KANSAS CITY, KS.: Ryan Blaney had a nice points cushion entering Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, but a late-race in the second race in the penultimate round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs erased his cushion and slipped the Team Penske driver below the cutline.
On the heels of a strong run in the Playoffs, Blaney continued his pace on Sunday and even recovered from an early race flat tire to bolt his No. 12 Menards | Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang back inside the top-10, but contact from a non-Playoff driver 43 laps from the finish.
Following a restart, Blaney found himself in a heavy pack of lead lap traffic and as the cars exited Turn 2 on Lap 223, Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro got loose and had to chase his car up the race track.
In the process of trying to save his race car, Dillon made contact with Blaney’s car which sent the No. 12 Team Penske Ford up the racetrack into the wall triggering the seventh and final caution of the race.
Blaney drove his battered machine back to pit road, where the team surveyed the damage. Heavy front-end suspension damage could not be repaired and sent the team to the garage and ending their race.
With little attrition in the final mile-and-a-half track on the schedule, Blaney finished 37th and last of the Cup Series Playoff drivers.
It was the team’s worst finish since finishing 37th in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in June.
“We got run into from two lanes below me,” said Blaney. “I have no idea. Obviously, it hurts. Finishing 37th is not prime.”
The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series winner admitted that he didn’t have a great day before the accident ton Sunday, but his Team Penske team led by soon-to-be retiring crew chief Todd Gordon executed fighting back before getting wiped out.
“We didn’t have a great day, but we did a good job of fighting back and getting back into the top-10 but then just got wiped out when we had plenty of room,” added Blaney. “That sucks. It is very unfortunate.”
With one race remaining in the Round of 8 in the Cup Series Playoff standings, Blaney slipped from second in the championship standings, 17 points ahead of the cutoff to fifth overall, one point behind Kyle Busch in the race to be in the Championship 4.
After starting fourth at Martinsville in April, Blaney finished 11th. That likely won’t cut it.
A win in the Oct. 31 Xfinity 500 though would win and propel the High Point, N.C. to the Championship 4 and an opportunity to race for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
