It has been an odd year for Chase Elliott having missed out on qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in his career. While he struggled with injuries and suspension, fortunately, he still has plenty to fight for. With the #9 team still very actively competing for the owner’s championship, Elliott has a task on hand. However, he faces a tough challenge from Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney.

The #12 driver has been on an impressive run in the Cup Series this season. With him still very much in the driver’s playoffs, Blaney is expected to get as competitive as he can. Come the race at Talladega, he could only add more trouble to Rick Hendrick and his team.

Ryan Blaney could turn out to be Chase Elliott and Rick Hendrick’s kryptonite at Talladega

It was a pity seeing Chase Elliott struggle to make it to the playoffs this campaign. Having unfortunately missed out on six races due to a snowboarding injury and a single race through suspension, it was always going to be an uphill task. In the end, Rick Hendrick‘s superstar driver failed to make it to the Round of 16.

Luckily for him, his replacements Josh Berry, Jordan Taylor, and Corey LaJoie contributed enough in Elliott’s absence to help the #9 make it to the owner’s playoffs. With the team still very much in the hunt for the owner’s championship, the Georgia-born driver could make a significant contribution.

Not many are aware but the owner’s standings at the season’s end is what NASCAR uses to pay the teams. So, this is motivation enough for Elliott and his team to go full throttle in the remaining races. Currently, the #9 team stands just two points below the cutline in the 9th position.

While Elliott has a decent record at Talladega Superspeedway with two wins, five top-five, and seven top-ten finishes, Ryan Blaney poses a tough challenge at the track. The #12 team sits nine points below the #9 team in the owner’s standings and has more than one agenda to serve.

With Blaney strongly competing to qualify for the Round of 8, he would be inching to make it big at a track where he too has registered two wins. It is worth noting that he has four top-two finishes in his last eight attempts at Talladega. To add, his record at superspeedways has been quite impressive this season having scored the seventh most points (149) and led the fourth most laps (77).

It is worth noting that Hendrick Motorsports’ #5 team lies just two points above the cutoff line. Should Blaney perform well, he could end up hurting Rick Hendrick big time. However, the 29-year-old has a humble approach going into the race on Sunday.

Ryan Blaney believes experience and a united approach could be the key at Talladega Superspeedway

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Ahead of the race on Sunday, a lot is at stake for Ryan Blaney and his team. However, given his triumph in 2019 and 2020 at the track, he certainly has the edge to make it big. Speaking to NASCAR.com, he explained how the race on Sunday has a lot of unpredictability to it.

WATCH THIS STORY: Amid Chase Elliott’s Playoff Disappointment, Rick Hendrick Makes a Painful 4-Word Confession.

He said, “I don’t think you can pick a guy that is a favorite at Talladega because you never know what can happen there.” Blaney then mentioned how his past success and teamwork could give present him with the best chance on Sunday.

The Ohio-born driver said, “I think the best thing that we have talked about for that race is to try to control it like we have in the past and get a few of our cars up there and control the front of the pack. Hopefully, you can maintain that. We kind of see it is difficult to go from the back to the front now at speedways, so you try not to bury yourself.”

It is true that Talladega presents a lot of uncertainty when it comes to registering a win on the track. While it is tricky for both Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, the latter should get a lot of help from his teammates since Team Penske has only the #12 competing for the owner’s championship now.

READ MORE – Shocked Rick Hendrick Drops Wild Chase Elliott Confession: ‘Its Not Supposed To Bother You’