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Another team that faced elimination woes at Bristol Motor Speedway was Team Penske when Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric, two of their three drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, faced flat tires during the race. The #2 Freightliner Ford Mustang of Cindric and the #12 Menards Ford Mustang of Blaney were both seen with front-right tire failures on the steeply banked short track.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race wreaked havoc on many playoff contenders' championship hopes as none of the frontrunners were able to dominate the race as they were expected to do. Ryan Blaney was seen hitting the wall on Lap 92 of 500 after his tire deflated on track after Lap 85 saw his rookie teammate suffer from the same issue. Blaney's #12 Mustang was more damaged in the incident, causing him to not meet the minimum speed on the track, and ultimately finish in a measly P30.
Cindric, on the other hand, was able to continue with his race after he pitted under the green flag after his tire went bust. The rookie, however, lost several laps due to an unplanned visit to Pit Road. The 24-year-old just made the final playoff spot for the Round of 12, after finishing in P20, seven laps down from the leaders.
Ryan Blaney and his thoughts on making Round of 12 of 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs
Hartford Township, Ohio native Ryan Blaney and his fans had one of the most nail-biting periods after his finish in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The 28-year-old went through into the 12th round after the final order of the race was decided and made the cut by the narrowest margins after finishing in P30 in the race. He elaborated on what went through his mind post-race and said:
“It is what it is. Fortunate that we were able to advance and move on and, yeah, I mean when you get big damage like that early on you just never know how things are gonna work out and you know, it seemed like a lot of people had problems with tires tonight, which is very unfortunate, that tires won’t last 50 laps in a run but proud of the #12 group for sticking around.”
Watch the complete interview below:
Watch Ryan Blaney try and bring his A-game to the Texas Motor Speedway next weekend for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500.
