NASCAR playoffs: Ryan Blaney says 'doing the hard job' wins races

Ryan Blaney is coming in hot.

The Team Penske driver closed out the NASCAR Cup Series regular season with a second place finish at the wild Indianapolis Road Course race and wins at Michigan and Daytona to grab second place in the standings heading into the playoffs.

"I wouldn’t say we had the fastest car, but we had, you know, a good enough car to keep us in contention all race and then just jump on opportunities," Blaney said during an appearance on The Fox Garage.

"It shows that you’re never out of it. Even if maybe you don’t have the fastest car, you keep working hard, you do your job and everyone does their part, these opportunities will present themselves if you’re running up front."

His performance helped earn him pole position for the first round of the playoffs at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 5.

"That’s a tough race, a really tough racetrack, it’s nice to be starting up front, you hope you stay there," Blaney said.

"I think the best thing we can do throughout the playoffs is what we’ve been doing the last two months. Just doing the hard job the best we can. Not really worrying about anybody else."

Blaney can count on some help in the playoffs, as well as tough competition, from his teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, who also qualified in the final 16.

"I think myself, Brad and Joey work together really well, Blaney said.

"We race each other hard, but at the same time, we’re teammates and we give each other a lot of respect, you know, you kind of have to have that balancing act.

"Especially on the speedways, we try to work together as much as possible, because that’s what wins you races."

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One thing the 27-year-old has become known for when he wins the checkered flag is slipping it through the catch fence to a young fan.

"When you get out of the car on the front stretch there, that’s like the first face to face interaction with anybody for three, four hours, so you’re excited to see all the fans out there," Blaney said.

"I try to find a Ryan Blaney shirt, sometimes it’s hard to find right there on the front row, but I’ll just try to pick out a random kid and try to give them a checkered flag, something they’ll remember for a long time, hopefully, you know, and appreciate them for coming out. Try to make a memory that lasts a lifetime."

YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH RYAN BLANEY AND FIND OUT WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION NASCAR CUP SERIES CAR COMING IN 2022