WATCH: Kyle Busch triggers chain reaction at Darlington, Ryan Blaney left to pay the price

Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch
Ryan Blaney(L) and Kyle Busch(R) - Sources: Imagn and Getty

Kyle Busch caused a three-car scrap at Darlington Raceway, leaving Ryan Blaney spinning out of contention. While Busch carried on unscathed, Blaney came within inches of backing into the inside wall.

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During Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500, Cody Ware spun after contact with Ryan Preece and brought out the yellows. In the ensuing restart, Busch got loose over Turn 4 and forced Blaney to check up on him, leading to a rear bumper contact from Austin Dillon.

The impact sent Blaney spinning toward the inside walls, but the Team Penske driver eased off the brakes and swerved around to avoid making contact. Meanwhile, he tore up his right front tire and brought out the caution.

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Here's a clip of the incident shared on X by NASCAR on NBC.

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Ryan Blaney ended up outside the top 30 by Stage 2 conclusion. He ultimately finished 18th while Kyle Busch secured a top-10 result in eighth. On the other hand, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe swept both stages and won the race.

This wasn't the first time Busch triggered an incident this season. He caused a multi-car wreck during the recently concluded Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.


Ryan Blaney calls Darlington 'one of the toughest'

Ryan Blaney recently discussed the mental challenge of running at Darlington Raceway. He explained how the track demands utmost concentration for a prolonged period.

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Unlike other tracks where drivers usually prefer the inside lane to make overtakes, Darlington allows them to carry more speed on the outside lanes. As a result, drivers often run close to the wall, where even the slightest mistake can prove costly.

Reflecting upon the same, Blaney said:

“It is a tough place. I think it’s one of the toughest places we go, more mentally than anything for me. How do you stay in it for that long? I feel like the mental mush that your brain is in after leaving that race is pretty high, because your concentration level is at 110 percent the whole time. At some places, you can get in these zones of like a relaxation mode to an extent of getting in your flow and doing things… but I feel like every lap (at Darlington) is just a battle to try to find speed and not find the fence."
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"There’s less room to work, so I think that’s what makes that place so difficult and the two ends being vastly different is definitely a challenge," he added.

Ryan Blaney has never won at the egg-shaped oval. His highest result comes from a fifth-place finish earlier in the season. On other playoff tracks he's worried about, Blaney named Talladega and the Charlotte Roval his top picks.

Next, the No.12 driver heads to World Wide Technology Raceway for 240 laps around the 1.25-mile track.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar
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