Ryan Blaney sure should hope what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. The No. 12 driver has had a spring of bad luck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that is typically reserved for the casinos, having crashed during practice for each of the last two Vegas races. However, Saturday seemed to be a return of his fortune, escaping with a clean practice qualifying session that set his No. 12 team in the top 15; however, Vegas dealt him really bad cards, and Blaney couldn’t play the game.

His day unraveled far earlier than anyone at Team Penske would’ve hoped. After starting the race in 14th, Blaney seemed to be settling into a rhythm through the opening lap, running 13th by lap 11, the lowest among the playoff contenders, but still in contention. His Ford didn’t show the same raw pace as the leaders, and as the field spread out, he appeared to be fighting a tight-handling car that limited his ability to move forward during the green flag run.

As pit cycles began around lap 33, Blaney’s team looked poised to make adjustments that might help his balance heading into the second stage. However, just as the strategy window was opening up, disaster struck. On lap 62, Blaney slammed hard into the Turn 4 wall after what appeared to be a right rear tire failure.

The impact caused heavy damage to his car, immediately triggering a caution and forcing his crew to tow the No. 12 Ford to the DVP area. The No. 12 driver fired off on the radio, “I have no steering. Everything is f—–g broken. Everything is f—–g broken on it.”

The damage proved terminal. While other playoff drivers like William Byron and Kyle Larson battle for stage points, Blaney’s race effectively ended before Stage 1 was complete. The team inspected the car in the DVP zone but couldn’t repair it in time to return to the competition. It was a crushing blow for the 2023 NASCAR series champion, whose early exit not only ended his day but also dealt a serious hit to his playoff hopes.

Blaney will now have to win in the next two races to qualify; scoring on points won’t be enough. Speaking post-race, the 31-year-old sounded defeated yet kept his gaze set on Talladega and Martinsville. He said, “I gotta be optimistic. I mean, yeah, I’m not very happy right now, but tomorrow morning I’ll be optimistic to go to the next race. So yeah, we’ve had good success in the next two events. Hopefully we can, you know, come bring the speed and we’ll try to overcome the hole we put ourselves in today.”

And when he was asked about the incident directly, he replied with a sad, “No, I destroyed right front, right rear, destroyed everything.” However, this marks Blaney’s eighth DNF of the 2025 season. With a pending post-race inspection, it could also mark the first time the No. 12 car has finished last in a Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway since March 12, 2006, when Ryan Newman’s day ended early after a crash on lap 88.

Ryan Blaney entered the race seated second with a +6 points above the cutline; however, this race and outcome could see him fall way below it. But amid playoff hopes and points, Blaney has also weighed in on the very famous race manipulation accusations that came off last weekend due to Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain’s run-in. He went to make his stance clear by saying, “I’d like to see just nothing, just everyone racing and stuff like that and worry about yourself, and you’re not responsible for this guy.”

But with his teammate, Joey Logano, who is set deep into the conversation, Blaney seemed to come clean about the hottest topic in NASCAR right now.

Ryan Blaney calls for ‘pure racing’ amid team orders and manipulation concerns

Ryan Blaney has always seen himself as a purist, a firm believer that races should be decided by nothing more than speed, scale, and clean competition. He’s never been one to favor team orders or orchestrated outcomes that have an advantage to one driver at the expense of another, even if that driver happens to be a teammate.

Speaking with reporters at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Blaney addressed the controversy surrounding teammate Joey Logano’s advancement into the Round of 8, a berth made possible not by Logano’s own doing. Some critics accused Hamlin of intentionally sparking the incident to manipulate who advanced, but Blaney was quick to dismiss it.

He said, “It’s not pure motorsports to me. And it’s tough, you’ve got the teams and manufacturers saying these things, and as a driver, you’re kind of handcuffed to an extent because you have to do what your team is asking you to do. It kind of gets to be a mucky situation. I’d like to see just everyone racing and worry about yourself and you’re not responsible for this guy, just do what’s best for you. I don’t think it will hurt to have a conversation with NASCAR and maybe there’s penalties involved if a certain situation is about, but we’ll see what it gets to.”

His comments reflected a sentiment shared by many fans and drivers that racing should be raw and authentic, decided by merit on the track, not strategy calls made from the pit box or corporate pressure from above. But with bigger issues at hand right now, Blaney will look to pull up his socks heading into the last two races of the Round of 8 before the Championship 4.