Ryan Blaney was able to get out of New Hampshire last weekend with a win, but not without a bit of struggle.
The No. 12 team once again struggled on pit road, with one miscue dropping Blaney all the way back into 14th during the race.
A gutsy two-tire stop near the end of the race proved the difference that allowed him to come back and win, but it was far from the first mistake the No. 12 crew has had, and heading into the Chase, those mistakes are only going to become more costly.
Blaney’s crew chief Jonathan Hassler addressed the mistake while speaking with reporters after the race.
“It’s really competitive on pit road. If you’re going to have any speed, you’re going to have these sort of miscues,” Hassler said. “With the speed that we’ve had, I think our goal has certainly been to eliminate those. Even if we give up a little bit of speed to do that, that’s what we wanted.”
Hassler acknowledged that no team is ever perfect on pit road, and the mistakes of the No. 12 team are magnified because the team is running up front more often than not.
“It’s still going to happen. It happens to each of the best teams. We’re fortunate that we’re fast enough and up front enough that everybody takes notice when it does happen.”
The No. 12 team has already shuffled its pit crew quite a bit this season, but are still looking for consistency that will put them up with the other best teams in NASCAR.
Blaney is currently second in the points standings and all but guaranteed to head into the Chase in that spot. He consistently has one of the fastest cars on the track, but in the postseason, one bad stop could make the difference between winning and losing the title. The No. 12 team will hope to clean up its operation before the start of the Chase next week.
Watch: Blaney reflects on wild comeback drive to Loudon victory
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