BRISTOL, Tenn. – Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney led 99 of the first 118 laps in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway but found himself a victim in a multi-car crash while lapping traffic in ‘Thunder Valley.’
Chris Buescher made a move on the outside on the backstretch and was hit by Trevor Bayne, as Bayne came up the track. The contact sent Bayne’s No. 6 Ford into Harrison Rhodes’ No. 51 Chevrolet who shot up the track directly in the path of Blaney.
Blaney’s No. 12 REV Ford chose the outside lane trying to avoid the crash.
“I didn’t see much to be honest with you,” said Blaney. “By the time I could see anything they were already turned right and there was nowhere to go. Seeing the replay, I don’t know, people not cleared clearing themselves and then wrecking and take the leader out, so that’s unfortunate.
“Our car was pretty good today. We just kind of got held up there and we might not have been as strong at the end of that run, but I thought we could have at least held on for that stage and never got the chance. The positives you look at is that we had a good car and that’s something to hold your head high about.”
Jamie McMurray and David Ragan were other casualties in the Lap 118 incident.
Sunday’s race marks the first event this year that Blaney has suffered a DNF (did not finish) and a 35th place finish.
Before Bristol, Blaney had not finished worse than 16th at Phoenix and was third in the series standings entering the eighth race of 2018.
The fifth caution of the day also brought out the second red flag of the race for six minutes, 29 seconds to clean the track.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
