At Watkins Glen, Ryan Blaney’s race came to an abrupt end after a massive wreck on lap 1. Despite believing he could continue, his car was sent to the garage. According to NASCAR’s Damage Vehicle Policy (DVP), if a car can make it to the pit lane, teams get time to fix it and rejoin the race. But that wasn’t the case for the Team Penske driver.

Frustrated, Ryan Blaney even vented his anger to the media, feeling he was robbed of a chance to score crucial playoff points. However, after cooling down and reviewing the rules, he realized NASCAR was right. Now, he’s owning up to the moment, admitting he wasn’t proud of his reaction.

“Give us a chance to fix it. They have no idea of the damage. I don’t know what’s going on and why they didn’t give us a shot to work on it,” is what a helpless Blaney said as the No. 12 Ford was taken to the garage.

Following the rant against NASCAR, Ryan Blaney and the team went over the DVP and saw that the action the governing body took was by the book. Blaney believed that he was done unjustly by the Damaged Vehicle Policy. While other drivers involved in the crash made their way back to the pitlane, the No. 12 was towed to the garage.

All Ryan Blaney wanted was to get back on track. But after Brad Moran, the Cup Series Managing Director, explained the situation, Blaney realized his rant was out of line. The Team Penske driver later addressed his behavior, explaining his frustration. “You know, when we got the damage and broke the part, I thought, and honestly I’ll say all of us on the 12 team thought, you know, ‘Hey, bring us back to our stall. Let’s just at least take a look at it and see if we can fix it.'”

Blaney also justified his previous reaction, saying, ” So, when I gave my TV interview, I didn’t know the rule until I got back to the garage after the care center, and then we sat down and kind of went through the rule book. NASCAR did everything by the rule book. If you are involved in an incident and you cannot drive it back to the pits unless you have four flat tires and you cannot move, then you are done, to their discretion.”

Ultimately revealing that he had 4 flats, which stopped him from being able to drive to the pit lane. That came with him adding to say, “NASCAR did everything that the rule book said, so I don’t blame them for it at all.” Glad that he cleared out the confusion, he can move on to taking on the Bristol race, where he can yet again emerge to win and gain playoff positions.

Where does Ryan Blaney stand ahead of the Bristol race?

Before the incident at Watkins Glen, Ryan Blaney was second in the playoff picture. The only driver ahead of him was Joey Logano, who cemented his place at the top by winning at The Glen. With a DNF, Blaney did fall from his spot in the playoffs, but it was not all that severe.

Blaney went from P2 to P8, and although this is a six-position loss, at least he is not up for elimination. He is currently ahead of season favorite Kyle Larson, who is just 3 points lower than Blaney. Bristol will be quite important as the driver, as he has always been a hit-or-miss on the circuit.

Ryan Blaney so far has no wins in Bristol, but that does not stop him from giving it his all to get back to the ranks of his teammate Logano. Defending the championship is very crucial for the driver, and with him being in the playoffs, he has no time to waste.

Considering the moment with which Blaney is driving, do you think that he has a chance of keeping the Cup Series Championship title for another year?