"Wrecked the f**k out of me": Frustrated Ryan Blaney blasts HMS driver for shattering his playoff day

Ryan Blaney slammed Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman for destroying his playoff run at Talladega Superspeedway. Blaney was running inside the top 5 and could've netted valuable stage points, but the #48 Chevy driver shattered the former's second stage.

The YellaWood 500 witnessed Ricky Stenhouse Jr. taking the Talladega throne after a massive 28-car pileup ensued with just five laps to go. Brad Keselowski followed him in second and William Byron in third.

But Team Penske's Talladega weekend, which had kicked off on a dominant note, turned into misery as all three drivers—Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, and Ryan Blaney, succumbed to a DNF. While Logano and Cindric got collected in the final stage 'Big One,' Blaney's day was over before he could see the final stage.

The defending champion's #12 Ford Mustang was running alongside Keselowski when Bowman charged from behind and bumped into Blaney. It sent Team Penske's Ford drifting into the outside barriers, collecting Ross Chastain and marking a DNF for Trackhouse Racing's #1 Chevy.

The #12 driver reprimanded the #48 HMS driver for damaging his playoff prospects. During a post-race talk with Bob Pockrass, Blaney vented his frustration and said:

"We were in the middle lane, I don't think it was terrible, probably still around fifth or sixth, and 48 just drove straight through me in the tri-oval. Just wrecked the fu*k out of me, I don't know what he's thinking," Blaney said (0:09).

Despite the big blow, Ryan Blaney exits Talladega 25 points clear of the playoff bubble.

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Alex Bowman takes the blame for robbing Ryan Blaney of a strong finish at Talladega

Not only did the Team Penske driver produce the fifth-fastest qualifying speed, but he had good pace ever since the YellaWood 500 kicked off. Blaney secured a tenth-place finish in Stage 1 and neared a top-5 finish in the second stage.

The Ohio native had already led six laps and was looking for room to add more to his arsenal. But Alex Bowman was right behind him to wreck the defending champion out.

The HMS driver admitted to going over the line while pushing Blaney to create room for a satisfactory stage finish. He said:

"Overall, kind of disappointed with myself. Made the wrong move a lot and crashed the 12 it was a shi**y push. Obviously, trying to push him to help our lane for the stage and just put him in the wrong spot. He (Blaney) though I did that, he thought I made the wrong decisions, I just didn't do a very good job today," Bowman confessed via Bob Pockrass on X.

Alex Bowman is positioned one spot above Ryan Blaney in fifth. The former will enter the Round of 12 finale at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course with a 26-point buffer.