As the Cup Series Playoffs are set to begin this weekend, drivers met with the media to share their thoughts. Below are some of their unique perspectives.
Ryan Blaney – Team Penske:
Blaney spoke about the team’s strengths and weaknesses.
“This year I’ve been really happy with our pace,” he said. “I feel like we’ve had super fast cars, been executing really well and we’ve been continuing to get better on our execution and stuff like that. Just mentally tough guys.
We’ve had a bunch of DNFs, but don’t really let it get to you; just continue to go do your job very well the weeks after. It’s a cool group to be like that, so this group is very mentally tough.”
Alex Bowman – Hendrick Motorsports:
Bowman discussed the one factor that he thinks will be most important in the first round.
“Consistency, just continuing to execute through these first three races, right? It’s three tough racetracks where a lot can happen. And, really, I think you can ‘consistency’ your way to the Round of Eight pretty solidly. Past that, you’ve got to win races. But, yeah, I think continuing to do what we’ve been doing.”
Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports:
Elliott reflected on his mindset as he prepares for the Playoffs.
“I mean, I think everybody gets stressed for one reason or another,” he said. But I’m not stressed over the playoffs. “I just want to do better, I want to run better, I want to be in better positions on a weekly basis. All those things motivate me to keep showing up, but the playoffs don’t.
“I’m not anxious about it. I’m not, you know, nervous about it, I just want to go and make sure we’re doing everything we can do and just try to try to piece together some good weeks and that starts this weekend. So, it’s really that simple.”
Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing:
The 2025 playoffs will mark Hamlin’s 19th attempt to win a championship.
When asked if this year would be different, he said, “It’s just another chance to roll the dice. That’s it. I don’t feel any better or any worse than what I had last year or the year before that or the year before that. They’re all very, very similar.
“I feel as though our team is as strong as it’s ever been, but we’ve seen in the short sample size, it’s just a matter of whether you get unlucky at times or you catch a caution at the right time or not. Do you stub your toe on pit road? Those are the small things that decide whether you move on in the playoffs or not.”
Shane van Gisbergen – Trackhouse Racing:
“Strength, I guess, is my team. I’ve got awesome people in my corner and I know they’ll do anything for us to succeed. Seeing the work and preparation in the team has been awesome. The vibe and how knuckled down everyone is… It’s really cool to be a part of that. The weakness is me. It’s my inexperience, and I’ve got those people helping me to get better.”
Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing:
Wallace reflected on his strengths and weaknesses as he prepares for the Playoffs. “Biggest strength – I think mentality is my best strength. You guys probably wouldn’t give me that trait a couple of years ago.
“I feel good where I’m at. I feel confident where I’m at. My weakness – I think it’s the heat-of-the-moment scenarios. I guess it goes with mentality too – how do you react to that? We will go with that.”
Schedule:
The Cup Series Playoffs begin Sunday at Darlington Raceway with the Cook Out Southern 500. It will be broadcast on the USA network at 6 p.m. ET with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
