Ryan Blaney Likely Safe To Advance In Playoffs Despite Lap 1 Crash
3 weeks agoRyan Blaney, who entered Sunday's Go Bowling at the Glen as the playoff points leader, crashed and finished last in an opening-lap crash triggered when Corey LaJoie spun out Kyle Busch. While trying to weave his way through the wrecked cars, he was lightly grazed on the door by John Hunter Nemechek. Although it looked like Blaney had made it through the wreck, the contact from Nemechek broke his steering column. He was unable to restart his car and was parked under the damaged-vehicle policy, which drew a lot of criticism. Nonetheless, he was fortunate that most of the playoff contenders didn't finish very well and he only dropped to eighth in the standings and remains 29 points above the playoff cut line, so despite the setback, he remains highly likely to advance.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference