Roger Penske’s star Ryan Blaney sets feelings straight on if NASCAR drivers ‘can manipulate a race at Daytona’

NASCAR: Daytona 500 - Source: Imagn
Ryan Blaney during the 2024 Daytona 500 - Source: Imagn

Race manipulation is a hot topic in NASCAR with the introduction of harsher penalties against violators. Ryan Blaney was asked whether drivers can manipulate a race at Daytona and said it is an unlikely scenario.

Blaney is a 31-year-old NASCAR driver piloting the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske. He has made his way to Bowman Gray Stadium for the pre-season Cook Out Clash race ahead of the Daytona 500 in the coming weeks.

In an interview with the media at Bowman Gray Stadium, Ryan Blaney argued manipulating a race at superspeedways like the Daytona International Speedway is illogical and dangerous.

"If you have four cars and maybe you run four-wide, but that’s over the top. You have to think what is logical racing," Blaney said.

The 2023 NASCAR champion explained that running four-wide among teammates to form a blockage on superspeedways isn't an ideal race strategy compared to drafting. Chevrolet was accused of this type of race manipulation at Martinsville Speedway last year, which prompted NASCAR to impose more stringent penalties.

"Some more egregious than others like the Martinsville thing, but the speedway stuff, I don’t think you’re gonna see anything that egregious. You’re not gonna see people running four-wide to stop a track up. That’s just stupid," the No. 12 driver stated.

Moreover, Blaney said that manipulating a race at Daytona is a safety risk considering speeds can reach 200 mph or more.

"At 200 miles an hour, you’re gonna hurt people, but I’m happy that NASCAR cracked down on it. You have to have penalties for this stuff if it’s that egregious," Blaney concluded.

During the off-season, NASCAR introduced harsher penalties against race manipulation. Teams accused of such a violation would result in a loss of manufacturers' points and a reduction in wind tunnel or CFD testing time.

This follows the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway where Chevrolet was accused of forming a blockage to prevent cars from overtaking playoff-contender William Byron. Toyota also allegedly ordered Bubba Wallace to slow down to give Christopher Bell a higher finishing position.

However, Bell was disqualified after riding the wall on the final lap, with Ryan Blaney winning the race.

For the 2025 Daytona 500, Blaney will look to secure his first "Great American Race" win. His best finishes came in 2017 and 2020 where he crossed the checkered flag in P2.


Ryan Blaney made his feelings known about the Daytona 500

Ryan Blaney recently shared what the Daytona 500 meant to him. The 31-year-old driver finds the race special even as a kid growing up watching his father Dave compete around the 2.5-mile oval track.

Speaking with WCNC Charlotte's Nick Carboni, Blaney said:

"I grew up watching dad [Dave Blaney] run the 500 every single year. At a young age I understood how special it is" [7:43]

He added:

The atmosphere [on] Sunday morning leading up to the race is unlike anything I've ever been a part of. It's just the people that show up, the people that camp for a week straight in the infield, that are there for a good time with their family and to watch an event, that means a lot. It really puts it into perspective of how much this race is meant to a lot of people."
youtube-cover

The upcoming Daytona 500 will officially kick off the 2025 season on February 16. The event will be Ryan Blaney's 11th attempt to secure a maiden win in the 500-mile race.

He will continue driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang alongside Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Austin Cindric.

Quick Links

Edited by Neelabhra Roy
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications