The NASCAR All-Star race is finally over and even though it was far from a fan-favorite race, we saw a very competitive Team Penske driver finally win a race in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series. Ryan Blaney finally steered his #12 Ford Mustang to Victory Lane. Although it is not a point awarding win, it’s great news for the Penske driver.
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However, Blaney did something that didn’t fit well with the fans. As Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed behind the #12, NASCAR Stewarts waved a yellow flag for caution. However, a confused Ryan Blaney thought the race was over and removed the window net to celebrate. However, the race was not actually over, of course.
This isn’t the end of the story. In fact, NASCAR rules prohibit drivers from removing the safety net because of a safety issue. However, NASCAR did not penalize the driver. They let him stay out and race as he took the chequered flag.
A recent episode of Dale Jr.‘s Door Bumper Clear podcast featured spotter, Brett Griffin who called Blaney an “Idiot.”
He said, “First of all, Ryan Blaney is an idiot for dropping his window net. Sorry, race ain’t over yet, He drops his window net before the race finished, that’s his dumba** fault. He screwed that up.”
Read More: “NASCAR L” – Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin & Bubba Wallace React to Ryan Blaney “W” at All-Star Race
However, Brett doesn’t put all the blame on the driver. He talked about what NASCAR officials should have done as he said, “If they’re (NASCAR) gonna let him stay at the point, they should have brought him in (the pits) and fix it, and give him his spot back. Otherwise, they gotta black flag.”
Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, And Chase Elliott Congratulate Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney crossed the finish line as the first driver, winning the whopping $1 Million prize! Not only that, but he also won his first race of the season. And fellow NASCAR driver and good friend, Bubba Wallace, came up to the Victory Lane to congratulate the driver!
On top of that, Wallace also tweeted out to congratulate his buddy on the win on his Twitter.
Y’all do remember 2014 Miami truck race…
The damn fool had to rebuild his shifter under caution!
Ole Ryan MacGyver Blaney just doing MacGyver 💩
Congrats homie @Blaney
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) May 23, 2022
Of course, Bubba wasn’t the only one. Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin also tweeted out to support the driver.
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If you can’t root 9, root 12. Forget the Underhill’s, the tab is on you this week @Blaney. Congrats dawg!
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) May 23, 2022
Never should have been a yellow in the first place. They put Blaney in the situation he was in. To make up for it they let him break a rule. 2 wrongs don’t make a right.
Blaney W, NASCAR L— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) May 23, 2022
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Finally, it’s great news for Ryan Blaney to finally win a race after a rough season. However, was taking his window net off his fault? Or was it just an honest mistake?