The stage was set. Reigning champion Ryan Blaney had even survived a fierce duel with Christopher Bell. With three laps to go and Cindric closing in, it all went down the drain – and how! Blaney’s #12 Penske Ford suddenly fell off the pace, because of…you would never have guessed it, lack of fuel! Blaney, who was on the way to victory, finished the race in 24th place.

Was it a strategy error? Were the fuel specifications overlooked? Fans had a million questions waiting to be answered as Austin Cindric took the checkered flag, ending his 85-race winless streak.

Ryan Blaney can’t catch a break

With 66 of 240 laps remaining at Gateway Motorsports Park, Ryan Blaney’s #12 Pense Ford was one of the first lead lap cars to enter the pit road for his final green-flag pit stop. Although Blaney was one of the first drivers to do so, it was well within the window for the reigning champion to finish the race. But Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, who had been lightning fast throughout the race, pitted almost 20 laps later and caught up with Blaney thanks to his fresher tires. The duo battled side-by-side for almost three laps before Bell’s car suffered a mechanical failure. This gave Blaney a clear shot at victory until his car slowed when he ran out of fuel.

Now, this is what you call a cruel twist of fate! And even industry insiders couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed. Speaking about the Team Penske driver’s abysmal season and run at the WWTR, journalist Jordan Bianchi said on The Teardown podcast: “They were the only car to run out of fuel if I’m not mistaken and that’s costly and either they didn’t get enough fuel in the car or they miscalculated when to stop because they stopped before everybody else. This was a race they should have had a minimum left here with a second or third place finish instead they’re leaving with a 24th, like you can’t have that and you know I know he’s comfortable enough in the point standings but he’s 12th now, that’s way too low for that team and driver.”

However, that isn’t the only implication. The #12’s misery also translated into his teammate Austin Cindric inheriting the lead and taking his first victory since 2022 at the Daytona 500.

For Blaney, though, the race was indicative of his season so far. Starting the season on a high with P2, P3 and P5 finishes at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix respectively, the reigning champion has slowly suffered a dip in form ending P39 in Charlotte, P36 at Darlington and P12 at Kansas (in the last three points races).

Notably, from sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, Blaney has now dropped to 12th. At the Goodyear 400, Blaney had a DNF when his No. 12 Ford collided with Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro, costing the pit crew more than seven minutes. His run of bad luck continued at the Coca-Cola 600 when he suffered a flat tire and rammed his car into the barriers on turns 3 and 4.

Fans react to Blaney’s heartbreak

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It didn’t take long for fans to make their opinion known on social media after the race. The idea that a car, driven by the reigning NASCAR champion could run out of fuel while in the winning position, seemed so absurd to some fans that one wrote, “At that level, with all the technology that’s available to them, running out of fuel inside a fuel window is absolutely unacceptable.” One fan questioned the crew of the No. 12 Penske Ford race car, questioning their professionalism. He said, “How is that 12 crew still employed???”

Others took a more positive view of the situation, saying that a boring race was made entertaining by the last-minute drama. One fan said, “The race was boring but the ending made it exciting but still. Ouch.” Another fan offered himself up as fuel manager for Team Penske. He said, “Crazy. Like wtf. Sign me up. I’ll be the fuel manager. 😂”

Humor aside, it was a day of heartbreak for Ryan Blaney, who expectedly cut a dejected figure after the race. Talking to NASCAR, the driver discussed his fuel debacle and said, “It quit running. Just a lap short. I thought we were plenty good. They must not have gotten it as full as they thought. I thought we were plenty good to go to the end and it wasn’t meant to be.”

Further expressing his exasperation, he said, “That’s frustrating to drive your ass off to keep [Bell] behind you,” and added, “I don’t know what happened to him, but you think you do a good job and drive your [expletive] off and feel like you weathered the storm of just trying to get it home and you run out. Proud of the day. It’s just one of those deals.”

Well, Ryan Blaney will have to buckle his shoes if he wants that coveted spot in the playoffs. With how his journey has been this season so far, do you think he’ll be able to get one Victory Lane visit under his belt at least? Let us know your thoughts!