NASCAR has made a lot of advancements in safety inside the racecars, but some of the hits still hurt. Reigning NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney can certainly attest to that.
Videos by FanBuzz
He experienced his second violent crash at Daytona during the Daytona Duel qualifying races on Thursday night. His No. 12 Ford was turned head-on into the outside wall in the tri-oval following a push gone wrong.
Multiple angles of Ryan Blaney’s hard hit in this 10-car crash.
Blaney was seen and released from the infield care center.
🎥: #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Pm98W6frou
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) February 16, 2024
According to Elizabeth Taylor from Daxstreet.com Blaney hit the wall with a force of 55G's.
Blaney is usually a reserved and calm person when speaking with the media. However, after the wreck, he had some not-so-nice words for his fellow competitors. He also voiced his frustration with how the other drivers are pushing, and that he is tired of it.
In NASCAR you have to push the car in front of you, but sometimes the push can be too much, or come at the wrong time, and send the car in front out of control.
Blaney spoke to Jim Utter from motorsport.com on Saturday about the number of pushes from drivers and that the drivers need to keep in mind the others ahead of them when pushing.
""You see more pushing now. The only time you pushed more was the tandem racing, but that was solid connection being on somebody and now the bumpers kind of being round you kind of see the cars get out of control more," Blaney said. ""But, I think you have to push hard and I fully understand that. I've pushed people hard, but I try to take care of people. As the pusher, you are responsible for the guy in front of you. You have just as much responsibility to make sure that you don't shove the guy in front of you through somebody and you have to understand where you have to let him go."
Blaney also emphasized the need to understand when and where to push, drawing the line between aiding a pass or triggering a crash.
"Pushing is a huge game and I'm fine, you can push the hell out of me, but you've just got to be smart where you do it and how you get on somebody, and you have to be knowledgeable of what spots are good to do it and what spots are bad to do it. I'm not upset with hard pushes because that's what it takes to go forward in this game. You just have to be smart about where you do it and the timing of it and letting someone go."
With the Daytona 500 set to start later this afternoon, have the other drivers in the field heard Blaney's warning and will they heed it? Only after 500 miles are completed will anyone know.
