Ryan Blaney is making his third successive appearance in the Round of 8 this season. The Team Penske star has regained form at the most crucial stage of his season, starting with his victory at Talladega in the Round of 12. However, the situation took a little time to become shaky. Following speculation by NASCAR, it was decided that Blaney’s car had some equipment that could be deemed inefficient and shorter than the length required. This forced NASCAR to demote him to the back of the pack after the post-race inspection of his car.

With Las Vegas pit stops already being a big enough task for the team, they were visibly distraught by the decision after having a decent finish to the day in P6. Pit stops turned out to be such a huge factor that one could even argue that had pole-winner Christopher Bell been a second faster on the pit road, he would have edged it past Kyle Larson at the finish line. Bell lost to Larson by a minute margin of 0.082 seconds, but he could have avoided it if he had the #12 team’s pit crew instead.

Ryan Blaney and the #12 crew emerge as the fastest team on pit road at Las Vegas

Pit stops have undergone a lot of experimentation this season. Joe Gibbs Racing, which has the fastest pit stop of the season with Ty Gibbs, kicked things off after trying to introduce a way where a single crew member changed the set of tires on either the left or right side of the car. This helps the team save invaluable seconds during stops with a change of four tires and fuel. Hendrick Motorsports has also tried its hand in this aspect and has made significant progress.

However, in recent weeks, Team Penske has been the team to beat when it comes to winning the Pit Stop of the Week award. The #12 pit crew delivered a 9.29-second four-tire and fuel change at Las Vegas, making them the prize winners for a fifth straight week. The achievement is even more admirable when considering the amount of grip Las Vegas boxing zones offer. A decreased amount of traction means that cars either need help to pit properly or face problems during their run back in.

Despite the award, many people were disappointed with NASCAR’s decision to relegate Blaney to P36 for an apparent fault in the equipment. After a thorough inspection of their facilities, NASCAR announced yesterday that they had rescinded the penalty handed out to Ryan Blaney and the #12 team and restored their sixth-place finish in Las Vegas.

Read More: NASCAR World in Shambles as Ryan Blaney Takes Revenge After Bubba Wallace’s Attempt to Expose Best Friend

Blaney’s penalty to be ruled out by NASCAR after blaring error in judgment

Trending

Joe Gibbs Racing Potentially Blocking Truck Series Phenom on Denny Hamlin’s Radar After On-Track Bad Blood

After Dale Jr., Joey Logano Blames NASCAR for Creating ‘Bulldozers’, Destroying ‘Respect’ in Cup Series

NASCAR Fans Back Kyle Busch’s Son’s Desperate Plea Amidst Denny Hamlin’s ‘Bad Luck’ Reluctance

Reality Struck Shane van Gisbergen Has His Playoffs Chances Cut Short Even Before His Full Time Debut in 2025

“My Body Needed Time”: Tony Stewart’s Wife, Leah, Discloses Her Roadblocks to Motherhood Amid Racing Dilemma

According to Section 14.11.3.5 of the NASCAR Rule Book, the left-front shock of the #12 Mustang had to be a specified length that has been highlighted. The penalty was handed out after a post-race inspection of the car. And now, after reviewing their verdict for Las Vegas, NASCAR has finally decided to rescind it.

NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran sent a statement to amend their decision: “Obviously, a lot of shocks go on throughout a weekend. They have a set screw underneath it that keeps everything tight, and if they become even the slightest bit loose during a weekend, they actually can basically come loose, shift a little bit.”

The initial issue competition officials discovered was with a faulty damper template used during the race. Moran explained the reason why NASCAR was forced to think that there might be a guideline violation. As he said,

“So it’s not big numbers we’re talking about here, but there was a way that they could actually come loose, and if they were moved, the shock would go on, and was sealed prior to the race and that’s where the problem came about post-race. That same shock did not pass the same template that it was on previously.”

“So again … there was a lot of digging in here to come up with what we did, but when we were all done, NASCAR had ownership in it. It was not a team problem, and we’ll own up to that, and that’s why the penalty’s getting rescinded.”

Read More:  Bubba Wallace’s Dream Run Ends in Disappointment

After the decision, Ryan Blaney was given back his P6 points and the stage points he had earned in the race. This will be a big boost for Blaney who was forced to sit last in the eight-driver list. He moves to seventh and 17 points within the range of the cutoff line instead of a staggering margin of 56 points, making the 29-year-old hopeful of a championship race spot once again.