Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney didn’t hold back in his response to accusations from Christopher Bell, after Bell claimed Blaney blocked him to help Joey Logano win the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The defending Cup Series champion, who had a tumultuous weekend after wrecking during practice and starting the race in a backup car, pushed back at Bell’s suggestion that he intentionally impeded his progress.
Bell, who dominated much of the race by leading 155 laps, was frustrated after being unable to catch Logano in the final laps. During his post-race interview, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver implied that Blaney’s No. 12 Ford played a role in preventing him from getting close enough to challenge for the win, accusing Blaney of blocking to protect his teammate.
Blaney, however, dismissed Bell’s comments and made it clear that if Bell had been faster, he could have passed him. “The 20 didn’t get to me until the last corner,” Blaney explained. “I don’t know what the hell you think I’m blocking for. I’m running the top, I’m not taking anyone’s air away. He should have maybe got to the 22 quicker, he would have been able to pass me pretty easy. But he was half a lap too late.”
Blaney’s frustration was palpable after a weekend full of setbacks, yet he still found solace in Logano’s victory and the fact that Team Penske secured a spot in the Championship 4. Though Blaney wasn’t able to maximize his points due to his own challenging race, he is still focused on the bigger picture: staying alive in the playoffs.
“We’re still alive. It’s definitely not the best of days. It was just a rough weekend overall. I don’t know what to do about it, to be honest with you, running over something and having a hole in it in practice,” Blaney said, reflecting on his roller-coaster weekend.
Looking ahead, Blaney knows he must deliver stellar performances in the upcoming races at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville if he hopes to secure his place in the Championship 4. “It will be tough without winning a race,” Blaney acknowledged, with fans eagerly watching to see if the defending champion can pull off a comeback and keep his title hopes alive.
