Ryan Blaney makes his robust feelings known about “treacherous” Indianapolis pit lane

Ryan Blaney shared his thoughts on the pit road at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which can make or break a stop. He argued that the pit road is so narrow that crew chiefs prefer the box at the end to avoid running into other teams.

In NASCAR, teams can choose which pit box they prefer. The team with the best qualifying position gets to choose first, though they can negotiate among themselves. Blaney and the #12 Team Penske team once picked the #21 box, which he described as dangerous after his rear tire carrier got hit by another car.

Explaining to the media how narrow the pit road at Indianapolis is, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion said (via a press release):

“Pit road here is where it gets treacherous. It's just so narrow. I wouldn't say that the boxes are that long, but it's the narrowest pit road.” “I think that’s why you see a lot of crew chiefs pick down at the end. We picked way down there at 21, and my rear carrier, Zach (Price), got hit, and he got hurt. I think that's just the danger of it, and why a lot of guys try to pick down there so you're not merging when cars are still coming into pit road. So that's the biggest challenge,” he added.

Ryan Blaney drives the #12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske - Source: Imagn

Ryan Blaney is entering this year's Brickyard 400 following a solid third-place finish at the 2.5-mile oval last year. That race marked the return of NASCAR to the Indy track after skipping it for the 2021-2023 seasons due to various reasons, including a lack of thrilling on-track action.

The 2025 Brickyard 400 will take place on Sunday (July 27) at 2:00 p.m. ET. The 31-year-old will start in row 12 alongside fellow Ford driver Ryan Preece, with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe securing the pole position.

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“Hopefully, that goes well”: Ryan Blaney on the rest of the 2025 season

Ryan Blaney hoped for a good run for the rest of the season, especially with the race at Iowa Speedway, a track he won at last year, coming up next week. He is also proud of their speed this year despite having several issues, including seven DNFs, the most after 21 races.

During the same media interaction at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 14-time Cup race winner said:

“Hopefully, that goes well. I’ve been really proud of our speed this year, and I think we've had some great pace. We haven't really finished many races as I would have liked, but I just try to always look for where our speed is at.”

Ryan Blaney won the 2024 Iowa Corn 350 - Source: Imagn

Blaney currently ranks seventh in the points standings with one win (Nashville Superspeedway), seven top-fives, and nine top-10s. The regular season still has five races remaining before the playoffs begin. With a win from the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville, the Ford driver is set to return to the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl