Ryan Blaney securing a championship victory at Phoenix Raceway surely grabbed all the news since Sunday. It was indeed a historic title win for the Team Penske driver as he secured his debut title. While he did that, the road to victory was a tricky one as non-playoff driver Ross Chastain posed quite the hurdle. In between the two drivers’ on-track tussle, NASCAR had to intervene fearing the worst.

It is no secret that the Cup Series has seen plenty of wrecks this season. While some of them have been dangerous, NASCAR officials have adopted a stricter approach with time. What happened in the NASCAR Truck Series last Friday only made the authorities more wary of the risks.

NASCAR stepped in during the intense battle between Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain at Phoenix Raceway

With Ryan Blaney making his Championship 4 debut on Sunday, a lot was expected of him. The #12 driver made a stunning late run in the playoffs to secure a berth in the finale. Having worked hard for his place, Blaney surely wasn’t going to give up easily.

During the final at Phoenix Raceway, while he faced strong competition from the other three finalists, his major challenge came against Ross Chastain. The Trackhouse Racing team driver looked in solid touch at the 1-mile track. While he ended up winning the race, he gave Blaney a tough time on the track.

In the final stage of the race, the Team Penske driver was eager to secure an unassailable lead. However, with Chastain in front of him, it got incredibly difficult. The #1 driver ensured Blaney wasn’t getting any easy pass which eventually instigated the #12 driver to make a slight contact with him.

The 29-year-old was left frustrated by the Melon Man. After the race, Blaney said, “The fact that Ross said I raced him hard, the dude blocked three lanes in the corner of every lap. I don’t know how I’m racing him hard. F**king right I hit him on purpose. He blocked me on purpose, 10 times. What do you expect me to do?”

While his irritation was evident even during the race, NASCAR felt the need to get involved. This move comes after the sport witnessed some unexpected scenes at the Truck Series finale last Friday. With that in mind, NASCAR approached Chastain’s spotter Brandon McReynolds during the intense battle between the two drivers.

READ MORE – Conceited Ross Chastain Drops Bold 9-Word Declaration on Phoenix Sweep

As mentioned by Brett Griffin during the recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, he said, “When Blaney hit Ross Chastain, Ross Chastain’s spotter was fussed at by a NASCAR official. The official went down there and said, ‘What are you doing?’”

Griffin continued, “The guy’s [McReynolds] like, ‘What am I doing? I’m trying to win a race.’ But, he didn’t want Ross Chastain to be racing Ryan Blaney that hard.” NASCAR’s decision to question Chastain’s approach was certainly debatable there. In fact, the fans were left fuming at the act.

NASCAR’s involvement in Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain’s battle leaves fans raging

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Without a doubt, NASCAR relies plenty on the thrill and intensity of the racing. What happened between Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain on Sunday was the perfect example of hardcore racing. Both drivers were deeply involved in achieving their own goals and that’s what has made the sport look great over the years.

Having said that, NASCAR getting involved how they did seemed a bit uncalled for. In fact, the fans on Reddit didn’t like them questioning Brandon McReynolds and Chastain’s approach one bit. One fan argued, “Regardless of the situations and scenarios, it was Ross’s job to hold off Ryan, and it was Ryan’s job to get by Ross.”

Another one spoke on similar lines saying, “Man what’s even the point of having the other cars if NASCAR is going to be upset they try to do their jobs.” At the same time, one fan felt NASCAR’s image was under scrutiny with this act. He said, “Damn, that’s borderline trying to alter the outcome of the race. Not a great look.”

One fan specifically acknowledged how McReynolds and Chastain kept their stance the same despite NASCAR’s interference. He said, “If that’s 100% true, props to Ross and Brandon for standing there ground.” However, there was another fan who felt that had things got out of hand, many would have blamed NASCAR for not acting.

In his words, “Respect to McReynolds. 1 team is the purest interpretation of “race at 100 percent of their ability”. I get that NASCAR is in a tough position though. Some fans grumble that the 4 guys get raced with kid gloves. But more fans would scream if someone screwed those 4.”

While the act was questionable, all’s well that ends well. With more clear directives and guidelines, NASCAR could surely help themselves and those involved so as to avoid such incidents in the near future.

WATCH THIS STORY: Ryan Blaney’s 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Victory: A Triumph of Skill and Strategy