Watkins Glen didn’t even need a full lap to shake up the NASCAR Cup Series standings in its playoff debut, not least for Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney.
Drivers were working their way through the new-look bus stop chicane on the opening lap of Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen when contact between Corey LaJoie and Kyle Busch sent Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet spinning around. The field behind them scattered every which way to avoid the accident, but not everyone was able to.
CHAOS ON THE OPENING LAP!
RYAN BLANEY, DENNY HAMLIN, CHRISTOPHER BELL AND MORE INVOLVED!
📺 : USA Network pic.twitter.com/Wh5ceei2hR
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 15, 2024
Christopher Bell was spun around after Busch backed into the side of his No. 20 Toyota and received minimal damage and continued. Denny Hamlin was less fortunate, slamming into the left-rear corner of Busch’s car with the right-front of his own No. 11 Toyota and sliding into the outside wall, getting heavy damage in the process. Hamlin continued in the race, but he and Busch fell two laps down while making repairs.
Blaney got the worst of it after running into the back of fellow Ford playoff contender Brad Keselowski as the field stacked up. The incident looked minor but caused significant damage. He brought his No. 12 Ford to a stop and was towed to garage.
Per the rule book, that meant his day was over. Blaney was relegated to a 38th-place finish that gave him just a single point in the standings.
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The third-generation racer entered Sunday atop the playoff standings with a 45-point edge on the cutline that should cushion the blow, but he’ll go to Bristol Motor Speedway at risk of elimination.
Afterward Blaney was seen arguing with NASCAR officials. He later vented his frustrations over not having a chance to get his No. 12 Ford on track.
“Give us a chance to fix it,” Blaney told NBC Sports’ broadcast. “How are they going to dictate if we’re done or not? They have no idea of the damage. They said because I couldn’t drive it back to the pit box, we’re done. But if you have four flats, you get towed back to the pit box. You can’t drive it back.
“I don’t know what’s going on, why they wouldn’t even give us a shot to work on it, but I don’t agree with it. I don’t even know what happened, honestly. … That’s the frustrating part. [They] just don’t even give us a chance.”
Blaney admitted that he might not have made it back to the race even if given the chance. The contact with Keselowski broke his car’s steering.
“You just end our day without even letting us get to look at it before it’s in the garage,” he said. “That stinks.”