Ryan Blaney will head to Dover Motor Speedway seventh in the NASCAR standings despite suffering seven DNFs this season. Coming off his latest DNF at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, the driver of the No. 12 car is now responding to criticism for not getting back at other drivers who wreck him.
Hours after getting knocked off track—the second time at Sonoma when his car was run into and knocked off course—Blaney pushed back on X against criticism of him for just voicing his frustration on the radio instead of wrecking other drivers
"Maybe it's because I was raised correctly and don't wreck people and put the guys who work on this stuff for hours on end in a tough spot. Yes, I get upset in the moment but it's a way to vent and let things go. I do wish I wasn't that way and people didn't judge me for it but it's who I am, unfortunately."
Related: Winners, Losers from Sunday's NASCAR race at Sonoma Raceway
Ryan Blaney stats : 545 points, 1 win, 8 top 10s, 7 top 5s, 1 pole, 352 laps led, 18.45 average finishing position in 20 races this season
Blaney's frustration with other drivers on Sunday started on Lap 30. After working his way into the top four, the No. 12 car got squeezed off the track by Chase Briscoe, dropping Blaney down several spots in the field.
He immediately voiced his frustration, saying on the radio that the No. 19 car should watch out the next time Blaney caught up to him. Later in Stage 2, when Blaney did reach Briscoe, he put the incident behind him and raced the Joe Gibbs Racing car cleanly.
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Unfortunately for Blaney, taking the friendly approach didn't bring him good karma later in the day. In the final stage, Chris Buescher continued to race him aggressively in the battle for third place. Buescher got a little loose, knocking Blaney off the track and into the dirt, where he then got stuck and required assistance.
"I thought we were really good today. Third, fourth, fifth-place car, and yeah, shame that it didn't end like I thought…We had speed in our car, so it's unfortunate. As usual for this year, got caught up in someone else's mess. I got to the apron and there was really nowhere else for me to go but the apron. I tried to get there and get clear of it, but they kind of came down and got me in the right-rear and I ended up in the fence. There was no missing that one."
Blaney voiced his frustration both on the radio and after the race when talking to reporters. However, that's as far as the father-to-be is willing to take it, not wanting to use his car to get revenge or intentionally wreck people. Considering he has maintained that same mindset even through seven DNFs this season, it's clear Blaney isn't changing his ways.
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