“You’re not going to let anyone go” - Penske’s ace Ryan Blaney once detailed reasons to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on why racing has become ‘so tough’ 

Last year, NASCAR Cup Series driver, Ryan Blaney shared his thoughts on how racing has changed and why it has become much tougher.

In a June 2023 episode of "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked him why drivers were now less friendly on the track and Blaney explained why racing had become much more aggressive in recent years.

"I think there are multiple reasons behind that... You know, when I initially got started in the Cup side... So, my first year and a half, in '15 and '16, no stages. Plenty of time. You just let them go, right," Blaney said (03:35).

According to Blaney, a big reason for this shift is stage racing, which has made every point more valuable and led to more intense racing, with less "give and take."

"Now, stages are super important, so if you're coming down to 40 or 30 to go in a stage, you’re not going to let anyone go. You have to go for every point. And I feel like the cars are so close to each other now, it’s hard to make up spots anymore. You know, it's hard to let someone go because you don't know if you're ever going to pass them back. So, I think there's some of that going on, that's why the racing is so tough nowadays," he added (04:05).

NASCAR introduced stage racing to make the sport more exciting in 2017, when Blaney was in his second full-time season in the Cup Series. He made it to the Round of 8 and ended the season 9th overall with one win and two poles.

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"It draws new fans into it" - Ryan Blaney on fights among NASCAR drivers

In the same episode, Ryan Blaney and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also discussed how conflicts with other drivers used to be frustrating because the media would keep bringing them up. However, Blaney agreed that these moments make the sport more exciting and attract fans.

"It makes the sport exciting. It draws new fans into it. If you're on the bad end of it as a driver, at this point, you just have to be like, ‘That’s what it is,’ you know? And you have to accept it, and whether you carry a grudge over from it or not, you know, that’s your personal thing. But yeah, I mean, I've been in the booth where it’s snoozers and it's hard to kind of create excitement for people watching," Blaney said (07:33).

The 2023 Cup Series champion added that any excitement is good for the sport.