How quickly things change. One second, Ryan Blaney was in the lead on the final lap at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Moments later, he was crossing the finish line in second place watching Tyler Reddick take the checkered flag.
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Just as quickly, Blaney went from having a spot in the Championship 4 to falling 38 points below the cutline.
"It is a shame," Blaney said on pit road after finishing second. "I will be thinking through it all night of what I should have done different, probably.
"That is just the way it goes but I am really proud of the effort and hopefully, we can bring it to them next week."
The #NASCARPlayoffs championship picture flipped in the final lap at Homestead-Miami. pic.twitter.com/vX3l1UYVTJ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 27, 2024
It appeared that Blaney had done everything he needed with just over one lap remaining in the race. He had chased down leader Denny Hamlin and had passed him with a faster car. He then slid up the track and took the white flag.
All Blaney had to do was maintain his advantage over the final 1.5 miles.
He was unable to achieve this. Reddick passed Hamlin, chased Blaney down, and used the outside to pass for the lead.
"I had a good shot to win it and I didn't have a very good last lap," Blaney said. "I thought I got into (Turn 3) hard and the 45 just went in there and it stuck for him, which is really impressive.
"I hate to give one away there like that. I don't know if we gave it away. We got the lead back after losing it on the restart and just that last lap didn't play out for us."
This isn't the first time Blaney has watched his championship dreams fade at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Back in 2022, he spun on the access road after a pit stop and brought out the caution. He went on to finish 17th.
Blaney then missed the Championship 4 after Christopher Bell won the elimination race at Martinsville.
Last season played out differently. Bell won the Homestead race as Blaney finished second. The Team Penske driver then won the elimination race at Martinsville and locked himself into the title race. He ultimately won the championship at Phoenix.
The reigning champion will have to repeat this feat if he is to defend his title. Only two Championship 4 spots remain after Joey Logano and Reddick won the first two races of the Round of 8. Bell (+29) and William Byron (+7) hold the final two spots on points with one race remaining.
A win is Blaney's ticket to the Championship 4 considering that he is seventh in the playoff standings and 38 points behind Byron.
Tyler Reddick unofficially joins Joey Logano in the Championship 4! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/BfkQeMyGqb
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 27, 2024
Blaney has been in this situation before and delivered in a must-win situation. He knows he can go to Martinsville and so so again.
He just has to first take some time to decompress after a stunning turn of events in Florida.
"I try not to stew over these things," Blaney said. "I try to learn from them and know that something could have been a better route to do and maybe if you are in that spot next time you do that.
"I try not to sit around and let it eat at me because then you are going to go crazy. There are some things I could have done different and hopefully, I can do those different things if I am ever in that spot again."
