Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney found trouble in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race, crashing out at the end of Stage 2 at Talladega Superspeedway — the same track that launched his run to the championship in 2023.
Blaney was sent around after a push from Alex Bowman in the tri-oval, causing the No. 12 to spin and hit the SAFER barrier, collecting Ross Chastain in the process. Denny Hamlin and Team Penske teammate Joey Logano also were among those involved, but only Chastain joined Blaney as unable to continue.
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Blaney was heard on the race scanner saying: “Go ahead and thank the 48 (Bowman) for me, I appreciate it.”
“I don’t think it was much of a push. More of him driving through me,” Blaney told NBC Sports after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “We just got wrecked once again by somebody else and just ended our day, which stinks and we have to fight back next week.”
Blaney had been running at the front of the field alongside teammate Austin Cindric. The field was four-wide in multiple instances of the opening stages, and did so without incident. Coming to the end of Stage 2, Blaney was shuffled out of his lane as cars went three-wide, leading to the wreck.
“I thought Austin and I worked well together,” Blaney said. “I had a feeling that the 8 (of Kyle Busch) would pull out and help Chevy. He wasn‘t gonna help me, obviously, so we got in the middle. I didn‘t think it was terrible. We were probably still gonna run fifth or sixth, and then the 48 just drove straight through me in the tri-oval. He just wrecked the (expletive) out of me. I don‘t know what he‘s thinking.”
Sunday’s race is the second of three events in the Round of 12, and the postseason field will be trimmed down to eight championship-eligible drivers after next weekend’s round finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Oval.
This story will be updated.
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