- Blaney’s night ends early: “Just getting caught up in other people’s garbage”
- Wallace fumes over Bell: “Christopher Bell is a f—— dumbass”
- Atlanta crash knocks both out of In-Season Challenge contention
Ryan Blaney’s frustrating NASCAR Cup Series season continued in dramatic fashion on Saturday night, with the Team Penske driver eliminated early in the Quaker State 400 following a multi-car incident triggered by Christopher Bell.
Blaney had qualified third at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) and was running in 15th with four laps to go in Stage 1 when disaster struck. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Bell lost control of his No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE and slid down the banking, clipping Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet. Dillon had no time to react and slammed into the rear of Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang, spinning it back up the track and nose-first into the outside wall.
“I couldn’t see much. They kind of started spinning and coming down. I tried to get to the apron and by the time I got there, kind of got blocked,” Blaney said after being released from the infield care center. “The story of our year. Just getting caught up in other people’s garbage. Just when we get it going pretty good and find some momentum, we don’t seem to have things go our way.”
The incident also collected Bubba Wallace, AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Larson, though Blaney was the only one whose day ended on the spot. Wallace, driving the No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing, was blunt in his radio communication with his team, blaming Bell for the chaos. “Christopher Bell is a f—— dumbass. That’s what he gets,” Wallace said over the radio, as reported by Dustin Albino.
Blaney later posted a message on social media, thanking his team despite the disappointment: “Thank you to our @team_penske teammates back at the shop for a fast race car and all of our amazing partners. Wish we had more time to show what our @advanceautoparts @fordperformance @fordmustang had, but there was nothing we could do.”
The crash also ended both drivers’ chances in the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge, a five-race knockout competition with a $1 million prize. Blaney was eliminated in the first round by Carson Hocevar, who finished 10th, while Bell’s 30th-place finish saw him knocked out by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who came home sixth.
Wallace continued after the crash and finished 25th, but the radio frustration highlighted growing tension among top drivers amid a season increasingly defined by unpredictable wrecks and rising stakes.
With the series heading next to the Chicago Street Race, both Blaney and Wallace will be aiming to reset and recapture momentum as the regular season winds toward the playoffs.
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