There is no love lost between NASCAR’s repaving stories and Cup drivers. Earlier this year, an online slugfest broke out between Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin and Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith. The reason was that Hamlin called out SMI’s faulty repaving attempts at tracks like Sonoma and North Wilkesboro. Now Ryan Blaney joins Hamlin’s side to bash SMI.

Iowa Speedway will host its inaugural Cup Series race in June, and excitement is drumming up. But, NASCAR’s repaving strategy has already shaved off quite a lot of the expectations. Visible blemishes captured on camera flooded social media. This prompted a hilarious response from Ryan Blaney, which tickled motorsports fans and drivers alike, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. But what did Blaney say? 

Ryan Blaney pokes fun at Iowa revamp

The 0.875-mile, progressively banked track opened its doors to NASCAR in 2009. RFK Racing owner, Brad Keselowski, snagged the honor of the first Xfinity win. In 2012, Ryan Blaney also scripted history. He became the youngest driver at the age of 18 to win a Craftsman Truck Series race. Making only his third career start under Brad Keselowski Racing, Blaney exclaimed, “This is pretty unbelievable.” Another Iowa win came for Ryan Blaney at a 2015 Xfinity Race. He took control of 75 laps, setting a record at Iowa for green-flag laps. The Team Penske driver’s sentiment surrounding this track is indubitable.

However, after Denny Hamlin‘s prediction about North Wilkesboro already came true, when images of the repaved Iowa track circulated recently, Blaney offered his opinion about it. It was far from a positive one, yet the hilarious undertone was notable.

Echoing Speedway Motorsports’ earlier slip-ups, Ryan Blaney shared the distorted horse meme, often used to signify how the quality of something has deteriorated over time. This symbolized NASCAR’s incomplete repave work on Iowa Speedway.

The track has not been repaved since 2006, and NASCAR smoothed over the bumps on turns 1 and 2. But the strange thing is that it affected only the bottoms of the corner and officials decided not to go all the way with the repave. That is what drew critical reactions from drivers, including, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and now Ryan Blaney. Furthermore, Blaney’s meme also ended up sending waves of laughter in the NASCAR community. 

The post from “Memelord” gets Dale Jr and fans rolling with laughter 

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Ryan Blaney was not alone in ridiculing the repaved Iowa track. Kyle Larson, who recently ran a tire test there said it would be difficult to pass, while Christopher Bell wished for the old charm. Now Blaney’s hilarious response has got Dale Earnhardt Jr joining the bandwagon. The veteran racer replied to Blaney’s post with a single, meaningful emoji: “😂”

Fans soon rallied to appreciate Blaney’s newfound comedic talent. One fan commented: “You’re in your memelord era and I’m here for it.” Another fan did not expect this sarcastic jest from Blaney, and said, “Not blaney 😭💀” Meanwile, one fan pointed out the striking accuracy of the shared meme: “The most accurate description of that track I’ve seen in one picture.. this is pure gold @Blaney.” 

The bumps that Iowa Speedway sported could have been too severe for the Next Gen car. Hence safety concerns could have compelled the repaving plan. Yet NASCAR’s incomplete project baffled one fan: “This is exactly what I was thinking. How much does NASCAR have in the bank? They can’t make a track safe??”

With fans and drivers lashing out at NASCAR’s half-hearted repave attempts, hopefully, the officials might at least finish what they started.