Ryan Blaney ends bad streak with solid run at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, VA—

Ryan Blaney completed the distance in a NASCAR Cup Series race for the first time in the last four events Sunday in the Cook Out 400.

Coming off a four-week streak of finishes of 19th or worse, Ryan Blaney was eager to turn the tide at Martinsville Speedway, collecting stage points and an 11th-place finish.

One of his statically best tracks on the NASCAR Cup schedule, Blaney entered the weekend leaning on his track record of two wins and 10 Top-5 finishes in 18 starts, rather than his recent string of finishes in the 2025 season.

The Cookout 400 at Martinsville proved to be an uphill climb for the No. 12 team, however, with Blaney’s No. 12 Ford rolling off the starting grid 32nd. Though Blaney only gained a couple positions in the first 40 laps of the race, he fought his way up to finish 18th in Stage 1.

The No. 12 cracked the Top-10 on lap 145 after the team made some positive adjustments, helping the car’s handling on the long run. Blaney continued to march forward, finishing out Stage 2 in sixth.

Though varying pit strategies shuffled the field around throughout the final stage of the race, Blaney continued to drive a steady race, bringing the No. 12 home P11, his best finish since finishing fourth in Atlanta in February.

Next weekend, NASCAR goes full throwback for the annual Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.

Though Blaney has a somewhat rocky track record at The Lady in Black, he does have two Top-10 finishes in 2023 and started on the pole in 2021, leading 17 laps.