The qualifying for the 2023 Crayon 301 was a surprise for racers familiar with the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The cars just didn’t feel right. Especially for drivers like Brad Keselowski, a 2x NHMS winner, who even took part in the tire test in April. The track, tire, or at least, the racing experience was completely different from what it had been previously.

Well, the answer to such confusion is often the changes and modifications made by NASCAR, with the qualifying serving as an eye-opener for NASCAR drivers. Keselowski is not the only driver affected by these changes. Ryan Blaney seemed to have faced similar hurdles when driving his #12 Ford Mustang on track. 

Ryan Blaney found his car tough and slick

In April, a select few drivers had conducted a tire test in New Hampshire. The impression that the track and driving experience had made on the drivers was quite a positive one. However, the experience in qualifying on Saturday is no match to the experience the drivers had in April.

NASCAR seems to have succeeded in getting a reaction (mild somewhat) from racers with their new car modifications. While Brad Keselowski blamed the modified rubber of the tires, Blaney thought otherwise. For him, the cause of such difficulty was more scientific. 

“I think the biggest thing was the lack of spoiler and lower downforce that made it pretty tough and pretty slick. A lot of guys are having trouble over the bumps,” alarmed Blaney.

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The lack of a spoiler meant there was nothing to tackle the turbulence. Also, a low downforce just meant that the stability of the car was compromised. If these were actually the conditions, then driving a car might indeed become more difficult. While the Coca-Cola 600 race was a relatively easier win, Crayon 301 just seems to heighten the driver’s anticipation and frustration. But there is more than what meets the eye.

Can Blaney afford to be optimistic?

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Despite this not being his smoothest race, Blaney managed to be in the 5th position during ranking. Even in the Cup Series playoffs, Blaney has managed to bag the 7th overall standing. While the remaining drivers expressed their confusion and frustration over the modifications, Blaney keeps a positive outlook. 

“I think we got a little better. It was nice to have a decent qualifying effort. Hopefully, we can get a little bit better for the race tomorrow. But yeah, it’s challenging – less grip tires, smaller spoiler, and the bigger bumps always makes it tougher,” said Blaney.  

As the race got postponed to Monday, drivers got a sliver of time to work on their performance and strategize how to deal with the modifications before participating in the race. 

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