WATCH: “Absolutely brutal”- Ryan Blaney’s car catches on fire during the big one after a heavy hit on the wall at Daytona, fans react

Ryan Blaney had a similar incident in 2023 as well at Daytona.

WATCH: “Absolutely brutal”- Ryan Blaney’s car catches on fire during the big one after a heavy hit on the wall at Daytona, fans react

Ryan Blaney (Via IMAGO) and No:Ford on fire (Via Screenshot: @Fox Sports/X)

The official start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup season has been disappointing the reigning champion, Ryan Blaney. The No:12 Team, Penske Racing driver, was sent hard onto the outside wall in the biggest wreck of the week so far during the Duel. His car endured heavy damage, and the team decided to use the backup car for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.  

Many expected Duel-2 to end cleanly as the race was nearing its end. But mistakes from drivers during drafting caused the big one. It was all caused by Brad Keselowski, a former teammate of Blaney, pushing RCR’s Kyle Busch too much, an un-timed attempt from Willaim Byron of HMS to block the No:8 Chevy.

YouTube video

This resulted in the big one that sent Blaney onto the wall, just like in the 2023 Daytona 500, and his car caught on fire due to it. He quickly exited the vehicle when it came to a halt and, fortunately, didn’t have any injuries.  The incident collected Byron, Busch, Noah Gragson of SHR, and BJ McLeod, who were in the hunt for the final two places in the Daytona 500.

FS Video

While it was just an infuriating incident for Busch, Byron, and Blaney, for BJ McLeod, it’s the end of his 2024 Daytona 500 dreams. His car endured too much damage, which helped Kaz Grala seal the slot for the Great American Race. Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson secured the other slot by finishing high on dual-1.

Here is how fans reacted to the incident

NASCAR fans on social media were quick to react to the incident and give their opinion on the big one. The comments on X (previously Twitter) were pretty mixed. Some fans recalled Blaney’s hard hit from last season and lamented about the champion’s fate.

Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney (Via IMAGO)

Some fans took the opportunity to bash HMS’s Willaims Byron and RFK Racing owner driver Brad Keselowski, as the duo’s actions caused the big one. There were also some comments which were light-hearted comedies targeted at the race.

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