Ryan Blaney blasts Nashville Superspeedway for not having more SAFER barriers after Ally 400 wreck

During Stage 2 of the Ally 400, Ryan Blaney slammed into a wall that was a non-SAFER barrier and he was livid afterward. Blaney took it so far as to say he would pay for the wall to be installed in the area he wrecked. While NASCAR has worked on safety improvements, things aren’t perfect by any means.

When Ryan Blaney’s car hit the wall, it was destroyed. NASCAR has made the front end more susceptible to this kind of crumple. That said, removing parts of the front clip has led to the car absorbing the hits more than the driver, which is a good thing.

That didn’t really help Blaney in this case, since he hit a non-SAFER barrier wall. After he was released from the care center, the Team Penske driver said “I’ll pay for the f***ing thing.” Watch the video of Blaney’s comments from Dustin Long of NBC Sports.

#NASCAR … I asked Ryan Blaney if he would talk to track officials about hitting a concrete wall instead of a SAFER barrier, he said: “I’ll pay for the F—— thing.” pic.twitter.com/Dr45CltMWV

— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 26, 2023

When it comes to their health and safety, these drivers take things incredibly seriously. Ryan Blaney was slow to get out of his car after the wreck. Things seemed to be fine, but he took what he called one of the hardest hits of his life.

It will be very interesting to see if Nashville Superspeedway puts a SAFER barrier up by the time NASCAR comes back next season. If they don’t, I’m sure Blaney is going to raise even more hell about it next year.

Ryan Blaney takes a hard hit during Ally 400

Before Blaney DNFd out of the race, he had a top-10 car- possibly better. The No. 12 Ford Mustang never got to the nighttime portion of the race. So, there is no way to know if he and his team could have changed things.

Ryan Blaney is one of the most well-liked drivers in the Cup Series. If he’s upset about this, others will be as well. That includes fans and drivers alike. This was a moment that could have been worse if one or two things went differently.

Ever before Richard Petty hit the inside wall at Darlington in 1970, safety issues with barriers and walls have been prevalent. Things change and get better, but there is always room for improvement.

Let’s hope Ryan Blaney is good to go for next week’s race at Chicago. It would be a shame for the driver to miss such a historic event due to a wreck like this. If it wasn’t for that Coca-Cola 600 win, it would be panic mode for Blaney and his team at this point in the season. The good news is they are locked into the playoffs.