The Ford Mustangs have dominated the early proceedings in stage 1 of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race at Daytona. Setting up the pace for the rest of the field, Ryan Blaney, despite running up front, wasn’t feeling all too well about his No. 12 Mustang.

Joey Logano and Josh Berry were involved in a heated battle for the lead to clinch the stage win. However, Blaney just wasn’t able to match their speeds and go toe-to-toe with the leaders. All he could do was switch lanes and prove to be a helping hand to his teammate.

Ryan Blaney is far from a cool customer when he gets inside his race car. And with his race car not running according to his expectations, he didn’t mince his words to convey his feelings to the team. “my car is so fu***ng slow I can’t get to him,” the Penske star said this via the team radio.

With the end of stage 1, the #12 team will look to solve the concerns of their star driver. Blaney is eyeing to get his second Coke Zero Sugar 400 win, which would put him in prime position to contest for the regular season championship.

A missed opportunity for Blaney to stake his claim on the regular season title

Denny Hamlin’s surprising penalty has really shaken things up in the driver’s standings and the race to clinch those 15 bonus points. Having won twice this season, the Penske star wanted to close the gap on the points leader with today’s race. But without the right set-up and support, it was a tough outing for the defending champion.

His last Daytona win was in 2021, and a victory this time would have tied him with Tyler Reddick in points. But Daytona, with its notorious superspeedway chaos, had other plans. Known for its wild crashes that often swallow up entire fields, the night took a dramatic turn when he got caught in the first big wreck—triggered by Corey LaJoie and Noah Gragson during Stage 2. Whether it was misfortune or just bad timing, his hopes were dashed in an instant.

It was a mid-pack tussle that took out 16 drivers, including Ryan Blaney. The only good news for him was that his direct competitors, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott, were also mired in the same crash. So the dynamics of the points standings haven’t changed that much, thus allowing Blaney to make a last dash at Darlington.

But the distance between him and leader Tyler Reddick is now 82 points. And it will take a picture-perfect race along with a DNF finish for the #45 car to see Blaney clinch the regular season championship. However, Ryan Blaney’s recent streak of results is concerning, as he has failed to notch a top-10 finish in his last three races.

It will be interesting to see how the #12 team approaches their season from here on. The playoffs have been their strong suit in the past, and they will look to activate their playoffs mode from Darlington itself.