Ryan Blaney Brands the Bowman Gray Clash “a Crazy, Odd Race”

2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney has shared his thoughts on the chaotic event at the Bowman Gray Stadium.

Ryan Blaney Brands the Bowman Gray Clash “a Crazy, Odd Race”

Ryan Blaney (via Imago)

The 2026 NASCAR Cup series unofficial season opener at Bowman Gray Stadium was wild and chaotic. The snowstorm delay, wet surface and drivers being extra aggressive on the track made it a tough event to watch. Questionable officiating towards the end of the race also raised some eyebrows.

2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney got the perfect explanation for the race. He called the event crazy and odd in the recent interview. The veteran Ford driver then shifted his focus to his team and his race, asserting the No:12 Mustang was pretty strong in the day, highlighting how he was able to finish the at P4 despite starting at P16.

It was just a crazy, odd race. I thought we were by far the best car in the first run of the race; we came from 16th to fourth, and just not really pushing the issue. I felt excellent about our car. I just wanted to get some good track position for the second stage, but it rained at the break.

Ryan Blaney said via Heavy.com.

Furthermore, he pointed out that he was pretty nervous when towards the end of the race, the field pitted for with weather tires. His car was suited more for the dry weather conditions and despite the challenging situation, he was able to continue running strong.

I was a little nervous when we put rain tires on, and you can’t do adjustments because I’m like, ‘What my car does really well in the dry will be awful in the wet.’ And that’s what it did. I went straight to the back and was just in the way.

Ryan Blaney added.

Ryan Blaney put the blame of wet weather for the chaos  

Earlier talking about the chaos, the veteran racer pointed out that the majority of the damages his car incurred was because of the running into spun out cars. He also admitted to t-boning some of his fellow racers during the chaos.

Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney (via Imago)
Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney (via Imago)

I think all my damage is just from running into spun-out cars. I t-boned a couple of guys who were already spun out.

Ryan Blaney said.

Further talking about the point, he admitted that most of the chaos occurred during he wet conditions and admitted that drivers had no way to escape incidents once something happened. He wasn’t that impressed with the track condition, just like in 2025, but is willing to give them a pass owing to the weather challenges.

I think a lot of it happened in the wet; they spin up top, and you’re committed up top, and you literally can’t go anywhere. You can’t avoid (it). Yeah, it’s not the prettiest-looking thing. It looked a lot prettier last year, but given the conditions, I’ll let it have a pass.

Ryan Blaney added.

The comments from the former champion doesn’t fit well for the narrative the track wants to project in order secure a spot in the 2026 schedule. Many in the racing community wants to the Clash to go back to Daytona and it would be interesting to see what NASCAR will do.

Also Read: Mark Martin Makes “Similar to Max Verstappen” Prediction over Kyle Busch’s Son