Last October, the Las Vegas incident where Bubba Wallace shoved Kyle Larson garnered a lot of criticism. With NASCAR seeing Wallace’s actions as a “dangerous act,” the 23XI Racing driver was suspended for the following week’s Homestead-Miami race. However, the governing body’s decision did not sit well with NBC Sports analyst Kyle Petty.
Viewing the governing body’s penalty as an inadequate punishment, During a broadcast, Kyle Petty said, “He should have been suspended for the rest of the year. Rest of the year.” And now, Petty has another “controversial” take on Ryan Blaney.
In a recent appearance on the NASCAR on NBC podcast, Petty was asked to share his big takeaways from the four races of the 2023 season. Explaining how he was worried about Team Penske, Petty said,
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“I look at the Fords, I look at Penske and I look at Joey and Ryan Blaney and you know, for me, and I’m being honest man, Ryan Blaney is the new Kasey Kahne. Potential unfulfilled. You know what I mean? Everybody wants to talk about what he can do but he never does anything. For whatever reason, for whatever reason, he just never gets past that hump.”
On the latest @NASCARonNBC Podcast, @kylepetty assessed the early season performances of @TeamHendrick/@TeamTrackhouse/Chevy, @Team_Penske/Ford and Toyota.
Here’s a clip (full podcast audio here https://t.co/p0suLYGx7B; discussion at 30:00 mark): pic.twitter.com/SXZcKMe9gY
— Nate Ryan (@nateryan) March 7, 2023
This infuriated a lot of NASCAR fans. Upset by his comments on Blaney, some Twitter users pulled out Petty’s career stats and earlier comments to criticize his take on Blaney.
READ MORE: Ryan Blaney & Bubba Wallace Deemed Favorites by NASCAR Fans to Repeat Jeff Gordon’s Impressive Feat
NASCAR fans react to Kyle Petty’s take on Ryan Blaney
While some Twitter users compared Petty’s career stats with those of Ryan Blaney, others outrightly denied the need for any comparison between the drivers. Instead, they simply defended Blaney’s performance over the years.
Kyle Petty:
Starts- 829
Wins- 8
Top 5- 52
Top 10- 173Ryan Blaney:
Starts- 273
Wins- 7
Top 5- 61
Top 10- 114Freezing cold take here 🥶
But this is this the same guy that wanted Bubba suspended forever, for doing the same thing he did to Davey Allison. So it’s not a surprise. https://t.co/7U5c3Xvq8w
— Couch Racer (@CouchRacerShop) March 7, 2023
If anyone was ever potential unfulfilled it was Kyle Petty.
— Devon Zook (@devon_zook) March 7, 2023
How many humps did you get over? How far did the Petty name take you? If your name was Kyle Smith, you'd be nobody. You'd be forgotten.
— Darrin (@Grumpy_GenX) March 8, 2023
Kyle Petty has become a bomb thrower who is apparently trying to stay relevant because he is not beloved. His book was just awful. He has a history of attacking fans on twitter. It is very sad.
— JECS Jersey Jackas_s (@Oldglorycries) March 8, 2023
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@kylepetty riddle me this… Ryan Blaney is unfulfilled potential when he was the best Ford driver in each of the last 2 years?
I use full season points because it fairly compares drivers' seasons instead of a crapshoot playoff system that ruins any integrity of a championship. pic.twitter.com/ZdCxBncYTK
— Swervin³² | THANK YOU AARON 🤟 | Brett Hundley MVP (@Swervin32_) March 8, 2023
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WATCH THIS STORY: Fear of “Horrible Takes From Kyle Petty” Takes Over With NASCAR Reportedly on the Verge of Committing “Big Mistake”
Apart from Blaney, Petty also said that he was concerned about Team Penske driver Austin Cindric. Claiming that he brings a lot to the table, Petty shared his disappointment with Cindric “not shoeing up” since Daytona 500 last year.