What cost Ryan Blaney the win to Austin Cindric at WWT Raceway? All you need to know

Ryan Blaney kicked off his 16th Cup Series race on the 2024 calendar from third place and kept his #12 Ford among the contenders for the majority of the 240-lap run. However, while the Team Penske driver was inches from the start/finish line for triggering the final lap battle, his Ford Mustang succumbed to an empty fuel tank.

The Enjoy Illinois 300 went underway at the World Wide Technology Raceway and witnessed Blaney's teammate Austin Cindric emerge victorious at the 300-miler. The #2 Ford driver last won at the 2022 Daytona 500 and had a solitary top-5 finish this season at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Nonetheless, Cindric dominated 53 laps during his stint and snapped his 85-race winless streak. However, had Ryan Blaney not fallen victim to fuel issues with his #12 Ford Mustang, the high-octane car visiting the victory lane must have been someone else's than Cindric's.

The Ohio native led 20 laps on the 1.25-mile asphalt and fought a tough battle for the lead against the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 winner Christopher Bell. But on Lap 221, the #20 Toyota driver suffered a mechanical failure, drastically reducing his speed.

With that, Ryan Blaney took charge of the pack and held off his hard-charging teammate. While the #12 Ford driver could see himself inching closer to his maiden win this season, luck twisted and the 2023 Cup Series champion paid the price.

Moments before crossing the line to begin the final lap, Blaney's ride ran out of fuel and thus, the 2023 defending champion couldn't help but see his chances of emerging victorious slipping from his grasp. He fell from being the frontrunner to coming home with a dismal P24 finish.

Ryan Blaney suffers from unfavorable luck for three consecutive points-paying Cup races

With four top-5s and five top-10s, Ryan Blaney started the current season on a strong note. However, the Team Penske driver is still shy of a race win and naturally battled in every race to emerge above the unwanted feat.

However, the cards were played against the Ohio native. During lap 129 at the Goodyear 400, Blaney was involved in a three-wide battle with Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron. The Hendrick Motorsports driver used up extra room while overtaking from the inside line, which proved costly for the #12 Ford.

The right-rear toe link was destroyed and the pit crew took more than the stipulated seven minutes on the Damaged Vehicle Policy book, resulting in a DNF for the defending champion. His next misery came at the Coca-Cola 600.

Ryan Blaney succumbed to a blown tire while he tamed his high-octane ride at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. After the Team Penske driver apparently "ran over something," his tire went flat and his #12 Ford rammed into the SAFER barriers on turns 3 and 4. Thus, another DNF for the 30-year-old.

After enduring multiple setbacks, Blaney outlined his bad luck while praising his teammate's triumph at the World Wide Technology Raceway.

"Just one lap short. Man it stinks but congrats to the 2 team [Austin Cindric's team], they did a good job today. Really happy with our showing today, just I dont know what I got to do to get some luck on our side. We've gosh wrecked the last two points race and thought we had a great shot to win today and ended up bad," Blaney said vix FOX: NASCAR on X.

Blaney retained 12th place in the standings and will be next seen at the 110-lap dash at the Sonoma Raceway.