“You can only protect so much”: Ryan Blaney cautious of Indianapolis Speedway’s Turn 1 peril after last year’s trouble

Ryan Blaney, a prominent figure in the NASCAR Cup Series, showcased his polished golf swing during a recent practice session at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course. This course lies within the Indianapolis Motor Speedway premises.

Despite being a skilled 9-handicap golfer, he occasionally faces unexpected outcomes, just like in his racing endeavors.

A notable instance was during last year's IMS road race. While in third place during the final restart of the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, Blaney strategically positioned his No. 12 Team Penske Ford as he approached Turn 1.

He adopted an offensive driving approach, similar to a golfer's swing, but things didn't go as planned. During the turn, Blaney became entangled in a four-wide skirmish where there was barely enough space for two cars.

Another car on his left was forced onto the grass, and upon rejoining the track, it made contact with Blaney's car, causing an unfortunate outcome. Both cars were overtaken by the pack, and Blaney's car ended up facing the wrong direction.

Although the car sustained limited damage and didn't experience further impacts, the incident significantly affected Blaney's race position.

After manoeuvring the Team Penske Ford to face forward again, he had to chase down the pack to salvage his position. This turn of events dropped him from third place to 26th in the race standings.

According to Indianapolis Motorspeedway, Ryan Blaney said:

"It can be tough," Blaney said of the IMS road course’s infamous first turn. "Whenever you have a super-long straightaway in the restart zone, everyone pulls out of line because you have so much time to build momentum before you have to get into the braking zone, and there’s no room to go anywhere.

“Because sometimes you can only protect so much, everyone funnels in, and it gets tighter than it should be. Whether it’s the doors of the cars or the bumpers, people just use each other up.”

Ryan Blaney's triumphs and fond memories at Indianapolis Motorspeedway

Ryan Blaney can find humor in the challenges he faced last year, as that's the nature of stock car racing – sometimes things don't go as planned.

In a previous restart, he encountered a similar intense three-wide situation but managed to escape unscathed, securing a third-place finish amid the chaos.

Credits: Ryan Blaney Twitter

Occasionally, circumstances work out favorably. During the 2021 race on the same track, Ryan Blaney navigated through a tight three-wide scenario in Turn 1, again finding himself in the middle position.

However, he skillfully kept his car on the right path, initiating a pursuit that ultimately led to a second-place finish, unable to catch the leader, AJ Allmendinger.

This weekend's Verizon 200 at the Brickyard will be held on the IMS road course for the third consecutive year.

Ryan Blaney stands out as one of the few drivers who has excelled on both circuit configurations here. His journey includes a remarkable performance as a series rookie in 2015, driving for the Wood Brothers, where he surged from 30th to finish 12th on the oval.

Upon joining Roger Penske's stock car team in 2018, he led in three successive Brickyard 400s, achieving an 11th-place finish in 2018 and a seventh place in 2019, where he even led for 19 laps.

For Blaney, returning to the Brickyard is a special experience, irrespective of the circuit layout. Fond recollections are dear to him, stemming from his visits to IMS during the period when his father, the renowned sprint car icon Dave Blaney, participated in the Cup Series between 1999 and 2013.

NASCAR's Cup Series is set to make its debut on the IMS road course this Saturday, beginning with a practice session at 11:35 am, followed immediately by qualifying.