Last Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race proved to be problematic for quite a few drivers and Ryan Blaney happened to be one of them. The Team Penske driver finished P26 after racing 200-miles at the Indianapolis Road Course during the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
The race on the road course left many drivers frustrated as the field bunched up during restarts to dive into Turn 1 of the circuit, causing major accidents. Turn 1 is a sharp right-hander after the main straightaway at Indianapolis, followed by a sweeping left-hander which makes for a tricky place for drivers to go 5-wide.
The 28-year-old driver summed up his day by making his frustration with other drivers clear, and said:
“It’s a case of just getting wrecked. That’s all people do at the end of these things, just dive in there and wreck you. I don’t know who shoved who and I don’t care, but tires didn’t matter at the end. We restarted top three both times and tires don’t really matter. It’s just a matter of getting through on the restart, but, apparently, that’s a hard thing to ask. People just run over each other.’’
Multiple drivers were of the same opinion as Ryan Blaney after the race ended in Indianapolis, urging other drivers to be more considerate towards their competitors on the track.
Ryan Blaney elaborates on his wreck during the final restart of the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard
The Hartford Township, Ohio native also touched on how he was in a good position during every restart to bring home good results for his team, which was cut short by the ensuing carnage.
He explained the incident further, saying:
“I got up through the middle one time and the middle never really opened one of the last couple restarts. I was protecting right and I guess whoever it was behind me didn’t care. They jumped over the curb and just wipe you out. I just didn’t even have a shot at it. I didn’t have a shot to get to the 8 to try to put the bumper to him or anything like that, just get wiped out. I’m pissed off about it and I have every damn right to be.’’
Watch Ryan Blaney take to the Michigan International Speedway next weekend for the FireKeepers Casino 400.