Even though Ryan Blaney salvaged a fourth-place finish in the second playoff race at Gateway, his run was nearly ruined earlier in the race. Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang had spun out of control after a tap from Kyle Larson’s front bumper.
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Larson and Blaney met on pit road afterward, where the Team Penske driver said he would not carry a grudge. But he also made it clear that he would not forget what happened.
Curiously, fans have spared Larson from heavy criticism. Denny Hamlin explained why on the Actions Detrimental podcast.
“I think largely because most of the fan base likes him. So you’re going to stick up for your guy, right?” Hamlin said, before commenting on the lack of media pushback against Larson.
“I would say I don’t know the answer to that. I agree [that] some criticism is deserved. He’s misjudging a lot,” said Hamlin.
“But I guess you know in the back of your mind that surely that’s not intentional. So you give him a pass… But that certainly luckily did not alter the #12’s day as much as it could have,” he added.
What exactly transpired between Larson and Blaney?
With only a few laps remaining in Stage 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway, Larson made an aggressive bid for fifth place. He slid his No. 5 Chevrolet up the groove and clipped the left rear of Blaney’s car. The clash, branded as the Blaney-Larson Gateway moment, became the talking point of the race.
It was indeed intriguing that the incident drew little backlash from fans. That’s starkly opposite to how social media might have erupted had someone like Hamlin been involved.
Larson didn’t duck the fallout. He admitted to the mistake. Stressing it wasn’t intentional, he accepted full responsibility for misjudging the move.
Blaney wasn’t entirely convinced by the justification. But he chalked it up to hard racing and added that he would keep a closer eye on Larson moving forward. Blaney later admitted his conversation with Larson would have sounded far different had he not rallied back.
Both drivers remain in solid playoff shape heading into Bristol. And despite finishing P12 at Gateway, Larson carries the largest cushion among non-playoff winners at 60 points, while Blaney sits fifth, 42 points above the cut line.
