NASCAR and motorsports in general is a sport where it truly isn’t over until it’s over. In football when one team is up by 28 points with two minutes to go, you can get a jump on traffic you won’t miss anything. In motorsports, if you try to leave with 20 laps to go you may miss a historic moment that will never be forgotten. NASCAR’s first fully televised flag-to-flag race the 1979 Daytona 500, the leaders Davey Allison and Cale Yarborough, a full straightaway ahead of third came together and wrecked one another allowing Richard Petty to win the Daytona 500.
Bell Blows An Engine
https://gty.im/2155768102
With less than 20 laps to go at Gateway the leader Christopher Bell dropped a cylinder in his engine and stuck in gear. Ending what surely be the battle of the year for the win. Bell despite not being able to get to higher gears was still fast in the corners. Bell’s teammate Martin Truex Jr. pushed Bell down the straights allowing Bell to salvage a seventh place finish. Bell after the race told NASCAR reporters:
I have no idea what happened, some sort of motor issue. I’m surprised that I made it to the end. Glad we were able to salvage something out of it. You don’t get race cars like that very often. Whenever you do, you need to take advantage of it. Disappointing day.
Bell did however win both stages so he doesn’t leave empty handed with an extra 20 points and 2 playoff points is the silver lining to his misfortune. However his late race heartbreak is only the kind of heartbreak where the short term girlfriend who you kind of weren’t liking breaks up with you compared to what happened to Ryan Blaney.
The Devastating Heartbreak
https://gty.im/2155064144
After Bell’s engine gave up Ryan Blaney inherited the lead with a large gap between him and his teammate Austin Cindric. Blaney now with the fastest car in the lead and his teammate three seconds back. Blaney could not be stopped, until the last lap of the race the unthinkable didn’t just become thinkable, it became harsh reality.
White flag in the air one lap to go and Blaney is slow. The FOX booth with veteran NASCAR announcer Mike Joy, and former Cup series champion Kevin Harvick and former driver Clint Bowyer all stunned silence by the second plot twist of the race. Then on the broadcast you hear Blaney’s frantic and paniced voice ring through the speakers “I’m out of gas.” Blaney’s crew had not packed the car with enough fuel.
A dejected Blaney told the NASCAR FOX pit reporter after the race:
Never thought in my mind we were short, I don’t know what I’ve got to do to get some luck on our side. Gosh, wrecked the last two points races and thought we had a great shot to win today and ended up bad.
Blaney’s teammate Austin Cindric who has struggled since his move to the Cup series but have been strong all day jumps at the opportunity and captures his second win of his career. His first coming in the Daytona 500 in 2022.
Austin Cindric Clinches NASCAR Playoff Berth
https://gty.im/2155205828
With the win at World Wide Technology Raceway Cindric has secured a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs. Cindric in victory lane told reporters:
Honestly, I’m heartbroken for the 12 (Ryan Blaney) team. I don’t know what happened to them at the end, but they deserved to win this race, This weekend was a great weekend for everybody involved, to have two cars in the fight, an eventual 1-2 there. Heartbroken for those guys. But this is huge for me. This is huge for this team. I’m so glad I was able to get a win with Brian as my crew chief in the Cup Series. You never know when it’s gonna happen again.
Cindric win is Team Penske’s first win in NASCAR since Ryan Blaney won in Martinsville in October of last year, snapping a 15 race winless streak for the powerhouse team.
NASCAR’s next stop is the second road course of the year in Sonoma, California in the newly paved circuit, June 9th at 3:30 eastern time on FOX for the final race on FOX before NBC/USA take the broadcast the rest of the way.
About The Author
Dillon Hildreth is a writer for Total Apex and a lifelong fan of Football with his favorite teams being the New England Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs. Dillon is also a fan of Motorsports Red Bull in Formula One and William Byron in NASCAR. You can catch Dillon Stream F1, NASCAR, and other video games and sidecasts on Twitch.
