Days After His Fiery NASCAR Outburst, Ryan Blaney Makes a Huge Health Revelation

Post his scary crash at Nashville Superspeedway, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney had a fiery outburst. Walking away unharmed, the #12 driver called out to NASCAR for the lack of safety barriers at the inside wall. Blaney termed the crash as the ‘hardest hit’ of his life, triggering a massive oversight debate. Even NASCAR’s VP of Competition, Elton Sawyer sided with Blaney’s stance, calling out the lack of sand or tire barriers where SAFER could not be placed. 

Now in Chicago for the Grant Park 220 Cup Series race, the Team Penske driver made a huge revelation regarding his health.

“Kind of foggy”: Ryan Blaney delivers a major health update

Calling out NASCAR’s slip-up in a post-race interview, Ryan Blaney said, “I don’t know why there’s no SAFER barrier there. That’s pretty ridiculous, honestly. Hardest hit I’ve ever had in my life.” His comment was rightly justified by the crumpled front end of his #12 Team Penske car. Receiving a lot of flak for the Nashville blunder, NASCAR was then forced to review the track’s safety measures. Two-time Coca-Cola 600 winner Jeff Burton even expressed that Blaney’s crash will force NASCAR to review the safety net of all its circuits. With NASCAR facing heavy backlash from the motorsport community for its safety oversight, Ryan Blaney has now delivered a major health update.

In a pre-race interview with Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass at the Chicago Street Course, the Team Penske driver revealed experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Speaking on how he was feeling 100% on Friday, Blaney said, “Physically I felt fine. On Monday night just kind of the mental side, I had to deal with a little bit, but by Thursday I felt really good about it, and then Friday I felt a 100%.” Ryan Blaney further revealed how Dr. Micky Collins felt about his recovery saying, “Dr. Collins felt good about it Monday when he talked to me. He had some concerns but he didn’t feel like I was ever really at a point where I was gonna sit out. He didn’t say anything too severe, at least where I didn’t have to go up to Pittsburg.”

Revealing his concussion-like symptoms, Blaney also added how NASCAR suggested that he should consult the expert in sports-related concussions, Dr. Micky Collins. “But there was couple things what I said he didn’t really like. You know, you just feel kind of foggy, you just kind of feel out of it. The exercises he kinda gave me to do; essentially at the end of the day it’s muscle, and you have to work that muscle out. So, the way he approaches it is pretty unique…I was gonna call Dr.Collins anyway, to make sure I was okay going forward. I was gonna call him anyway and they (NASCAR) suggested I call him too,” said Blaney.

Read More: After Ryan Blaney’s Nasty Impact Triggered Oversight Debate, NASCAR Senior VP Claims “Something Should Have Been Done There”

Ryan Blaney isn’t the only driver to face concussion-like symptoms in NASCAR’s 2023 season.

Noah Gragson misses out on the Sonoma event

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Earlier this season, the World Wide Technology Raceway event saw Noah Gragson involved in a scary wreck following a brake rotor explosion. The Legacy Motor Club driver walked away without any major injuries, but he appeared a little dazed.

A few days later, the #42 LMC driver developed concussion-like symptoms that led him to sit out of the race at Sonoma Raceway. Grant Enfinger was then called upon to fill Gragson’s spot at Sonoma.

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While Blaney was lucky to not miss out on any race event, the crashes have not only raised questions about NASCAR’s oversight but also the safety quotient of its Next-Gen car.