"That's out of line": When Ryan Blaney refused to apologize to Jimmie Johnson after Watkins Glen run-in

Ryan Blaney and Jimmie Johnson
When Ryan Blaney spoke about Jimmie Johnson's comments after their Watkins Glen incident. Image via Imagn

In 2019, Ryan Blaney made contact with Jimmie Johnson during the race at Watkins Glen. Following the road course race, Johnson approached the young Blaney and the two had a fiery exchange in which the 7x Cup champion pointed his finger at the Penske driver at one point.

Johnson claimed that when he went to speak with Blaney, the Penske driver said he felt bad, but despite that, the HMS driver complained that he never received an apology. He added:

“I thought I would get a call from him during the week, just with the friendship that we had, and the amount of respect I thought we had for one another. And, I didn’t. To me, it’s pretty obvious he meant to drive through me.”

Sharing his perspective, Blaney emphasized that he had no plans to apologize to Johnson as he said:

“To get on my knees and beg for his forgiveness, that’s not how it is because that’s not what happened,” he said. “If he’s expecting an apology out of me, that’s out of line.”

As for their confrontation, Blaney said that Johnson didn't have 'a lot to say' and that his lip was 'quivering.' Blaney claimed that Johnson's comments solidified how the respect between the two had decreased, and that respect doesn't go both ways.

In the eyes of Ryan Blaney, the HMS driver's actions and words proved that he had no respect for Blaney, which upset him.

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Ryan Blaney showed up to Jimmie Johnson's motorhome with beers and made peace with the veteran

In the wake of their heated exchange at Watkins Glen and the comments passed on each other after it, Ryan Blaney revealed how he made peace with Jimmie Johnson. Blaney said that he and the veteran spoke for half an hour and that the discussion between 'two guys talking' ended 'really well'.

"We didn’t agree on some things, but it was agree to disagree on a few things," Blaney added.

The HMS driver touched on the aspect of stories that swirled around with questions becoming more and more specific in such situations.

Johnson further revealed that the Penske driver showed up at his motorhome with a couple of beers and that they sat down and talked about the issue at hand. The former #48 driver wished the conversation would've happened 'earlier and sooner' which would've saved both drivers 'some grief'.

However, Johnson added that such things are common in racing and that they aren't the first couple of drivers who disagreed on what happened on a racetrack. And that their confrontation won't be the last between two drivers who are racing against each other.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam
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