Ryan Blaney after running out of gas, losing lead on last lap: 'One of those things'
Ryan Blaney just missed out on earning his first win of the NASCAR Cup Series season after running out of gas in the final lap of the Illinois 300. While speaking to Fox Sports after the race, Blaney reacted to losing to his teammate Austin Cindric on Sunday.
“Never thought in my mind we were short, but it’s one of those things,” Blaney said about the gas situation. “I’m proud of the 12 boys. …I had my work cut out for me holding out Christopher [Bell]. That was a fun battle. I don’t know what happened to him.
“One lap short. It just stinks, but congrats to the 2 team. They did a good job all day. Props to them. …Really happy with our showing today. I don’t know what I got to do to get some luck on our side. Wrecked the last two points races and I thought we had a great shot to win today and ended up bad.”
Because Blaney ran out of gas, he finished the Illinois 300 24th. As Blaney mentioned, he did not finish the last two races as he was involved in wrecks, so the last three weeks have not been easy for him.
Blaney got off to a strong start to the 2024 season. After a rough outing at the Daytona 500, Blaney earned three consecutive top-five finishes, including a second-place finish in Atlanta during the second week of the year. Blaney had a memorable 2023 season, winning three races and claiming his first Cup Series Championship of his career.
Ryan Blaney loves the responsibility of being a champion
In March, Blaney spoke to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass about the responsibilities of being a Cup Series champion. “We were just in Chicago to promote the street race coming up, but they brought the trophy and everything like that. It was a multi-purpose deal. I never get tired of it. I enjoy doing that stuff,” Blaney explained. “Whether it’s raising awareness for this year’s races, talking about last year. I enjoy that stuff.
“It’s better than sitting at home not doing it. You’re pretty privileged to be able to go do that stuff because of what you accomplished last year. And so that part’s been nice. I’ve been open to all of it.”
On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this story.