the power down a little bit longer.”
And he certainly wasn’t gonna “bulldog into him” and get “chased out of here with pitchforks” by angry fans of NASCAR’s most popular driver. So, as Elliott took the checkered flag, Blaney brought his Team Penske Ford home to a runner-up finish.
“Yeah, that was fun,” he said. “That was a blast. The car was really good, especially the first half and the second half. Being able to get to 2nd, then race hard with Chase there, who’s going to save more tire. I just didn’t quite have enough right rear at the end to make a move on him.”
What success does this translate to this season? Only time will tell.
Sorry but Chase Elliott’s superior car and driver relegated Blaney to second.