Former Ford Spearhead Kevin Harvick Claims Ryan Blaney is ‘Carrying‘ Manufacturer’s Flag

Team Penske is on the cusp of winning the NASCAR Cup Series championship for a third consecutive season. Joey Logano bagged the title in 2022, whereas Ryan Blaney clinched his maiden championship last season. However, the turn of the 2024 season brings new challenges, one of the major ones being adjusting to the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

Early on in the season, Ford somewhat looked like a force to be reckoned with with its sheer speed during the qualifying round. But nothing has materialized for them in terms of results during the races. The Chevys took home the first three wins, while Toyota roared back in form at Phoenix, with Christopher Bell winning his first race of the season. As far as Ford’s contention is concerned, they are nowhere in the picture to stake a claim as contenders. Only Blaney seems to be holding his own, leading the charge for the Fords.

Kevin Harvick explains the dynamics of manufacturers and their impact after the Phoenix Race

The race at Phoenix was a major turnaround for many of the teams and drivers. Running the new short track package, the Toyota drivers looked a class apart, while the rest of the field were struggling to jump positions. Five Ford drivers finishing in the top 10 do sound like positive results for the manufacturer. However, according to Kevin Harvick, it was the circumstances and not the car’s performance that got most of these drivers a decent finish.

Speaking on the Happy Hour podcast show, former SHR driver Harvick explained, “It’s still a mix bag because the Chevrolets were good the first few weeks, the Fords were strong at Daytona and Atlanta. And now they are nowhere to be found in Las Vegas except for Ryan Blaney. He’s kind of the guy carrying the flag for Ford right now, Joey Logano was absolutely horrendous at Phoenix.”

Kevin Harvick, taking a jibe at mediocre drivers at Phoenix, went on to explain, “And the way that stage, the middle of the last stage, flipped with the pit strategy, the way it flipped the field, they were able to capitalize on it. I felt like the guys that were mediocre could only make up ground by something like that happening.” Those would be the likes of Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, Micahel McDowell, and Chase Briscoe, all of whom struggled throughout the race but were lucky to grab the points.

Read More: NASCAR’s Persistence With Bristol’s Dirt Formula Sparks Concerns of a Phoenix Repeat 

Speaking of Blaney, ever since the disappointments of the Daytona 500, the Team Penske driver has been hard at work and is now a serious contender to defend his championship.

Ryan Blaney takes back the top spot in the NASCAR power rankings

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The Penske driver was put to the test by Ross Chastain in the fight for the number 5 position during the Phoenix Race. Chastain probably tried every trick in his book to get past Blaney, but he didn’t budge and, however, managed to finish the race in the #5 position.

Interestingly, Ryan Blaney is the one who leads the driver’s standing, carving up a 10-point gap between him and second-place driver Kyle Larson. He leading the charts is the only silver lining for Ford right now, as apart from him, no other Ford driver is a part of the top ten best-performing drivers. The big names such as Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, and Chase Briscoe are nowhere to be found.

It is worth noting that Blaney was piped by Daniel Suarez by a slither of margins for the win at Atlanta. Had he secured the win that night, he would have created a serious gap between him and the chasing pack of drivers. Going into the race at Bristol, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Blaney once again continue on his good run of form.