"I'm not gonna Bulldog into him": Penske ace Ryan Blaney reveals his true feelings on Chase Elliott battle at Bowman Gray

Ryan Blaney explained why he didn’t bump Chase Elliott after the Team Penske driver came up one spot short at the 2025 NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray last Sunday.

Blaney started in 23rd place for the NASCAR exhibition race after missing out in the heat races but finished second behind Elliott. He had a chance to bump Elliott out of the way for the win but chose not to. After the race, the 31-year-old shared that his tires wore out without enough grip to make the pass and decided to help his friend in the end.

"When I started to go, I just didn't have enough right rear. And I'm like, oh shit. Like, I don't, I'm not gonna make this pass right like, and I'm not gonna bulldog him into him and get chased out of here with pitchforks," Ryan Blaney said.

"Just when it was time to go, I just didn't quite have enough. And he just, I could turn really good, but I paid the penalty on exit to where he could just kind of keep the power down a little bit longer, and the right rears seem to wear out more than right front. So just helped him out just a little bit more at the end," he added.

Blaney's No. 12 team also had to fix a water cooler issue before the Last Chance Qualifier.

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"I had a blast" - Ryan Blaney on runner-up position at the Clash

Ryan Blaney started last at the 0.25-mile track in Bowman Gray Stadium but he made his way through the field and reached the top 10 by the halfway point. Caution flags helped him pass Denny Hamlin for second place on lap 147.

Blaney tried to catch Elliott but let him pull ahead and finished 1.3 seconds behind. He also started the Clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last year in 23rd place and drove to finish third.

"I had a blast. I was saying last year we came from last to third, this year last to second. We just have to not start last and we may have a shot to win one of these things. I just didn't quite have enough right rear (tire)," Blaney said (via NASCAR.com).

Blaney will return to the NASCAR field at the first points race for the 2025 Cup Series season. The Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for February 16.