"Try not to sit around and just let it eat at me": Ryan Blaney fears going 'crazy' following Homestead-Miami setback ft. Michael Jordan's 23XI star

Ryan Blaney took the white flag as the leader at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but his fate was shortlived as Tyler Reddick lunged to punch his Championship 4 ticket. The Team Penske driver opined there were tons of things he could've done differently but chose to ponder on that on Monday, as he feared going 'crazy' if he kept on thinking about the final lap disappointment.

The Straight Talk Wireless 400 witnessed Michael Jordan's driver etch his third win this season, and script history, becoming the first 23XI Racing driver to enter the Phoenix Raceway as a Cup Series title contender. However, the achievement was distant from Reddick's #45 Toyota as defending champion Blaney overtook the former after the restart, taking the white flag as the leader.

Nonetheless, as Blaney's #12 Ford switched lanes while exiting the banked turn, the room opened for Reddick to make the race-winning move. The #45 Toyota driver didn't disappoint, as he immediately capitalized on the Team Penske rival's shift and took the outside line to park his car in the victory lane.

Had Ryan Blaney won the battle, he would've confirmed his Championship 4 ticket. After the 0.241-second margin of defeat, the #12 Ford driver said he would reflect on his race, on Monday, as he feared going 'crazy' with the information overload. He said (via Frontstretch).

"There's obviously tons of things I feel like I could've done differently. That's easy to kind of (think about) on Monday or think about it after the race. When it doesn't go well like, 'I should've done this and that.' I try not to stew over these things and just try to learn from them. This would probably be the best route to do," Blaney said (1:40).

"I try not to sit around and just let it eat at me because then you're going to go crazy. So, yeah there's definitely some things I could've done differently," he added.

Blaney is below the playoff cutline and is shy of 38 points to the provisional divider.

Ryan Blaney reflects on his lackluster final lap approach as Tyler Reddick made an easy pass

Ryan Blaney was already way below the cutline when he entered the 35th Cup Series race weekend, and thus, needed a win to keep his title fight alive. He inched closer to collecting his third victory, and the checkered flag was in sight, signaling that the driver was about to safeguard his Championship 4 race spot.

Blaney said he tried to move to the bottom but failed. Moreover, he left clean air for Tyler Reddick to bank on, which became evident from the #45 Toyota's instant acceleration following the space created by the #12 Ford's move.

During the above-mentioned interview, the Team Penske driver reflected on his 'shameful' final lap run and said.

"I thought, well, if I go in fast, like, kind of a couple ways off the wall, and kind of just slide up and be good. And he's, I saw that, I sent it in there, and he sent it in there miles further than me, which I cannot believe it stuck, but it was gonna be that really good all day. Just entry speed was crazy fast and benefited in there. But yeah, staying some up and down day, and just, shame to lose one on tge last lap like that," Ryan Blaney said (0:40).

If Ryan Blaney fails to secure a win at the upcoming Martinsville race, he will be stripped from the 2024 Cup Series title fight.