Ryan Blaney is hitting his stride at just the right time.

The No. 12 Team Penske driver heads into Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale, at Daytona International Speedway (7 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) on a hot streak that serves as one of the best in his career. In the past eight races, beginning at Pocono Raceway, Blaney has only two finishes outside of the top six (20th at Road America, 14th at Watkins Glen). That equals an average finish of 7.25 in that stretch.

But how does that compare to Blaney’s previous seasons? Before his current streak, Blaney’s best average finish in the same stretch of races (race Nos. 18-25) is 12.5 in 2018. That year, Blaney was eliminated in the Round of 12 of the playoffs. Below is a breakdown of his average finish in races 18-25 in all six of his full-time seasons, including where it ranked among other drivers in the field.

Season	Avg. finish	Season rank
2021	7.25	1st
2018	12.5	7th
2019	14.375	13th
2017	18.25	16th
2020	18.25	16th
2016	20.5	19th

Now let’s compare Blaney’s streak to other drivers in that same stretch of races over the past six seasons. Traditionally, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick have been strong during the final run into the playoffs. As you can see in the chart below, both drivers have set the bar high, with sprinkles of success from Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch before you get to where Blaney’s average finish ranks.

Driver	Avg. Finish	Season
Kevin Harvick	4.75	2020
Martin Truex Jr.	6	2020
Denny Hamlin	6.25	2017
Denny Hamlin	6.5	2016
Denny Hamlin	6.625	2020
Kevin Harvick	6.75	2018
Kyle Busch	7.125	2019
Ryan Blaney	7.25	2021
Kyle Larson	7.375	2021
Erik Jones	7.5	2018

As it stacks up, Hamlin was able to transfer the momentum gained in the final stretch of regular-season races into one Championship 4 appearance (2020), while Harvick was able to do the same in 2018. The only one on the list to win a title in that same year was Busch in 2019.

While a lot can happen in the 10-race playoff stretch, statistically, Blaney has put himself in the best position of his career heading into the postseason. If he can keep clicking off top-five finishes, it might be his best chance for his first Championship 4 appearance to date.