Ryan Blaney reacts to Kyle Larson incident at Gateway, will 'remember'

While Ryan Blaney ended up finishing P4 in the end, he couldn’t help but wonder what could have been if he hadn’t spun. Kyle Larson got into his left rear after coming from way back into a corner. Blaney wasn’t very satisfied with Larson’s excuse, either.

Ryan Blaney is going to tuck today’s incident at Gateway into the back of his mind. He’s got it as a card up his sleeve now. In the next crucial moment, these NASCAR Playoffs, where Larson might need a break, it’s not coming from Blaney.

The two drivers had a discussion on pit road. Then, they spoke to TV about what they discussed. While Blaney accepted Larson’s explanation, he wasn’t pleased with the answer, either.

“Um, I just wanted to know what I did to deserve it. He just said he made a mistake, and you know, yeah that’s fine, make mistakes, but at the end of the day, I still got turned,” Blaney said on USA. “He came from all the way on the bottom of the racetrack and hit me in the left rear. I know he most likely didn’t mean to do it, but it happened anyway. So, that’s just one I gotta remember, but I was happy we bounced back. After getting turned around and did a good job of kinda timing out where we needed to be and having a good enough car to get back to fourth.”

Ryan Blaney has the right to be frustrated

You have to feel for Ryan Blaney. He didn’t wreck out of this race, but he’s had many moments where these spins and incidents have ended in DNFs for him and his team. He has seven DNFs in 2025, in fact. Yet, he’s still a potential championship threat.

Today’s race could have been Blaney’s. We will never know. The spin happened at a crucial time, Lap 136 as Stage 2 was ending. There were 104 laps left in the race. Enough to bounce back but not quite enough, and not quite the right pit strategy, to contend for the lead late in the race.

I like that Ryan Blaney is saying, thanks but no thanks, essentially, to this apology from Kyle Larson. He should be frustrated. And he should remember it and hold it against the 5 later in the playoffs if the opportunity arises. If he so chooses. While many of these drivers grew up together and have known each other for years, too many play nice. Blaney should keep this edge to him, after all, they’re racing for a championship.