Ryan Blaney expresses thoughts on NASCAR’s safety preparations after last season’s brutal impact

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney recently told Bob Pockrass that he was happy about the safety precautions that Nashville Superspeedway has taken this year, especially in light of Blaney's brutal 2023 wreck. This year's Ally 400 will be Blaney's fourth start at the D'-shaped, 1.33-mile racetrack in Tennessee.

Ryan Blaney's Mustang spun out and hit the outside wall hard, following a restart on lap 147. Blaney was left with a P36 finish and serious concussion-like symptoms. Fortunately, Blaney was able to dismount his car all by himself and was later examined and released from the infield care center.

Here is a video that shows the aftermath of the crash (0:19):

Fast forward to this year, Nashville Superspeedway has introduced tire barriers at the corners to prevent the cars from ramming directly into the wall lest there should be any such incident. Although there are no SAFER barriers yet, Ryan Blaney gets why Nashville Superspeedway is unable to use them.

Reflecting on the same, the 30-year-old said:

"I'm happy that they get something there. The explanation that they gave me of why they didn't have an actual SAFER barrier there was the wall's too small to anchor the SAFER barrier. It's okay, that's fine. At least we've got something there."

He added:

"The tires are gonna do the job in that area in softening the blow. It's nice to get something. I looked at the picture and it looked pretty good."

Ryan Blaney qualified 18th for the 19th race of the season. So far, his finishes at Nashville Superspeedway are 36th, 3rd, and 37th, all of which were for Team Penske. Currently, the Hartford native sits 8th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 526 points to his name.

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Ryan Blaney credited Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s doctor for the former's Nashville recovery

Dr. Michael Collins, the mastermind behind the Sports Medicine Concussion program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was the one to help Blaney recover from the severe impact on his head, mostly his eyes. Dr. Collins was not new to treating concussions as he had previously treated renowned drivers like Noah Gragson and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Instead of having Blaney sit and rest, Dr. Collins' treatment had instructed Blaney to go out and talk to people like usual. Besides that, Collins had also prescribed a few exercises to help restore the mobility in Blaney's muscles. Finding this approach 'unique', Ryan Blaney said:

"The way he approaches it is pretty unique. Go into noisy areas and light conditions and work out and put yourself in these situations with a lot of people. That is going to help you out. It’s not good to sit in a dark room. It’s not going to get you better."

He added:

"The exercises he gave me to do, essentially at the end of the day it’s a muscle and you have to work that muscle out... Having that advice and going and doing it really sped up the process."

Watch Ryan Blaney live in action on NBC Sports and Peacock on Sunday, 3:30 pm ET. Fans can also listen to radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.