KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Ryan Blaney emerged as Ford's top finisher in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff Round of 12 opener at Kansas Speedway, securing a fourth-place result despite facing adversity during the race. Blaney had to rebound from an unscheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 192 due to a loose wheel but recovered and finished as the highest-finishing Ford driver. 

The race proved challenging for several other Ford playoff drivers, such as Joey Logano, who struggled with a loose wheel and had to pit for a second time on Lap 161. He restarted 32nd but battled back to finish 14th. Austin Cindric, Logano’s Team Penske teammate, spun early in the race and ultimately finished 34th. Chase Briscoe, the fourth Ford playoff driver, finished 24th.

Blaney sits in a strong position in the playoff standings, currently second, 28 points above the cut line. Logano holds onto 8th place, just four points above the cutoff. Meanwhile, Briscoe is 11th, 25 points below the line, and Cindric is in 12th, trailing by 29 points. 

The NASCAR Cup Series continues its Round of 12 next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

NCS RACE TOP-10 FINISHERS
1st – Ross Chastain
2nd - William Byron
3rd - Martin Truex Jr.
4th - Ryan Blaney
5th - Ty Gibbs
6th - Alex Bowman
7th - Christopher Bell
8th - Denny Hamlin
9th - Chase Elliott
10th - Zane Smith

REMAINING FORD FINISHERS
11th - Chris Buescher
14th - Joey Logano
15th - Corey LaJoie
16th - Ryan Preece
18th - Noah Gragson
22nd - Brad Keselowski
23rd - Harrison Burton
24th - Chase Briscoe
27th - Todd Gilliland
29th - Michael McDowell
31st - Kaz Grala
34th - Austin Cindric
38th - Josh Berry

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 4th)
“We definitely have some things we have to work on, for sure. Having a loose wheel and having to come in under green there. A couple of things we have to address. Overall, at the end of the day, I thought our car was really good. I kind of fenced it there after we came out of the pits after the loose wheel and I think I kind of hurt it a little bit. Our long-run car was great. I think we were better when the temp was up a little bit and I could kind of run the bottom of three and four really well because guys were slipping. At the end I think it cooled off a little and that advantage kind of went away. All in all, it was a good day. We caught a break with the caution. I am proud of the fast cars and we just have to clean a couple of things up.”

TAKE US THROUGH THE RANGE OF EMOTIONS TODAY:
“Well, we caught a break with the 8 spinning because we were short on gas. We had a really fast car. The Wurth Ford Mustang was really good, especially on the long run. I could really get rolling and I could run the bottom in three and four, which not a lot of guys could do. That was a big advantage. At the end, I don't know if I had enough laps, but also the bottom got worse. It cooled off a bit and there was more grip up top and it wasn’t as beneficial. It was a good recovery and we have a few things to work on but I am proud of the fast car. I appreciate the 12 guys for sticking with it all day. That is probably the best we have run here in a long time, especially with this NextGen car. I am proud of that and it gives us hope going on. I appreciate the effort all day.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 14th)
“I don't know. We went from a winning car to being wrecking loose like someone hit a light switch. I don't know why or what, but we had something that we could win with early and then we were out of control loose and trying not to wreck. It beats me. I don't understand it. At least we scored good stage points in the first stage but we got nothing the second stage, unfortunately. We battled back from that loose wheel and got back to 14th. We just have to go to Talladega and be solid again. It isn’t going to be a comfortable next two weeks, that’s for sure.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 24th)
WALK US THROUGH THE CONTACT YOU HAD WITH KYLE BUSCH
“Yeah, I don't know if we ever touched. I haven’t seen it still but these cars are so sensitive when you are off to the right. I couldn’t really run on the wall so I was trying to give him a car width and a couple inches and saw him get loose as soon as he got to my right rear. It didn’t feel like I was trying to do anything. I literally left him the top lane. These cars as soon as you get off to the right, especially here when you are running the wall, they just get really loose. I hate it for him. He has been so close all year long and I am a Kyle Busch fan and wanted to see him win to keep the streak alive. I hate that we are a part of the conversation. That was a really bad day for us. It was not what we needed, and certainly not what we wanted. We will go to work. We are 25 out but we can still do it, it just wasn’t the day we wanted, for sure.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 34th)
“It was a really frustrating result. I thought the team did a really great job with adjustments overnight and we had a really fast car today and just took ourselves out of it on pit road. Obviously we had some contact on the back straightaway and I took us out of the race, really. That is unacceptable for the position we are in and especially with the speed we have had in the car. I am pretty bummed about all that. I think the next two weeks are weeks we can go have great races but we definitely won’t be able to get this one back. It makes our goals a little more clear going into Talladega and the Roval.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 16th)
“We had a good car, the track loosened up big time and we lost a lot of track position. Ultimately it was frustrating because that is where you need help on the other side, and we were losing it on all ends. That last run we finally got our car back to where it needed to be, but we were just too far back by that time.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 18th)
“It was an up and down day but I am super proud of where we started to what we got the balance to. Drew made some good calls on the box. I felt like we were good the second to last and third to last run. We kept the car the same and it just was a little tighter there on the last run. I know it isn’t a great finish but I am proud of the weekend as a whole and how we worked together as a team and I am just grateful for the opportunity.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Retired early due to accident on lap 1)
“That was an experience like none other. Obviously we got clipped and spun and we had four flat tires. I assumed they were going to tow the car to the pits, which is what I was asking for, and then they dropped my window net and told me to get out. Rodney (Childers) was telling me to stay in because all we needed was tires. They were telling me to get out. Then they towed me into the campground, so I was just out there chilling with the fans. At that point they said they had to get a rollback and they finally made me get out. Rodney was trying to talk to somebody and couldn’t get anybody on the phone. I don't know what I am missing. I have seen plenty of cars get towed to the pits and get tires put on, so I don't know if I am missing something or if there was something different than normal, but that was an experience for sure.”

DID THEY TELL YOU WHY THEY DID THAT?
“They said the tire was off the wheel, which it is flat so of course it is off the wheel. They just refused to tow the car. They tried hooking it up on both ends which I knew wasn’t going to work. I don't know why they didn’t just hook it up with the rear and tow it to the pit box and let us get tires on it. That is disappointing.”

HOW DISAPPOINTING IS IT TO NOT BE ABLE TO FINISH THE RACE?
“That is so crazy, the whole sequence of events, that I haven’t even processed it yet. That is the risk you take though, when you qualify where we did. I overdrove one in qualifying and got loose and those are the types of things that happen. It is still on me, but I wish we could have gotten some tires on it and finished the race.”

NASCAR XFINITY Series (September 28 – Kansas)

• Cole Custer finished second to lead Ford in the Xfinity Series playoff opener at Kansas Speedway.
• Custer led 48 laps, was the Stage 1 winner, and looked poised for his second straight victory before being passed in the race's final laps.
• Also part of the playoff field, Riley Herbst battled back from a spin on lap 90 to finish 10th. 
• The Xfinity Series will continue the Round of 12 next Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway (4 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (September 27 – Kansas) 

• Layne Riggs, winner of the last two Truck Series races, finished second to lead Ford Friday night at Kansas Speedway.
• Ty Majeski started on the pole, led 51 laps, and was the Stage 1 winner before running out of fuel late and finishing 15th.
• Ben Rhodes, one of two playoff drivers eliminated from championship contention, finished 22nd after a fuel gamble failed, running out of gas with two laps to go.
• The series travels to Talladega Superspeedway next Friday, October 4, to begin the Playoff Round of 8 (4:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).