CUP: Another brutal head-on crash cuts short Ryan Blaney’s race in Atlanta
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Steven Taranto, @STaranto92
Ryan Blaney picked up the 9th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at the EchoPark Speedway when his #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford crashed after 56 of 260 laps.
The finish, which came in Blaney’s 360th series start, was his first of the season and first in a Cup Series race since September 15, 2024 at Watkins Glen, 26 races ago. In the Cup Series’ rankings, it was the 35th for the 12th the 690th from a crash, and the 759th for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 53rd for the #12, the 1,068th for Ford, and the 1,424th from a crash.
Last November in the championship race at Phoenix, Blaney locked-up his first LASTCAR Cup Series Championship and came within just three-tenths of a second of becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to also win a NASCAR Cup Series Championship in the same season. He’s since picked up right where he left off, winning a pole in the spring race at Atlanta and finishing 4th, the first of five top-five finishes on his way to winning his first race of the season in Nashville. But the same wild inconsistency from 2024 has remained with five DNFs, including a spectacular engine failure at Homestead, where he led 124 of the first 207 laps.
With no practice at the Atlanta track, Blaney’s first lap ranked him 3rd in qualifying with a time of 30.983 seconds (178.937mph), part of a sweep of the top eight spots by Ford teams, including both his teammates at Penske Racing, with Austin Cindric in 4th and Joey Logano on pole.
After conflicting information about a 41-car entry list, the NY Racing Team didn’t enter the #44 Chevrolet for a returning J.J. Yeley, leaving 40 drivers for as many spots. Securing the final starting spot was David Starr, whose #66 WNB Factory Ford for Carl Long’s Garage 66 yielded a lap that was more than two seconds off the pace, clocking in at 34.113 seconds (162.519mph). Among the many associate sponsors for Starr’s ride was local company Carter’s Dispos-all, which prior to their support of Garage 66 sponsored the “field fillers” entered by both Morgan Shepherd and John Carter in 2004.
No teams incurred tail-end penalties for pre-race infractions, so Starr addressed the starter’s stand on the outside of 39th-place Cody Ware in the #51 Jacob Construction Ford and behind the #78 Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster Chevrolet. As the green flag dropped, Starr crossed the stripe 3.410 seconds back of the lead, but was told by his spotter to check up as the outside line stacked up. Starr avoided running in the back of McLeod, but immediately started to lose ground coming off Turn 2. He tried to stay in Ware’s draft, but then either lifted off the gas or struggled with the clutch entering Turn 3, dropping him well back of the field by open track. By Lap 3, he was 5.757 seconds back of the lead, more than two seconds back of new 39th-place running Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the #47 Hungry Jack Chevrolet.
In the run that followed, the stranded Starr rapidly lost ground. By Lap 4, he was 7.118 seconds back of the lead, then 8.495 on Lap 5, 11.346 on Lap 7, and 23.533 on Lap 13. On Lap 17, Starr was told by his team to hug the yellow line around the inside of the track, letting the leaders whistle past in the high lane off Turns 1 and 2. Starr was unable to keep up with the pack as it moved past, and by Lap 30, he was already in danger of losing a second lap, which happened on Lap 34 in Turns 3 and 4. Moments later on Lap 37, the caution fell for rain. “The car’s not bad,” said Starr. “It’s just not going anywhere.” As the rain picked up, the red flag came out on Lap 44. During the delay, Long talked with Starr about a possible issue with the clutch, that he had to push it much harder as he came to pit road. When the caution came back out, Starr made his stop, then on Lap 48 was held a lap by NASCAR, who said it was a “quickie yellow,” meaning they shouldn’t have taken on fuel. Since this coincided with Starr getting one of his two laps back, it put him two laps down once more, much to the team’s dismay.
On the Lap 49 restart, Starr remained the only driver off the lead lap, though the 39th-place running McLeod was now losing touch with the pack. On Lap 54, McLeod had dropped 7.475 seconds back of the lead to 38th-place Todd Gilliland’s 3.110 in the #34 Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters Ford. Then on Lap 57, all three had to slow for trouble in Turn 4.
As the leaders headed through the corner, the #20 Rheem Toyota of 7th-place Christopher Bell snapped loose in the high lane, causing the closing Kyle Larson’s #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to be turned sideways by contact from Austin Dillon’s #3 Bass Pro Shops / Winchester Chevrolet. This created a logjam of other fast-closing cars that soon turned left and began colliding. Blaney was running 15th when he came upon the scene and cut to the apron. He nearly had the wreck cleared until Dillon’s car clipped him in the right-rear, sending Blaney head-on into the outside wall. Blaney skidded to a stop at pit entrance with heavy nose damage and at least one broken toe link. The wreck looked extremely similar to Blaney’s crash in the summer race at Daytona two years ago, which also came in the Advance Auto Parts colors. Blaney climbed out of the car, which was towed backwards into the garage area. Blaney dropped to 39th on Lap 59, then fell to last on Lap 60.
By the time Blaney was declared out on Lap 77, more than two-thirds of the field had been involved in an even bigger pileup entering Turn 3 on Lap 69. Blaney was declared out along with the wrecked Corey LaJoie in the #01 Schluter Systems Ford, Austin Cindric in the #2 Menards / Quaker State Ford, and Joey Logano in the #22 Autotrader Ford, followed a moment later by Josh Berry in the #21 Dex Imaging Ford and William Byron in the #24 Axalta Chevrolet. So many cars were involved that multiple tow trucks were locked in a traffic jam in the garage area. In the final running order, only LaJoie, Cindric, Byron, and Logano joined Blaney in the Bottom Five. Christopher Bell, damaged heavily in Blaney’s wreck, held 39th until he returned to the track on Lap 126, 68 laps down. He finished 30th. Similarly, Denny Hamlin returned to the track and climbed from 37th to 31st in his #11 Kings Hawaiian Toyota.
Several underdogs join the frantic battle for Atlanta victory
Zane Smith tied his season-best 7th-place showing from Michigan and led 5 laps in his #38 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Ford. This is already his third top-ten finish of the year, one short of his season total from 2024.
After several strong runs this year in Kaulig Racing’s #10, Ty Dillon earned his first top-ten finish of the year, taking home 8th in the #10 Mark III Employee Benefits Chevrolet. This was just the eighth top-ten finish of Dillon’s career and his first since April 17, 2022 at the Bristol Dirt Race.
Connor Zilisch overcame damage from one of the early crashes to come home 11th in his #87 Red Bull Chevrolet, a finish that came in only his third series start. This occurred the day after a 4th-place finish in the XFINITY race at the same track.
Cody Ware finished 13th in his #51, marking the fourth-best finish of his Cup career and his best at a track other than Talladega or Daytona.
B.J. McLeod was thrilled with the speed of his #78, which climbed from the next-to-last row to a 16th-place finish, marking his third-best finish of his Cup career and best at a track other than Daytona.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #12 in a Cup Series race at Atlanta.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #12-Ryan Blaney / 56 laps / crash
39) #01-Corey LaJoie / 68 laps / crash
38) #2-Austin Cindric / 68 laps / crash / led 12 laps / won stage 1
37) #24-Wiliam Byron / 69 laps / crash
36) #22-Joey Logano / 69 laps / crash / led 51 laps
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) 23XI Racing, Kaulig Racing, Legacy Motor Club, Penske Racing (2)
2nd) Garage 66, Hendrick Motorsports, Hyak Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, NY Racing Team, RFK Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Spire Motorsports, Trackhouse Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (8)
2nd) Ford, Toyota (5)
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
