"They have no idea of the damage" - Frustrated Ryan Blaney rips NASCAR's call to DNF after first-lap incident at Watkins Glen

Ryan Blaney fell victim to an early race crash at the Watkins Glen International during the Go Bowling at The Glen. Just one lap into the race, Team Penske was involved in a multi-vehicle collision close to the bus stop sector of the track. This resulted in Blaney's DNF, something the #12 driver was reluctant to accept, and as a result, hit out at NASCAR.

To make matters worse for the Team Penske driver, NASCAR sent in a crane to tow his car from the track. As Blaney had his car moved after the collision, he walked to the pit road to have a chat with NASCAR officials. Going by his reaction, the Team Penske driver seemed annoyed.

When asked if he believed Team Penske ought to have been given more time to fix the car after the Lap 1 incident, Blaney responded,

"Give us a chance to fix it. How do they know if we're done or not. They have no idea of the damage. It's that I couldn't drive it back to the pit box and we're done. You get towed back to the garage, and you can't drive it back!"

"So, I don't know what's going on, why they didn't give us a shot to work on. I don't agree with it and I don't even know what happened honestly. I stacked up and comes someone from left turn and it completely broke the steering. I don't know if we could have fixed it," he added.

The DNF at the Watkins Glen proved to be a big blow for the 30-year-old in his quest for the NASCAR Cup Series championship. He started the race with +45 to his name; however, the advantage is expected to reduce significantly.

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NASCAR's reason to call DNF on Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney (12) during practice and qualifying for the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins (Source: Imagn)

According to NASCAR rules, as recently reported by Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, officials have the authority to declare a driver DNF. These guidelines stipulate that while towing is permitted to continue racing in cases of mechanical failure, it is not allowed for damage-related issues.

"A vehicle that sustains damage from an accident or contact of any kind, must go behind pit wall or to the garage area, whether under its own power or not, will not be permitted to return to the Race," the rule reads.

Besides Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. several other drivers were involved in the collision and veered off the track. While others were able to carry on with the race, Blaney and Stenhouse Jr., were out of the race with immediate effect.