Defending NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney was left seething after Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman made a controversial move during Sunday’s YellaWood 500, ending Blaney’s race and shattering his playoff hopes. The incident took place near the end of the second stage at Talladega Superspeedway, with Blaney ultimately finishing a disappointing 39th.
Heading into the race with high expectations, Blaney’s day unraveled when Bowman gave him an aggressive push that sent the No. 12 Ford spinning into the inside wall. The collision triggered a multi-car wreck involving several others and inflicted irreparable damage to Blaney’s car, forcing his team to retire early.
“We were probably still going to run fifth or sixth (in the stage), and then (Bowman) just drove straight through me in the trioval,” Blaney vented post-race. “He just wrecked the fk out of me. I don’t know what he’s thinking … I thought he would have more sense than that, but obviously he didn’t. You can’t just run wide open through somebody in the trioval, but he did.”**
NASCAR on NBC’s coverage captured the carnage, with the commentator exclaiming, “IT’S NOT JUST A BIG ONE. IT’S THE HUGE ONE!” as nearly the entire field got caught up in the wreck.
Blaney didn’t hold back his criticism, calling Bowman’s move reckless and pointing out that it happened in the worst possible spot on the track.
“I don’t know if (Bowman) ever lifted. (He) just drilled me from like three car lengths back. The worst possible spot you could do it, so it’s pretty dumb on his part, and it figures that he gets away scot-free per usual.”
The incident has left Blaney in a precarious position in the playoff standings. Now only 25 points above the cutoff line, he heads into the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway knowing that he must be flawless to secure his spot in the next round. The upcoming races will be crucial for the defending champ as he fights to stay in contention for back-to-back titles.
