Ryan Blaney suffered eight DNFs during the 2025 Cup Series season, most of which could be chalked up to bad luck. Those setbacks left him sixth in the final points standings, but he turned the page and entered the 2026 season determined to write a new story. Unfortunately, Lady Luck followed him straight to Daytona International Speedway on Sunday.
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Blaney had a fast Ford Mustang Dark Horse and started the Daytona 500 from fifth place. The race went by smoothly for the first 123 laps. But a big wreck occurred in Lap 124 and collected many drivers, one of whom was Blaney.
From thereon, his chances to finish up front took a big hit. As if that weren’t enough, Toyota employed some questionable tactics that nullified any leftover hope.
Blaney spoke about the same in his post-race interview and said, “Spent some time fixing our car after the Stage 2 caution. Then we started at the back and just got trapped with the Toyotas running 52-second laps and road-blocking the whole thing.”
Toyota’s men had been attempting to save fuel by racing slower, which ended up causing frustration to those who were further behind.
Ryan Blaney was not pleased that Toyota had all three lanes locked up and were running ultra-slow 52 second laps in the final stage. Says, “We need to fix that. It’s pretty bad,” in regard to the fuel saving racing in the #Daytona500 pic.twitter.com/LfTJ17eZ5D
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) February 15, 2026
Pressed on the topic, the Team Penske driver underlined that it was unfortunate that the Toyota drivers did that. “We gotta fix that. It’s pretty bad,” he declared.
Fuel-saving has become an essential part of superspeedway racing. It is not the tactic itself that the Penske driver has a problem with. It is the fact that Toyota had three cars blocking the field that doesn’t sit well with him. Ultimately, Blaney was awarded a 27th-place finish.
Blaney’s involvement in the big wreck at Daytona
Blaney played a key role in the wreck that unfolded on Lap 124. JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier was leading the race when Denny Hamlin attempted a move to pass him. Allgaier had built a sizable gap, while Blaney was running in the outside lane. With that lane carrying momentum, Blaney gave Hamlin a much-needed push from behind.
Hamlin appeared to have a clear path to the lead, but Allgaier threw a block, sending both cars toward the inside. The contact triggered a multi-car incident as the yellow flag waved. Bubba Wallace, running the inside lane, somehow escaped unscathed and emerged with the lead. Meanwhile, the days of Allgaier, Alex Bowman, and Todd Gilliland all came to an end because of the wreck.
This result will not be brushed off as easily as it might have been in past seasons. With the race paying full points, a poor finish carries real consequences in the standings. As a result, Blaney’s chances of making the Chase have already taken a hit. It is only the first race of the season, but Blaney is already playing catch-up.
