“Definitely worth the risk”: Brad Keselowski defends his strategy as NASCAR fan blames him for Ryan Blaney’s anger

Brad Keselowski explained why he chose to pit during the final laps, a move that ended up compromising Ryan Blaney's race. Keselowski defended his call, arguing that a similar strategy had paid off in Nashville when a last-lap yellow flag benefited him, making the risk seem worthwhile.

During the post-race interview, Dustin Long asked the #12 driver whether he was angry or just frustrated, to which Ryan Blaney responded:

"I'm pissed. I mean I told my guys like I'm ticked off, but I don't know who to be ticked off at. There's no one to be ticked off at. It's just like racing luck."

In response to a fan's comment, suggesting that he should be angry at Brad Keselowski for his late pit decision, which read, "He should be mad at @keselowski for staying out when he knew he had to pit and waiting until they’re coming to green, after the choose, to do it. Screwed over the field," Brad Keselowski replied:

"Looks like we had enough fuel to run one lap, it just didn’t pick up for some reason. If you look at the Nashville race, this strategy won when yellow came out on last lap. So, definitely worth the risk. More work to do to understand why it didn’t pick up. Can understand the 12 team frustration."

With just two laps remaining, Brad Keselowski was leading the pack but was on the verge of running out of fuel, positioning Blaney for a potential win at the oval. However, a crash involving Kyle Busch threw a wrench, ultimately catching Blaney in the aftermath. The incident forced the race into overtime, with drivers selecting their positions in the chosen zone.

Blaney opted for the outside lane next to Brad Keselowski, while Larson positioned himself directly behind Keselowski in the second row. Just moments before the restart, Keselowski ducked into pit road to refuel, shifting Larson to the front row.

Had Brad Keselowski pitted just a lap earlier, Blaney would have chosen the inside lane for the restart. The move would have given the #12 a strategic advantage, but instead, Larson capitalized on the inside position, overtaking Blaney and capturing his first Brickyard 400 victory. Despite finishing third, the defending Cup Series champion was frustrated by the race's outcome.

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Denny Hamlin opines on the Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney incident

In the closing laps of a 160-lap race, Denny Hamlin's clash with his former teammate Kyle Busch in Turn 3 pushed the race into overtime, right as Brad Keselowski and his crew chief, Matt McCall, realized they wouldn't have enough fuel to finish.

Hamlin described the situation as giving Kyle Larson a fortuitous break and causing a meltdown for Ryan Blaney. He explained on his podcast Actions Detrimental:

“The #5 got a break. The #12 got an awful break. Because the #12 was in control to win the race. I didn’t care whether they went green, whether we had cautions or whatever. The #12 was in position to win the race. And then he obviously lost his sh*t when he saw that the #5 pulled up, and then not only pulled up, but they left the same time'ish. And then the #5 cleared him into Turn . It was an unhinged moment.” [at 27:03]

Hamlin acknowledged that Blaney's frustration was understandable, as he went from potentially winning the race to finishing in third place.