“Has to run people over to get anywhere”: NASCAR fans left divided as Ryan Blaney bumps Shane van Gisbergen to pass William Byron

Ryan Blaney's aggressive move on William Byron in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville, which followed a controversial incident involving Shane van Gisbergen, sparked debate among fans. While Blaney's maneuver allowed him to pass both van Gisbergen and Byron, some fans criticized the move on social media.

Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway is the final race of the round of eight, and the penultimate race of the 2024 Cup Series season. Six drivers are in contention for the Championship 4 round, and Blaney and Byron are two of them.

During lap 345 of the race, Blaney and Byron were tussling for track positions and this was when the Penske driver bumped van Gisbergen, who was a lap down. As a result, van Gisbergen made contact with Byron, and slowed the #24 car down.

As Blaney pulled out the move, he passed Byron for the second position. Fans who witnessed the shove took to social media to slam the Team Penske driver. Here are some reactions taken from micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter):

"Blaney is so bad lol. He has to run people over to get anywhere," a fan wrote.

"That's the Blaney special. Just move everyone in your way rather than actually race them and them whine whenever anybody dares to race you," another fan wrote.

Another fan wrote, "Reverse the roles and Blaney would be crying like a bi*ch over the radio about it."

However, not every fan criticized the audacious move by Blaney; some praised him too.

A fan wrote, "Blaney got that dog in him."

Another fan pointed at Blaney's haters,'"haters crying in this comment section."

"Jackass," Another fan wrote.

At the time of publication, Ryan Blaney was running in fourth place, one spot behind William Byron on lap 452.

---

William Byron and Ryan Blaney are in dire need of a victory

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) and the field out of turn two during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway (Image via Imagn)

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron and Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney need to score a victory at Martinsville on Sunday if they want to see themselves be a part of the Championship 4.

With Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano already having qualified for the final round, there are only two places available. Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing, currently sitting +29 points above the cutline, is a strong contender for one of those spots.

In contrast, William Byron holds a slim +7-point advantage over the cutline, while Ryan Blaney finds himself 38 points below. As such, both drivers must win the Martinsville Speedway race to secure a spot in the Championship 4.