{"id":252515,"date":"2026-07-11T21:43:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T21:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/nascar-star-ryan-blaney-reveals-the-biggest-challenge-of-racing-in-atlanta-im-the-most-mentally-worn-out-than-any-place\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T21:43:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T21:43:02","slug":"nascar-star-ryan-blaney-reveals-the-biggest-challenge-of-racing-in-atlanta-im-the-most-mentally-worn-out-than-any-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/nascar-star-ryan-blaney-reveals-the-biggest-challenge-of-racing-in-atlanta-im-the-most-mentally-worn-out-than-any-place\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR star Ryan Blaney reveals the biggest challenge of racing in Atlanta: \u201cI&#8217;m the most mentally worn out than any place\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5190532\" data-slug-id=\"2807054\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/ryan-blaney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Ryan Blaney<\/a> has recently revealed that the Atlanta Motor Speedway is the most mentally exhausting race track on the schedule. Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio ahead of Sunday\u2019s Quaker State 400, the Team Penske star describes how the challenge at Atlanta\u2019s 1.54-mile racetrack extends far beyond simply driving fast.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the second Atlanta race of the season, the former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/go\/nascar-cup-series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> driver opened up about the mental demands of racing at the Georgia racetrack, explaining why the track leaves him more exhausted than even NASCAR\u2019s traditional superspeedways such as Daytona and Talladega.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"template__newsletter-inline-banner-form-combo-widget\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<p><img id=\"subscribe-img\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\nThanks for the submission!\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAfter Atlanta, I&#8217;m probably the most mentally worn out than anyplace because just things are happening incredibly fast. There&#8217;s always something going on. There&#8217;s never kind of a break, at Daytona, Talladega, you might get things kind of calmed down for a little bit, and you can kind of think and relax for a second. But Atlanta, it never does. Things are happening fast. The runs are way bigger at Atlanta because the separation and the corners are bigger.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Atlanta Motor Speedway, now known as EchoPark Speedway, features intense pack racing similar to superspeedways Daytona and Talladega. Following a 2022 reconfiguration, the 1.54-mile-long track became a high-speed drafting track, producing intense, multi-car crashes.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSo you really have to be thoughtful on if you&#8217;re leading, how do you want to lead? How do you manage your gap? You can&#8217;t just run wide open. You have to kind of manage your gap to the pack.\u201d Blaney continued.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr\/>\n<h2><strong>\u201cSpotters have their work cut out for them\u201d: Ryan Blaney says a spotter also plays an important role at Atlanta<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\"><noscript><\/noscript><img class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Ryan Blaney during NASCAR Cup Series - Practice - Source: Getty\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/c5b3b-17837963116447-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201280%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Ryan Blaney during NASCAR Cup Series &#8211; Practice &#8211; Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ryan Blaney also highlighted the crucial role spotters play during Atlanta races. With cars running inches apart at high speeds and multiple lanes battling for position, the 2023 Cup champion believes communication becomes more important than ever.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking about spotters\u2019 role at Atlanta, Blaney said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI think the spotters go through a radio and a half. Batteries die pretty quick at Atlanta, because I don&#8217;t think they ever get off the button during a green flag run there&#8217;s a lot going on. Spotters have their work cut out for them, too, just like us this weekend.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite facing mentally demanding challenges at Atlanta, Ryan Blaney has demonstrated strong results here, recording one career NASCAR Cup Series win, seven top-five, and 10 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 11.50 in 16 races.<\/p>\n<p>Watch the #12 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/nascar\/news-nascar-team-boss-makes-honest-admission-drivers-financial-backing-team-one-standing-leverage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">NASCAR<\/a> star in action on Saturday for the qualifying race at 4:30 pm ET before Sunday\u2019s main event at 7 pm ET.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Yash Soni<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/nascar\/news-nascar-star-ryan-blaney-reveals-biggest-challenge-racing-atlanta-i-m-mentally-worn-place\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ryan Blaney has recently revealed that the Atlanta Motor Speedway is the most mentally exhausting race track on the schedule. Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio ahead of Sunday\u2019s Quaker State 400, the Team Penske star describes how the challenge at Atlanta\u2019s 1.54-mile racetrack extends far beyond simply driving fast. Ahead of the second Atlanta race [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":252516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-252515","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}