DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Blaney parked his car against the high-banked outside wall at Daytona International Speedway and floored it, spinning his rear tires and sending plumes of smoke into the grandstands as fireworks lit up the sky.

It was a unusual celebration for the Team Penske star — he doesn't usually do celebratory burnouts — and it might be the first of many down the stretch this year.

Blaney closed NASCAR’s regular season with a flurry, winning at Daytona and moving into fourth place in the Cup Series points heading into the playoffs . He will open the postseason next week at Darlington Raceway three points behind Denny Hamlin and six shy of co-leaders William Byron and Kyle Larson.

And Blaney might just be the favorite to win it all, especially considering his pas

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