“He Wants Chaos” – Ford’s Wildcard Driver Could Potentially Hamstring Joe Gibbs Racing for the Championship

The final race of the first round of the 2023 season playoffs came to an unexpected end in Bristol last weekend. As we await the final race at the Phoenix Raceway in November, the drivers who made it into the round of 12 face six more challenges to overcome before then. As the second round of the playoffs begins, top teams have begun strategizing for the three fresh tracks in Texas, Talladega, and Charlotte.

With the bigger guns from Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing playing the majority’s favorite going into the next round, one driver from the bottom of the ladder who can cause a huge upset is Team Penske‘s 29-year-old sensation, Ryan Blaney. Exploring his chances, NASCAR veteran Jeff Burton provided an expert’s view in a recent NBC show.

Jeff Burton believes the second round will be filled with opportunities for Ryan Blaney

The second round of the playoffs will feature races at three tracks: Texas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Charlotte Roval. Each of these three tracks stands tall with its own challenges. But for Ryan Blaney, the game at this stage has not been that hard in previous sessions. Last year around this time, he finished Texas at P4, Talladega at P2, and Charlotte at P26. Once again, racing at Talladega earlier this year, he secured a P2 finish. So, it’s safe to say that the #12 Ford driver has quite the mastery of the upcoming tracks.

Despite his lack of speed in the current season, he could use these 3 tracks to gain a significant advantage over the likes of Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr, who are struggling with pit crew issues. Talking to NBC reporter Nate Ryan, Gordon acknowledged Blaney’s speed disadvantage and continued to talk about how the driver could beat his counterparts at Joe Gibbs Racing among others.

He said, “He loves this round. He’s won at the Roval. He’s won a Talladega, yeah. This is what he wants! He wants chaos. He doesn’t want normal. He wants to recognize what their weaknesses are. […] So this round creates some opportunity, in the same way, a lot of cautions at Bristol change the race and who has a chance to win. This round is the same thing. So if you don’t have that pace, you love this round. You’re like this creates opportunity.”

With Toyotas that have shown blistering pace all season, Joe Gibbs’s drivers will pose a huge challenge against Ryan Blaney, who lacks their speed but has the potential to make up for it—he has the numbers to show for it.

Watch This Story: Internal Battle in Ford Camp as Brad Keselowski Triggers Rivalry With Rejected Team Penske’s Star Driver

How are Ryan Blaney’s chances against the experience and speed of Joe Gibbs Racing drivers?

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Denny Hamlin has got purpose like no other driver this season. With time running out for the 42-year-old to cement his legacy as a Cup Series champion, he will be fired up through the rest of the season. A glimpse of the damage he could do was visible at Bristol as he ran riot, securing a win. Though fellow JGR veteran Martin Truex Jr did not fare well in the first round, he is a former champion whose capabilities cannot be taken lightly. 

However, the Team Penske driver could just edge away from them if the book of statistics is to have any weight. His recent averages on all the 3 tracks (Texas: 5.3; Talladega: 9.3; Charlotte:  13.3) are far better than Martin Jr’s and he betters Denny Hamlin on every track save Charlotte, where Denny holds an average finish of 11. In what are tracks known for their history of high-speed crashes, even the tiniest bit of excess speed can cause more harm than good. And, Ryan really does hold an advantage over the rest in that aspect.

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In his own words that came before the night at Bristol, there is only one thing left for him to do now. He said, “Hopefully, we can put it all together here and get to Phoenix. It’s gonna be a tall task for us, but I believe we can get it done. We just have to keep doing our thing and find a little bit here and there and have the driver do his job.” The first duel will come for Ryan Blaney’s #12 Ford Mustang in the Wild West. Let us know in the comments below if you believe he can make use of the opportunities that Jeff Burton claims he will have and cause a major upset in the second round.