In Duel #2, Blaney was battling for fourth place on monitor when all of it went unsuitable. There have been 14 laps to go within the 60-lap race when Blaney tried to make a move on Byron, who blocked. Blaney then darted beneath the Hendrick Motorsports driver, however they’d each misplaced momentum within the alternate.
Kyle Busch was closing in on Byron quick via the tri-oval, main the skin lane. He tried to raise, however couldn’t do a lot as Brad Keselowski was glued to his again bumper.
Byron spun, hooking Blaney, who then slammed the skin wall practically head-on. A number of vehicles have been collected within the ensuing melee. Fireplace erupted from underneath the hood of the No. 12 Staff Penske Ford, however Blaney was unhurt.
“I am getting fairly sick of it”
“I’m OK,” he mentioned after being launched from the infield care heart. “By the replay it simply appears to be like like terrible pushes in horrible spots. That’s normally how these wrecks occur. 3 times in a row right here I’ve been right-reared by another person’s terrible push, so I’m getting fairly sick of it. Folks simply must be sensible. I don’t know what you’re doing. It’s a Duel race. Why are you shoving within the tri-oval? I don’t get it, so only a disgrace we now have to be the one with a tore up race automobile when it’s another person’s subject. I don’t know.”
He then added: “I’m doing pretty much as good as I may be from getting hooked thrice in a row right here.”
Blaney was irritated, and understandably so. He has confronted a head-on affect in every of the final three Cup races at Daytona. Final February, he crashed in Turns 1/2 on the ultimate lap of the Daytona 500, and slammed the wall head-on in Turns 3/4 on the finish of a stage throughout the August Daytona race.
Fortunately, he walked away from all three incidents. However he must go to a backup automobile for his tenth begin in Daytona 500 this weekend.
“I can’t management it, but it surely comes from terrible pushes by folks,” continued Blaney, reflecting extra on the crash. “I imply, thrice right here in a row terrible pushes have led me to getting right-reared and it’s simply guys not being sensible, not realizing when to get off any person. You can not push within the nook that onerous within the tri-oval. I don’t know when guys are gonna get it.
“I’m sick of paying the expense of it and getting right-reared from somebody’s dumb push, so it’s simply irritating as a result of we do every little thing proper after which you will have guys who’re simply careless and simply shove guys till they don’t know when to allow them to go and it causes wrecks and I appear to be the byproduct of getting hooked within the right-rear which isn’t enjoyable.”
Busch, who discovered himself on the epicenter of the incident, gave his perspective on what transpired.
“I used to be simply getting a push from the No. 6 [Keselowski] there, and the No. 24 [William Byron]. I noticed they form of obtained tousled, out of line and slowed down. I attempted to raise and roll out of the gasoline easily. I used to be nonetheless gaining too quick, after which I obtained all the best way out of the gasoline. Bought bumped once more from behind and simply accordion-ed into the No. 24 and despatched him spinning. You don’t wish to hit a man within the tri-oval. I’ve been there, I’ve carried out that. I’ve additionally rolled out of right here in an ambulance earlier than doing that, so I do know it’s not the precise factor to do, however typically you don’t have a selection and I turned the No. 24 sideways and triggered a wreck.”
