On-track rivalry is what makes NASCAR racing so special. From going door-to-door and banging bumpers, things can quickly escalate into brawls and physical alterations. NASCAR has seen a fair few of those recently. However, not all heated exchanges are captured by the camera. A prime example of this was the rivalry between Ryan Blaney and Mexican race car driver Germán Quiroga.

Now it’s no secret that Blaney can turn into a different beast when he steps inside the race car. But back in 2014, a younger version of him was still trying to learn the tricks of the trade. In the process, he did ruffle some feathers, and unfortunately, Quiroga found himself on the receiving end of things in his battle against Ryan Blaney.

In a recent interview, Blaney opened up about an incident where NASCAR had to intervene to mediate a peace treaty between the two. And, surprisingly, this directive delivered one of the most thrilling finishes of that season at the Candian Tire Motorsports Park.

What was the reason behind the animosity between Blaney and Quiroga?

The beef between the two drivers started in 2013 when the Mexican driver, driving the No. 77 truck, rammed into Blaney’s No. 29 truck racing for the top 10 spot at Iowa Speedway. Ryan Blaney certainly made a note of it, and they got back at each other in 2014 in Bristol, a week before the road course race in Canada.

Tempers were flaring hot, and it felt like Blaney was out for blood after the Bristol race. “Do you remember Germán Quiroga? He and I got into it at Bristol (in a Truck Series race) the week before I won up in Canada. He was ready to go, like ready to fight. We raced each other hard and beat-and-banged a little bit and it wasn’t anything big, but he was fired up,” said the Penske star, in an interview with Jeff Gluck for The Athletic.

However, before the race in Canada, NASCAR race director David Hoots sat both of them down and warned them about the consequences of igniting a wreck fest. “I remember (former NASCAR race director David) Hoots sat us down in the (NASCAR hauler) at Canada and was like “Do not touch each other. Do not go by each other on the racetrack. I want nothing, or I’m parking both of you.” When David Hoots tells you to do something, you’re like, “Alright, I’m not going to do this.”

Next thing you know, despite going head-to-head for the win in Canada, they managed to keep their bumper clean. In fact, it led to a photo finish, with Ryan Blaney clinching the win by 0.049 seconds. “That talk with Hoots, if we didn’t have that, that race would have been totally different because we would have just wrecked each other. But that led to one of the greatest Truck finishes in a long time,” Blaney added.

The defending Cup Series champion also opened up about his weak link while racing and which drivers he feels exploit that to their advantage on the racetrack.

Blaney tips his hat to Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson for their racecraft

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We have seen a fair few encounters between Hamlin and Larson this season. They both seemed to have continued their past run-ins. Both are experienced campaigners and know all about the strategies and styles of every racer on the field. Unfortunately for Blaney, he has to face these two regularly, and they seem to know the Penske star’s Achilles heel.

“Do they like to put you in bad situations, trying to make you lift? Like Denny (Hamlin) and (Kyle) Larson, they love to try to make you lift … I wouldn’t say I don’t enjoy it; I love racing with those guys, because they are great racers. But if I do have a restart next to those guys, that’s in the back of my head: “Oh, they might take a lot of space, and I just have to be ready for that,” Blaney explained during the interview.

Given how the 2024 season has panned out so far, it looks like these three drivers are genuine title contenders. And it will be interesting to see how this three-way battle shapes up during the playoffs.