What was meant to be a celebratory return for NASCAR in Indianapolis turned into another controversy. The sanctioning body has made several rulings that have earned it entries in its teams’ bad books. However, one race team had few complaints – Hendrick Motorsports, which has been the highest-achieving Cup Series team for a long time. But at the same time, its rivals sense something fishy in the seemingly cozy relationship between the two.

Now Ryan Blaney is taking NASCAR to task for a controversial ruling. The Brickyard 400 was riddled with cautions and wrecks, but nothing could compare to the dramatic shuffle at the end. It ruined Blaney’s dream of notching a back-to-back victory while pushing Kyle Larson to the victor’s podium.

Is NASCAR doing the right thing? – Asks Ryan Blaney

The final few laps of the Brickyard 400 were crucial for Kyle Larson. After his 18th-place finish at the Indianapolis 5o0 race in May, the racer missed his chance to run the Coca-Cola 600. But the Hendrick Motorsports driver daringly sported his Double Heartbreak colors – his Coke 600 paint scheme was used for the Brickyard race. And he saw it through. Brad Keselowski ran out of gas on the final lap, and two back-to-back cautions pushed the No. 5 ahead of Ryan Blaney and toward Victory Lane. But his rival was far from happy.

Ryan Blaney battered NASCAR with the stinging question – why did they favor Larson in third place over Blaney in second place? The Team Penske driver explained his concerns post-race: “I can easily say if the leader runs out (of fuel) coming to the restart zone and you have so long, wave off the green, re-choose because you’re promoting the third-place guy now to where I get screwed…The first guy is better, the guy behind me is better.”

This reeks of favoritism on NASCAR’s part towards Hendrick Motorsports, and it’s not the first time either. After Kyle Larson missed the Coke 600 race, typically the authorities should have sidelined him from the playoffs. However, the higher-ups made an exception, granting him a waiver. Although it sent ripples of relief among Larson’s fans, others were skeptical about this selectively favorable treatment. And Larson wore those same Coke colors to achieve a fairytale win today, at Ryan Blaney’s expense.

Ryan Blaney had fumed at NASCAR over the radio mid-race: “That’s f***ing bulls**t NASCAR and you f***ing know it and something better change … They just gave it to him.” However, post-race, the Team Penske driver adopted an easier stance and tried to show reason given how hard a track like Indianapolis Motor Speedway is to maneuver. “It’s one of those weird … you don’t see that very often at a place like this. If it was any other place, it’s not going to be as bad because the second lane at all the other places, you can maintain. Here, it’s a death sentence. You’re not maintaining the lead from the top on the front row. I hope they should rack in that situation to make it fair.”

Yet even as Ryan Blaney dialed down his emotions, some NASCAR fans have drummed up the issue. They echoed Blaney’s ‘golden boy’ claims, believing that HMS is indeed in cahoots with the sanctioning body.

NASCAR community thinks it was rigged

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Hendrick Motorsports has raked up more wins than any other active race team in NASCAR at the moment. Not only do they reign over the victory charts, but they also have a large fanbase. However, their clear dominance has created a polarity as well – many NASCAR fans question their repetitive wins. So when Ryan Blaney questioned Larson’s Brickyard win, one fan agreed: “Blaney just speaking truth, the Golden Boy gets it handed to him.”

The Brickyard 400 echoed this year’s Richmond race. Back then, Denny Hamlin allegedly jumped a restart to get ahead of Martin Truex Jr, but NASCAR overlooked it. This time as well, Kyle Larson also seemed to execute a lightning-fast restart, drawing Ryan Blaney’s ire and fans’ raised eyebrows. So one fan flatly accused Larson: “10000% restart violation on the 5.” Another fan chimed in: “Larson rolled before Blaney. That is a restart violation.” Another agreed with Blaney: “He’s correct on this one. Tied it up and gave it to Larson with a bow on top.”

Other fans were furious at NASCAR for showing blind favoritism towards HMS. After Larson’s controversial waiver for the Coke 600 comes the Brickyard restart debate. So one fan sadly declared: “I lost a lot of respect for NASCAR today. That was such a blatant tilting the scale for Larson move by the officials.” Another fan claimed this tendency is nothing new: “Has anyone told him how NASCAR has favored Hendrick for decades?”

Evidently, a storm of criticism would mar the Hendrick fold’s glorious celebrations. Let us wait and see if Ryan Blaney prepares for payback after the two-week NASCAR break.