Good thing Ryan Blaney came into Watkins Glen with a points cushion, because his Sunday turned into a driver’s worst nightmare. The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion didn’t even get to complete a single lap under green.
Starting deep in the field, Blaney found himself in the middle of a classic first-lap Watkins Glen scramble. As the field piled into the Bus Stop, chaos erupted. Corey LaJoie tapped Kyle Busch, sending Busch spinning like a ballerina gone rogue. Caught in the collateral mayhem, Brad Keselowski slammed on the brakes, and Blaney—through no fault of his own—plowed right into him.
The result? A broken steering column that turned Blaney’s Ford into a glorified brick. With his car undrivable, Blaney was forced to stop, and NASCAR rules being what they are, his day ended as soon as he was towed to the garage. That meant an infuriating DNF and a last-place finish.
But the drama wasn’t over. Blaney, not one to sit quietly while his race goes down the drain, could be seen giving NASCAR officials an earful. According to the rulebook, if a car gets towed to the garage for repairs, it’s game over. But Blaney wasn’t having it.
“They didn’t give us a chance to fix it!” Blaney fumed. “How are they going to decide we’re done when they’ve got no clue what the damage is? They said we were done because I couldn’t drive it back to the pit box. But come on, if you’ve got four flats, you get towed back. You can’t drive that either! I don’t know what’s going on. They wouldn’t even give us a shot to work on it. I don’t agree with it at all.”
The frustration was real, but the mystery was even bigger. “Honestly, I have no idea what happened,” Blaney admitted. “We stacked up, and I hit someone in the left front. It completely broke the steering. Could we have fixed it? Who knows? But they didn’t even let us try. They just ended our day before we even had a look at it. It stinks.”
The only bright spot in this day from hell? Blaney came into the race 45 points above the cut line to advance to the next round. So, while the DNF smarts, it doesn’t spell disaster—yet.
Denny Hamlin hopes to ‘control our own destiny’ as Playoff woes continue
“It Was Huge”: Briscoe’s quiet sixth at Watkins Glen reshapes His NASCAR Playoff hopes
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- Favorites and Underdogs: Who Will Rise in the Xfinity Series Round of 8? - October 12, 2024
- Shane van Gisbergen Sweeps Pole Positions at Charlotte Road Course - October 12, 2024
- Talladega Delivers ‘The Biggest of The Big Ones’ and another Rulebook Controversy - October 6, 2024