For the second week in a row, an issue on the track kept Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney from contending for a crucial Cup Series win. Now he has made some strong comments about his mistakes.
The driver of the No. 12 provided his thoughts on his performance after turning in a 17th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He had showcased speed during the race and had secured points in the first two stages, but he also brought out the caution by spinning while trying to leave pit road.
Ryan Blaney spins exiting pit road, bringing out the yellow.
“Downshifted like a dumb[expletive],” a frustrated Blaney said after the race. He continued and explained how he has made some driver mistakes during the playoffs that have kept him from contending for his first win of the year.
“We were in a decent spot running third on the green flag stop and then I just made a mistake,” Blaney continued. “That is two weeks in a row I made a mistake and it cost us a good run. I couldn’t get back up through the field after that. It was an unfortunate end of the day again, due to a driver mistake again.”
The First Incident Occurred at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
GettyRyan Blaney (front) hit the wall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The second incident took place during the playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The first was during the Round of Eight opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when Blaney was running in second place.
The No. 12 Ford Mustang began wiggling back and forth during the playoff race and then it hit the wall multiple times. Blaney then spun through the field without collecting any other drivers, but he hit the inside wall and damaged his stock car.
Blaney had to head back to pit road for repairs after making contact with the wall. He had one of the best cars in the field, and he led 39 laps before hitting the wall multiple times. As analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained, Blaney was “flying” and was going to catch the leader before he suddenly began slowing down.
There were questions about a potential tire issue. Blaney provided a different explanation after the race came to an end with him in the 28th position. He said that he simply got loose and hit the wall.
Blaney Now Needs Some Points & a Strong Finish
With the spin dropping him in the field, Blaney left Homestead-Miami Speedway with fewer points than he wanted. He now sits sixth in the standings with 4,069 points. He is 11 points below Denny Hamlin and 24 points behind William Byron, who holds the final transfer spot.
Blaney will now head to Martinsville Speedway, a track where he has some strong runs in the past. He has not reached Victory Lane during his Cup Series career, but he has six top-five finishes. This includes a fourth-place run during the spring race.
“I hope so,” Blaney said about potentially advancing to the championship four at Martinsville Speedway. “We will go try to have a good run. I thought we had a race-winning car there last time and I just hope we have that same speed and can put ourselves in a position to win. That is what we have to do.”
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Ryan Blaney Makes Strong Comments About ‘Mistakes’