Ryan Blaney’s quest to defend his NASCAR Cup Series championship is in serious jeopardy after a disastrous weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The reigning champion now finds himself 47 points out of a transfer spot, with only two races left in the Round of 8, leaving him needing near-perfect performances in Miami and Martinsville to keep his title hopes alive.
Blaney’s troubles began early in Las Vegas, when a puncture caused him to crash on just his second lap of practice. The damage forced him into a backup car, meaning he had to start from the rear in Sunday’s race. Despite that setback, Blaney made good progress early on, breaking into the top 20 by lap 27 and even leading a few laps during the first round of green-flag pit stops. He finished the first stage in 17th place, optimistic about his pace and chances to climb through the field.
“I felt great,” Blaney said of his early progress. “I got halfway there; I think I got to like 15th, and I was ready to restack. I felt pretty good about it.”
However, disaster struck on lap 89. A multi-car crash involving Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski sent Keselowski’s car sliding into Blaney, damaging the right side of Blaney’s Team Penske Ford Mustang. Blaney’s car slammed into the outside wall, bending both rear toe links and putting him multiple laps down. From that point on, his race was effectively over.
“The A-post is so freakin’ big; I couldn’t see where [Keselowski] was in the grass,” Blaney explained. “I thought I could squeeze on the outside and just got clipped. It was no good after that.”
Blaney’s struggles continued throughout the day as he worked to salvage what he could. The physical toll of the crashes, combined with the brutal repairs and lingering damage, left Blaney suffering from a pounding headache. At one point, he even radioed his team, requesting Advil to help alleviate the pain.
“My head was killing me,” Blaney said after the race. “When we broke the right rear toe link, it was like a basketball bouncing back and forth on the headrest.”
Despite the tough break, Blaney isn’t throwing in the towel just yet. When asked if he had any concerns about lingering effects from the crash, Blaney was defiant: “We’ll find out. I’ll be in Miami next week, though. I’ll tell you that.”
Blaney’s title defense now hinges on two near-flawless performances over the next two weekends. With 47 points to make up and only five drivers above him in the standings, Blaney must either win one of the upcoming races or pull off a remarkable points haul to claw his way back into the championship picture.
