“What did I do to deserve it”: Ryan Blaney doesn’t hold back on Kyle Larson’s WWTR ‘mistake’

Ryan Blaney had a surprising run-in with Kyle Larson during Sunday’s Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Later on, Blaney, who was battling for fifth at the time, wanted to know what he had done to deserve the Hendrick Motorsports driver spinning him out.

It all happened towards the end of Stage 2. Larson veered aggressively to the inside of Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Mustang. After that, he slid up the track and nudged Blaney, who got turned due to the impact.

Despite all that, Blaney managed to salvage a P4. But he was still confused by the sudden turn of events. The Hartford, Ohio, native had a discussion with Larson about the incident before commenting to the media.

“I just wanted to know what I did to deserve it,” Ryan Blaney told NBC Sports. “He (Larson) just said he made a mistake, you know, and that’s fine, make mistakes, but at the end of the the day I still got turned. He came from all the way on the bottom of the racetrack and hit me in the left rear.”

“I know he most likely didn’t mean to do it, but it happened anyway. And so that’s just one I got to remember,” he added.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin won the race, marking his fifth victory of the 2025 season and his first playoff triumph. He is now locked into the Round of 12 alongside Chase Briscoe, his teammate, who won last week at Darlington Raceway.

Ryan Blaney now has one race to earn an automatic ticket to the next round. Alternatively, he can make it on points as well. The Mustang maestro sits fifth in the driver standings with a 42-point cushion above the cutoff line.

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“He should be upset”- Kyle Larson explains his side of the tangle with Ryan Blaney

Kyle Larson was apologetic about how things went down between him and his fellow Cup Series contender, Ryan Blaney. Larson, who drives the No. 5 Chevy Camaro full-time, revealed what he told Blaney during their post-race discussion.

Larson was not trying to wreck Blaney on purpose. He had just misjudged where his right-front bumper was and the timing of it. Detailing it further, the 2021 Cup Series champion said (via NBCSports),

“I just said I messed up. I just misjudged it. Obviously, I’m not trying to ever wreck anybody on purpose, especially at the midway point of the race. I just misjudged kind of where my right front was and the timing of all that.”

“The lap before (the contact) I was able to get to his (Ryan Blaney’s) door and get him tight,” Larson continued. “Next time I was trying to do the same and wasn’t going to get there, so I was going to try and tuck back in line and just clipped him. I’m sure he should be upset.”

Larson was able to log a P12 finish, definitely not something he was hoping for. However, he sits a comfortable 60 points above the cut line. Next up for him is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Scheduled for Saturday, September 13, the 500-lap event will be televised on the USA Network (7:30 pm ET), with live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.