NASCAR Cup Series: 5 drivers who will improve in 2021
By Konner Metz
Drivers who will improve in 2021 – Ryan Blaney
2020 was the 27-year-old’s fifth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, and it was his fourth consecutive season with one win. In terms of statistics, Ryan Blaney’s 2019 and 2020 seasons match up similarly.
In 2019, Blaney put up 11 top five finishes, 18 top 10 finishes and an average finish of 13.7. His 2020 performance was almost identical, with 11 top five finishes, 17 top 10 finishes and an average finish of 13.8.
However, a theme of last season for Blaney and the #12 Team Penske Ford was late-race blunders. Over the course of 36 races, Blaney had a Driver Rating over 100 in 17 races, and eight times, he had an average running position inside the top five.
Consistently, he showed elite pace, but he could not back it up in the final stages of races, and he failed to succeed once the playoffs began. He was eliminated in the round of 16 due to three consecutive poor showings.
On the bright side, Blaney had a stellar finish to the season, even though a second win did not occur. In the final seven races, he notched three top five finishes, six top seven finishes and 82 laps led. If not for his round of 16 woes, Blaney would have had a serious shot at advancing to the Championship 4.
As for 2021, there is the hope that Blaney can take a step up into the elite class of drivers. This season will be his second year with Todd Gordon atop the pit box after a crew chief swap within the team before the start of last year.
If there was ever a time for Blaney to rise into stardom, it is now. Coming off an impressive end to the 2020 season and heading into the 2021 season with no major changes, Blaney, Gordon and the rest of the #12 team are poised to be contenders week in and week out.