Pocono 400: 5 takeaways from NASCAR at Pocono

Ryan Blaney got his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win in the Pocono 400; here’s what we learned from Wood Brothers Racing’s return to Victory Lane.

Ryan Blaney will remember this NASCAR weekend for a long time, as he won the Pocono 400 the day after helping FOX to broadcast the Xfinity Series race.

Blaney kept fellow driver and TV partner Kevin Harvick behind him to steal a win out from under polesitter Kyle Busch, thus making his first ever trip to Victory Lane. It was also the 99th victory for Wood Brothers Racing, putting the team one step closer to a milestone of their own.

So what can we take away from Ryan Blaney’s historic Sunday? Here’s what we learned from the Pocono 400:

1) Blaney needs to be in the conversation more

We’ve spent this NASCAR season talking about Kyle Larson leading the points and Chase Elliott doing work, but the Pocono 400 made the argument that we ought to also be chatting more about Ryan Blaney. Sunday may have been his first win but he’s qualified well most of the season and done his fair share of racing up front.

Between Ryan Blaney, Larson, Elliott, Erik Jones and hopefully more of Darrell Wallace Jr., the NASCAR Cup Series has a very impressive crop of young drivers who are proving that they are competitive with their more experienced counterparts. (When you add in the youth revolution in IndyCar, too, it’s a great time to watch developing talent in motorsports.)

2) Drivers should do interviews more often

If you watched the “Drivers Only” broadcast of the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, you saw Ryan Blaney as the pit reporter who finished his day interviewing winner Brad Keselowski. So on Sunday, Keselowski decided to turn the tables, hop out of his car and run over to Victory Lane to play pit reporter for Ryan Blaney.

The video below shows why drivers should be given microphones more often. It’s not only a nice moment between friends and colleagues, but it’s so much more fun and relaxed than the usual stiff winner’s interviews:

3) Going to the rear is not a huge deal anymore

We were convinced Martin Truex Jr.’s Pocono 400 day was done when he qualified second only to have to go all the way to the rear for an engine change. From second to last is almost as big a fall as it gets. Yet that didn’t bother Truex whatsoever; he finished sixth. Of course, when you’ve had as many weird and disheartening things happen to you as Truex has over the last few years, maybe he’s just used to this.

4) One week you win, the next you’re on fire

The thing about any sport is that your fortune can change in a second. Or in this case, a week. Just seven days after tying a record of his own by winning yet another time at Dover, Jimmie Johnson ended his Pocono 400 early by being on fire. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Jamie McMurray also saw his car turn into a barbecue. Neither driver was harmed, which is the important part, but it just goes to show you how no one is exempt from having a bad day.

5) Dale Earnhardt Jr. can’t catch a break

There’s probably not one person in NASCAR who doesn’t want to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. have a great farewell season. Which is what makes it so frustrating that it just can’t come together. Dale Jr. had more problems in the Pocono 400, blowing an engine in Friday practice before DNF’ing on Sunday after less than 60 laps. He finished second to last. We’ll just hope that the universe is saving all of his good luck for Dale’s last run at Daytona on July 1.

Next: Which drivers still have a shot at the Cup Series title?

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series now moves on to Michigan for the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 18.