Ryan Blaney & Team Penske Unafraid of Junked Cars After a Wreck-Infested Daytona Outing

The last eight months have not been so peaceful for Ryan Blaney. It started with a tear-jerking crash at Nashville last year in June, when Blaney learned the lesson of skipping on a g-force mouthpiece. Then came his violent fate at Daytona. Just two months later he got hooked into a terrifying 70-g force crash. Then he flagged off 2024 in flames with his car catching on fire at the Daytona qualifier.

It is only natural that after such a tumultuous racing period Blaney would get used to the track trouble by now. Even the much-awaited Daytona 500 race did not spare him from a crash. Blaney may as well start adopting ‘chaos’ as his middle name now.

Ryan Blaney numbed to a wreck-studded Daytona week

When you are ravaged by something for too long, it slowly loses its shock and appeal. Ryan Blaney may be going through the same ordeal after getting caught in the middle of wrecks loads of times. Recently he spoke to Frontstretch about how well he is adapting to his situation.

“We rolled back five junked racecars last week in an auto race shop. That’s never really fun, and then we’re coming here this week, we don’t do the same. But I don’t think we really have that mindset. If you get in a wreck, you get in a wreck. We’ll figure it out, as far as parts and pieces speak for the following weekend.”

Blaney emphasized that where there’s a will, there’s a way. The important thing is to not get too rattled by the trouble. “I hope I don’t get into another one (wreck), but I don’t really think about that stuff. I just try to figure it out, how can we win this race. I think that everyone at Penske, they understand. We’re at the start of the year. There’s a possibility you could junk a lot of cars in the first two weeks. But you just don’t really pay too much attention to it.”

The Big One loomed like the devil over the Daytona 500 last week. On lap 192, Bowman was drafting Byron when the latter bumped into Brad Keselowski. That turned into a powder keg catching Ryan Blaney and 20-plus others in the explosion. Blaney ended up injuring his right wrist after this ordeal and finished 30th place in the Great American Race.

Ryan Blaney took the lack of help at Daytona to heart and hopes to share a piece of his mind in the following races.

Draft help was nowhere to be found when Blaney sought it

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Blaney’s placid demeanor at the moment wildly contrasts his mood at the Daytona 500. The multi-car wreck sealed the fate of the driver of the #12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, but that was not all. He vented his frustration that he did not get any takers for collaborative bump-drafts.

Blaney blurted out, “They’re f**king pulling away from me,” to which his spotter of the #12 team, Tim Fedewa said, “If they all fan out they’re risking stage points.”

In response to Fedewa, he ignited the competitive spirit of the race. “Okay, they get no help from me then later in the race.”

Blaney’s post-race anger was even more visible. He minced no words when he blamed other racers for dragging him into wrecks. “Sh*tty pushes by people three times in a row at Daytona, and I have a wrecked race car.” 

Read More: NASCAR President Unfurls Uncharacteristic Superstitions Amid Hopes of Ryan Blaney’s Championship Repeat

Getting knocked around on the racetrack may just work out well for Blaney in the end. He is the defending Cup Series champion after all.