via RotoWorld/Dan Beaver.
During the summer months, it seemed like to top two rookies would make the Chase. Ryan Blaney hovered on the cusp, occasionally getting himself into position, but the team slipped in the final regular season races and he did not get the exposure this team deserved during the playoffs.
The fact that seems worth noting, is noteworthy in itself. While it looks a little lopsided on paper, NASCAR fans were treated to one of the best rookie battles in recent seasons between the Chase Elliott and Blaney. The No. 24 team had more resources and a charter that insured they would be in every show. Blaney had to qualify on time, which was almost never in question as most races featured only 40 cars, but could have impacted the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Blaney made the big show and in fact won top rookie honors for the Daytona 500. In the first six races of the season, Blaney and Elliott swapped the honor of being the top freshman in alternating occasions. Blaney was the best in class at Daytona, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway—which showcased his versatility. When Elliott was rookie-of-the-race on 21 occasions, Blaney was almost always on his heels.
Blaney was great on every track type at some point and he struggled on each of them from time to time. That is expected of a rookie, however, and it should not negatively impact his handicap for 2017. A quick look at the chart below shows that he had speed throughout the year with Chicagoland Speedway (fall), Phoenix International Raceway’s two event (spring and fall), and Pocono Raceway’s two (summer) headlining his personal best chart.
As of this writing, the No. 21 enters the 2017 season without a charter, but the impact of that for a team of the Wood Bros. caliber just might be overstated. There is almost no chance they will fail to make any of the races next year, and it will be quite surprising if they do not qualify for the Chase. Blaney will almost certainly record a better average finish than he had in 2016—and moving his mark from 18.5 to around 15.0 will make him one of the top 16.
Blaney will often be a most-pleasant surprise on similarly-configured, 1.5-mile tracks and flat tracks. Concentrate on those and fantasy owners will have ample opportunities to maximize his starts.
2016
Victories: None
Top-fives: 3 (.083)
Top-10s: 9 (.250
Top-15s: 18 (.500)
Track
|
3-Yr
Avg. Fin |
Career
Avg. Fin |
Best
Fin |
Career
Attempts |
Career
Top-10s |
Race 1
|
Race 2
|
Chicagoland Speedway
|
4.00
|
4.00
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
4
| |
Phoenix International Raceway *
|
9.00
|
9.00
|
8
|
2
|
2
|
8
|
10
|
Pocono Raceway
|
10.50
|
10.50
|
10
|
2
|
1
|
10
|
11
|
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
|
12.50
|
12.50
|
6
|
2
|
1
|
6
| |
Kansas Speedway
|
13.25
|
13.25
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
5
|
14
|
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
|
15.33
|
15.33
|
11
|
3
|
11
|
12
| |
Michigan International Speedway
|
17.25
|
17.25
|
4
|
5
|
1
|
4
|
17
|
Talladega SuperSpeedway
|
17.80
|
17.80
|
4
|
5
|
2
|
9
|
11
|
Martinsville Speedway
|
19.00
|
19.00
|
19
|
2
|
19
|
19
| |
Watkins Glen International
|
19.00
|
19.00
|
19
|
1
|
19
| ||
Darlington Raceway
|
21.50
|
21.50
|
13
|
2
|
13
| ||
Homestead - Miami Speedway
|
21.50
|
21.50
|
17
|
2
|
26
| ||
Bristol Motor Speedway
|
22.67
|
22.67
|
11
|
3
|
11
|
35
| |
Dover Downs International
|
23.00
|
23.00
|
8
|
2
|
1
|
8
|
38
|
Sonoma Raceway
|
23.00
|
23.00
|
23
|
1
|
23
| ||
Daytona International Speedway
|
24.00
|
24.00
|
14
|
3
|
14
|
19
| |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
|
24.00
|
24.00
|
12
|
2
|
36
| ||
Atlanta Motor Speedway
|
25.00
|
25.00
|
25
|
1
|
25
| ||
Charlotte Motor Speedway
|
26.75
|
26.75
|
14
|
4
|
20
|
31
| |
Texas Motor Speedway
|
31.50
|
31.50
|
12
|
4
|
12
|
29
| |
Richmond International Raceway
|
33.50
|
33.50
|
28
|
2
|
28
|
39
| |
Auto Club Speedway
|
35.00
|
35.00
|
35
|
1
|
35
| ||
Kentucky Speedway
|
35.00
|
35.00
|
35
|
1
|
35
|
* Top-10 sweeps
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