“He didn’t meet the expectations”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. holds William Byron responsible in Ryan Blaney incident at Darlington 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has blamed Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron for shattering Ryan Blaney's run at the Darlington Raceway. The 13th contention witnessed Brad Keselowski bagging his first win in three years and ending his dismal 110-race winless streak.

On the other hand, the Team Penske driver succumbed to an exit during Stage 2, courtesy of the #24 Chevy driver's questionable maneuver amid the three-wide battle for the lead.

Shortly after the restart on Lap 129, a door-to-door fight for domination between William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., and Ryan Blaney ensued, with the drivers arranged from the inside line to the top corner of the 1.33-mile asphalt, respectively.

However, while making his move, the #24 Chevy used up a lot of track, leaving no room for MTJ and the #12 Ford to escape, let alone take charge. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver tried to decelerate a bit to escape, but to no avail, as Chris Buescher checked up from behind and rammed into the former's car, which furthered into Blaney's rear bumper.

During the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed dismay over Byron's move. However, this was not due to his three-wide attempt but because he didn't do so responsibly.

Earnhardt Jr. said (via X):

"Being the guy that goes three-wide on a restart you assume immediately a little extra responsibility. It's not a common move but you can make it, it's your choice. You gotta assume a little more responsibility and try to make sure you're tidy and that's where I think Byron, he didn't meet the expectations of the other two drivers."

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Not only Dale Earnhradt Jr. but Ryan Blaney also called out William Byron for "responsibility" issue in Darlington

While Ryan Blaney aimed to secure his maiden win this season, the 123rd Cup Series race at the too-tough-to-tame track proved to be an utter disappointment for the defending champion.

The Ohio native has contested in 13 races so far and has bagged four top-five and five top-10 finishes but is still shy of a race win. He came inches close to sealing a triumph early this season but ultimately lost the battle to Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez by a minuscule margin of 0.003 seconds.

Despite a lackluster showdown during the qualifying run, where Ryan Blaney settled for P17, the first stage of the Goodyear 400 run witnessed him climbing the charts, finishing the stage in eighth and bagging three points.

However, soon after, the unwanted feat occurred, and Blaney was out of the race. Post his run, the 30-year-old highlighted Byron's questionable move and said (via Bob Pockrass on X):

"He [William Byron] used up some good track there I thought he didn't have to use it. Don't shove it three wide in a place you can't run three wide, but if he wants to do that it's fine, but you're responsibility is to leave room for the top two cars [MTJ and Ryan Blaney's car]." (0.21)

The wreck proved fatal for Blaney as he has dropped two places in the rankings and is now 8th, whereas William Byron has witnessed a rise in his position after his 38-point finish at Darlington pulled him up to P5 from seventh place.