“You gotta go watch the rest of the race from the truck”: Ryan Blaney admits to frustration after major Las Vegas setback 

Ahead of the Talladega Superspeedway race, former NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney was featured in an interview with SiriusXM and opened up about his frustration after the Las Vegas race. Blaney faced a major setback during the first race of the Round of Eight, the South Point 400, which resulted in a DNF, affecting his playoff contender status.

The Team Penske driver was running 12th during the closing laps of the initial stage of the 267-lap race before he got involved in a wreck. With nine laps to go in stage one, Blaney's car lost control and hit the outside walls.

The crash landed a massive blow to the #12 Ford Mustang's right side, and the Cup Series driver limped the car back into the pits. Recalling the incident ahead of the Talladega Superspeedway race, Ryan Blaney expressed his frustration with his early exit at Vegas. He told the media [00:40 onwards]:

"You know, you can't really save those things when they go straight like that, but yeah, just deflation. You want to get around 8, start off right, and just looking forward to the rest of the day. And when they end early like that, it's deflated; you gotta go watch the race from the truck and try to prepare yourself for next week." "Definitely not ideal, but fortunate news is we have two more races here. Try to make up points needed or win one of em. I'm looking forward. I think I can do. It's just a matter of buckling down and going to work every weekend, just like you normally do," he concluded.

Ryan Blaney currently ranks last in the Cup Series playoff points table, with 31 points below the cutoff line. Moreover, the next round of the eight playoff events, the YellaWood 500, is scheduled on October 19, 2025, at Talladega Superspeedway.

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Ryan Blaney won the Daytona race, driving the 'cursed' paint scheme

Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 held in August 2025 at Daytona International Speedway. Blaney clinched his second win of the season and celebrated it by performing donuts and burnouts on the track.

The #12 Ford Mustang driver is known for avoiding burnouts while celebrating his triumphs. However, the Daytona win was different, as he parked his #12 black Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang in the victory lane for the first time. The black Ford has a long history of wrecking Blaney on the track and is known as the 'cursed' paint scheme.

However, this time around, Ryan Blaney won the race and celebrated his win in a unique style. The Team Penske driver spoke to the press about the win:

"Also, I mainly did it for Advance Auto Parts because that paint scheme at speedways has been cursed. I've gotten right hooked with that scheme more times than I can count. The CEO, Shane (O'Kelly), told me, 'I think we've paid our dues with that paint scheme at speedways.'"

Ryan Blaney ranks eighth in the Cup Series points table with 4035 points to his credit. He has secured three wins, 17 top tens, 13 top fives, and two pole positions in 33 starts this season. Additionally, he has led 652 laps with an average start of 14.091.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua