Why did NASCAR disqualify Ryan Blaney in Las Vegas?
Ryan Blaney is the second Ford driver to be disqualified after the race in the 2023 post-season.
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Ryan Blaney (Via IMAGO)
Team Penske Racing Ryan Blaney had a strong day at Las Vegas, which saw him finish the race at P6 and go on to secure the third most points among the last eight contenders. He scored 39 points in the race by finishing P6. He had strong finishes in the stages as well, which saw him score five points in stage one and three in stage two.
But all this effort was useless once NASCAR disqualified him after failing a post-race inspection. He was demoted to P36, the lowest possible position of the race, and was credited just one point. The DQ cost him 46 points and has put him -56 points off the provisional playoff elimination line. He is the lowest-placed driver in the final eight.
He was disqualified for a left-front shock infraction caught during the post-race inspection. All eight playoff drivers’ cars were inspected, regardless of their results, and other random inspections at Vegas. He is the second Ford driver to fail post-race inspection in the playoff. Kevin Harvick was DQ’d at Talladega, a race that Blaney won.
The overall specified length of a front shock should be 22.55 inches. However, during the inspection, NASCAR officials found that Blaney’s Minard Sponsored Ford Mustang didn’t meet the specifications. So, he was sanctioned according to section 14.11.3.5 in the NASCAR Rule Book after the South Point 400.
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Ryan Blaney thought that he had a decent day before the penalty
While talking to the media soon after a good point-scoring finish, he told the media that he had a decent day as they could consistently run inside the top 5. He was happy with how they executed in the race and was confident that solid days like it could get him the necessary win to reach the finale.
“It was a pretty decent day. We ran in the top five to eight all day. We had a great long-run car, but it took us a lot to get going. Overall, not a bad day. We executed really well, just not quite enough. We have to keep trying to have days like that and find ourselves toward the front and then hopefully contend for wins,” Blaney said before inspection (H&T: RACER).
But with the dissepiment, it seems like Blaney is looking at a consecutive R-8 elimination. With the large point deficit he has right now, the No:12 team has to win one of the two coming races, Miami and Martinsville, to secure the final four spot. Against the strong Chevy and Toyota drivers, the possibility of him progressing is dim.
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Justin P Joy
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