Ryan Blaney's car destroyed after hard contact in Ally 400 restart gone wrong
In a restart gone wrong, Ryan Blaney took a massive hit into a non-SAFER barrier wall at Nashville Superspeedway in the Ally 400. NASCAR has made the front clip on these cars more crushable. It showed as Blaney went straight into the wall and the front of his car crumpled up, as it should.
Ryan Blaney was able to get out of his car with some help. He was standing up as he took his helmet off while the AMR Safety Crew assisted him. This all happened after Brad Keselowski slowed up on the restart. His Ford Mustang just did not go.
Keselowski didn’t have the speed needed, the rest of the field had to brake or swerve. Kyle Busch ended up bumping the back of Blaney and they both went for a slide. Unfortunately, the No. 12 couldn’t get stopped in time.
This restart came after Tyler Reddick lost a wheel on pit road and triggered a caution in Stage 2.
There was no SAFER barrier in the area where Ryan Blaney made contact. That has been a big point of contention over the years. Yes, more safety barriers have gone up at tracks, but it is not perfect. Blaney was shaken up by the wreck and was seemingly upset with the lack of SAFER barriers after leaving the care center.
This was a race that Blaney was performing well in. He had not gotten quite into the top-5 of this race but was poking his way around the top-10. However, that win at Charlotte earlier this year might make it feel better as far as the playoffs are concerned.
Ryan Blaney frustrated early in Ally 400
It looked like Ryan Blaney had a fast car and a competitive run going in this race. However, he had early frustrations in the Ally 400. During Stage 1 of the race, as Blaney moved up through the field, he attempted to pass Bubba Wallace for 10th.
When Blaney went to take the outside lane up near the wall, Wallace refused to lift and even delivered a small block to the 12. The friends off the track were racing hard in Nashville. However, Blaney wasn’t happy at all with Wallace as he put his Ford Mustang into the wall in the process.
With all that Ryan Blaney was dealing with in this race, he was doing well. Despite the early contact and minor damage in the Wallace incident, he managed to get the job done. On this restart, things just went sideways and nothing was stopping him from hitting that wall.
Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin battled for the Stage 2 win in this race. It was Hamlin that came out on top as the Ally 400 entered the final stretch.