Sometimes, no matter how well you run, it’s just not meant to be, Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell understood that very well at the WWT Gateway on Sunday. Both drivers raced for the lead and shared an epic battle but as the laps went down, so did they, First it was the Joe Gibbs Racing star with a mechanical issue and then it was the defending Cup Series champion with just one lap to go due to a fuel issue.
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It must have been devastating for the Team Penske man who has struggled this season and had a rare opportunity to take the win. After the race, Blaney was visibly upset as he congratulated his teammate for the win and said that it just was not meant to be for him on the day after being placed in P24.
“It quit running. Just a lap short. I thought we were plenty good. They must not have gotten it as full as they thought. I thought we were plenty good to go to the end and it wasn’t meant to be,” he said as per NASCAR.
RYAN BLANEY IS OUT OF GAS. AUSTIN CINDRIC WINS AT WWT RACEWAY! pic.twitter.com/aTY0SL6zpI
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 2, 2024
Engine failure denies Christopher Bell a personal milestone
The battle for the lead between the two drivers was enthralling and the JGR star was looking to earn consecutive wins for the first time in his career. However, mechanical failures are a driver’s biggest fear in motorsports and that’s exactly what happened to the #20. Still, he was able to finish in a respectable P7 thanks to Martin Truex Jr’s bump drafting.
“Just something in the engine department let go. I’m surprised that it hung on for those last [19] laps or whatever. That one sucks, there’s no way around it,” the 29-year-old said after the race.
Motorsports can be plenty cruel sometimes but both of these drivers would be happy about the run they had minus their respective issues.
