Ryan Blaney seemingly injured after being wrecked by Martin Truex Jr. at Darlington
Bad news on Lap 3 of the Southern 500! Martin Truex Jr. wrecks, collecting Ryan Blaney and now the No. 12 driver could be injured. Of course, Truex Jr. is now in major trouble and could potentially lose his place in the NASCAR Playoffs.
Both Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney are out of the race at Darlington. While it looked like it would just be a pair of DNFs, it could be more than that.
The defending Cup Series champion left his car favoring one of his arms. These Next Gen cars can hurt your wrist when the wheel snaps around.
Let’s hope that this is just a minor pain and not a major injury for Blaney. The Team Penske driver complained on his radio about the pain after this wreck.
This opens up the NASCAR Playoff field completely. The bubble could shift and Martin Truex Jr. could end up as the odd man out at the end of the night. Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, and Ross Chastain now have an easier job, but it is far from easy.
Ryan Blaney came into the race fourth overall in the Cup Series standings. He will likely now fall in the standings, costing him points as the postseason begins next week at Atlanta. Just a massively consequential incident after three laps on track.
UPDATE: After leaving the infield care center, Blaney spoke to the media about the wreck. He says that he is all good, and seems to have just been hurt from the initial impact. In the last two years, Blaney has taken some serious hits, so better safe than sorry.
As if this regular season finale could get any more dramatic. Knocking Truex out of the race on Lap 3 is a great way to do it. This is going to be one heck of a battle for the final playoff spots.
Ryan Blaney wrecked out early by Martin Truex Jr.
Everyone is looking to grab all of those last-second points before the postseason. Ryan Blaney had a great car in practice and was looking to move his way through the field slowly throughout the 500 miles at Darlington.
Things got too intense, too early. There were drivers racing three-wide going into Turn 1 and it got everything too bunched up. Once Truex realized what was happening, he tried to only wreck himself. He managed to avoid wrecking William Byron, but Ryan Blaney was right there.
This is going to be a long race. There will be more moments that shock fans and change up the playoff picture. Buckle up folks, I’m not sure when this wild ride is going to end tonight but we will have a ton of action between now and then to discuss afterward.
While Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. are going home early, there is a lot to look forward to in this race. Regular season championship is up for grabs and so are the final spots in the NASCAR Playoffs.