JGR driver triggers Atlanta chaos, collects Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon in the multi-car crash

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell spun out towards the end of Stage 1 of Saturday’s Cup Series race at Echopark Speedway, catching Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon in the mess. Others involved in the pile-up were Bubba Wallace, AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, and Kyle Larson.

Tonight’s race was the first of the NASCAR In-Season tournament, which Blaney entered as the seventh seed. He was up against a series newcomer and a 26-seed, Carson Hocevar. Kyle Busch (16-seed) also appeared to be involved in the incident.

"It's the story of our year," Blaney told TNT (as quoted by Yahoo Sports). "Getting caught up in other people's garbage. Just when we seem to get things going and have some momentum, things never seem to go our way."

This crash has huge implications. Hocevar will advance to the next round, while Blaney and the No. 12 team are out of the race. As things stand, Hocevar will rank higher than the Team Penske ace from now on. Reporting the news, NASCAR on X (formerly Twitter) posted,

“The No. 20 spins in front of the field and collects @Blaney and @austindillon3! Huge In-Season Challenge implications here!”

Ryan Blaney currently ranks sixth in the driver standings with seven top-fives, eight top-10s, and 503 points to his name. Thanks to his win at Nashville, the Mustang maestro has locked his place in the playoffs.

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Ryan Blaney defied heat and illness at Pocono Raceway

Last week, during The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, Ryan Blaney displayed a true example of tenacity and determination, overcoming physical hardships as well as mechanical failures to deliver an impressive finish. Things were so serious that Blaney dropped to his knees from heat exposure and acute dehydration.

To make things worse, the cooling system in his car failed, setting the driver up for worse. He was later checked and released from the in-field care center. Speaking of the same, during an interview with Kim Coon, the Hartford Township, Ohio native, said,

“It was hot. I flipped it on probably Lap 15. I was like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a long day, so...was able to just keep going. Really proud of the whole 12 guys from starting in the back, making good ground.”

Ryan Blaney finished third, the highest among the Team Penske drivers. His teammates Joey Logano and Austin Cindric finished 16th and 10th, respectively.

“Obviously, I would have liked to have won… Our car was fast enough to do it. Overall I feel we made the most of our day,” he added.

Blaney will now have to wait another week to bounce back. Next up is the Grant Park 165 in Chicago. Scheduled for Sunday, July 6, the 75-lap event will be televised on TNT, 2 pm ET onwards. Fans can listen to live radio updates as well on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.