While a fellow Ford claimed the throne at NASCAR’s biggest spectacle, Ryan Blaney of Team Penske got his day turned around as a vicious wreck ended his speedway run abruptly. The frantic pace of the field meant something horrific was coming, until the end of Stage 2 where the #12 Ford was caught in a horrendous crash involving multiple cars with Joe Gibbs Racing‘s driver tipping off the domino.

Ever since his landslide Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte, Ryan Blaney hasn’t been able to emulate his race-winning performance. And to make matters worse, the #12 Ford was involved in another vicious crash, with Daytona being the latest in the list of the driver’s devastating collisions this season.

Fortunately, following the collision that saw Blaney’s Ford hit the SAFER barriers at breakneck speed, the shaken-up Team Penske driver was seen emerging out of the #12 car. And soon after the driver commented on the horrific crash. Surprisingly, Blaney did not attract much attention as he shied away from trashing the JGR driver who initiated the pile-up.

Rattled Ryan Blaney opens up following his bone-chilling wreck in Daytona

Watching Ryan Blaney hit the outside wall at triple-digit speeds was nerve-racking for the spectators as well as the drivers and spotters. One can only imagine what the driver inside the #12 might have felt. Unfortunately for Blaney, he got his head rattled after a multi-car crash at the end of Stage 2 ending his Daytona hopes in a flash.

Much like veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s predictions, the superspeedway race at NASCAR’s crown jewel track was indeed wild and slick. The pack was fierce and aggressive as ever as they went 3-wide, setting a blistering pace at the 2.5-mile high-speed speedway.

All it took was a little slip and at lap 95, Ty Gibbs who was pushed off by his teammate, Christopher Bell, nudged the #12 Ford on his left, sending Blaney headfirst into the outside wall. And what followed was pure carnage. The wreck took out over a dozen cars with Blaney getting the brunt of the impact as he crashed into the wall with the rest of the field ramming into pile-up.

When the #12 driver emerged out of the car, he was clearly shaken and was rushed to the infield care center immediately. Eventually, Blaney opened up about the crash, careful enough not to name Ty Gibbs or put the blame on him. “Yeah, I’m okay. I don’t really know what happened. I saw the replay, and I’m guessing the No. 54 got turned into my right rear, and unfortunately, we got into the fence. It stinks, a lot of cars got torn up,” said Blaney.

Reflecting on his day, he said, “Yeah, looks like he kind of got him in a weird spot. Yeah, that’s not fun. It stinks, our Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang was really fast. Came from the back to the front multiple times. Thought we made a good move to try to win the Stage. That stinks, nothing you can really do there.” 

NASCAR nation reacts to Blaney’s horrible crash as they get “flashbacks” of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s fatal crash

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NASCAR nation once again witnessed the ugly side of the sport as they were yet again reminded of the sheer brutality of racing. While the #12 Ford crashed into the outer wall, many fans had flashbacks of the traumatizing fatal accident that took the life of their favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Sr.

The head-on impact in both cases had distressing similarities as the cars hit the wall head-first at blistering speeds with the drivers taking the blunt force of the impact to their heads. Another alarming similarity is the venue – Daytona Speedway.

“My Dale Sr fan heart almost makes me cry every time I see that EXACT Hard hit again. Glad Ryan is ok, he seems SHOOK. Dont blame him.”

“Exactly what I thought. It looked so similar to his crash.”

Almost everyone in the comments had flashbacks of the bone-chilling fatal crash that got the #3 driver.

“For those of a certain age, this is always instantly chilling.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin swears loyalty away from Joe Gibbs during contract discussions 

Another user also got back as he relived the horrors, saying,

“I witnessed the fatal accident of Dale Sr. Got many flashbacks from the wreck. Glad he walked away that what a wicked impact and Head on into the wall too”

Whereas another fan lauded NASCAR’s safety system, mentioning how the barriers saved another life also highlighting the sheer impact of the collision.

“Bruh I have never seen a safer barrier flex like that” 

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin Publicly Defies Joe Gibbs With 6-Word Declaration