SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Losing the Brickyard 400 is tough to swallow no matter what. When you feel like circumstances beyond your control robbed you of a victory in a NASCAR crown jewel race, it’s even tougher.
It’s understandable then that Ryan Blaney was angry after finishing third in Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The reigning Cup Series champion’s problem, however, was that he wasn’t sure where to direct his anger.
He took a severe beating on a circuit where every driver wants to kiss the stones in celebration. Winning here is a major achievement. And Blaney had been oh so close.
“I’m mad, but I don’t know who to be mad at. Like there’s nobody to be mad at,” Blaney said. “It’s just racing luck.
“I’m just pissed. It just sucks, man.”
Blaney’s frustration began when Kyle Busch spun and crashed into Denny Hamlin entering Turn 3, forcing the race to be extended and further testing the fuel economy limits that many were already experiencing.
Among those in danger of dropping out was leader Brad Keselowski, who opted for an improbable Hail Mary, hoping to make it to the finish, so he elected not to pit for fuel during the caution period. Sure enough, just as Keselowski reached the start-finish line and the race was about to resume, his fuel tank ran out, sending him into the pits just as the field exited Turn 4.
This put Blaney in the lead, while Kyle Larson slid into second. However, Blaney had already chosen the less favorable outside lane, while Larson was now on the inside. NASCAR prohibits drivers from choosing a new lane, which gives Larson the advantage, because if he had been able to choose again, Blaney would have chosen the inside lane.
Instead, despite being the race leader, Blaney felt like he was an easy target.
“It’s easy for me to say, if the leader runs out on the restart, swing off the green, pick again because you’re now advancing third place to where I’m getting screwed,” Blaney said. “I’m the one getting screwed. So third place benefits, the guy behind me benefits.
“If it was somewhere else, it wouldn’t be so bad, because the second lane, you can in all the other places, you can keep. Here it’s just a death sentence. You don’t keep the lead from the top of the first row.”
As Blaney expected, Larson took advantage and took the lead as they raced into Turn 1. It was a lead he would not relinquish. Larson later admitted that he had specifically chosen to restart directly behind Keselowski in the hopes that he could move forward if Keselowski ran out of fuel.
“We had a lot of communication on our radio about (how) Brad was getting really close to fuel, he could run out of fuel under these cautions,” Larson said. “I was going to go behind him, no matter what lane he took, hoping he would run out before we got to the restart zone.
“Yeah, he just dove into the pit lane. I thought, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is going exactly as we hoped and thought.'”
Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson were 1-2-3 when Keselowski ran out of fuel and pitted. Larson then slid in and went on to win. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Some wondered after the race whether NASCAR should allow a re-election in such situations. It’s not a question with a clear-cut solution.
A glaring hurdle on a 2.5-mile track like Indianapolis is the amount of time it can take to allow the field to re-choose which lanes to use. The circumstances that unfolded Sunday also aren’t common enough to force NASCAR to re-evaluate the rule.
“I understand it’s being emphasized because of this race, the situation, because it was front row,” said Cliff Daniels, Larson’s crew chief. “There’s been so many times in Cup racing where we’ve seen that from fifth, 10th, 20th. (Today is no different.) Everybody knows that’s the rule.
“In any other racing series, you fill the line, you take the green flag and move on. I just don’t see it as a big deal.”
On Sunday, however, Blaney was somewhat affected. There is no doubt about that. Even Larson admitted after the race that he profited from Keselowski’s misfortune.
“With the way the strategy worked out, Brad running out of fuel, me inheriting the front row, a lot of things had to fall into place,” Larson said. “Fortunately, it did.”
The win was Larson’s first at Indianapolis, prompting a euphoric celebration that saw himself, Daniels, team owner Rick Hendrick and team president Jeff Gordon take to the frontstretch grandstands to celebrate with fans. Larson has now won three of NASCAR’s crown jewel races.
Meanwhile, in the pit lane, things were decidedly less festive. After getting out of his car, Blaney needed a moment to relax and decided to sit on the pit wall to collect himself.
“We should have won the race,” he said. “… Just disappointed. It just stinks. It’s just dumb luck. We did everything right to win and he got a chance, pretty good.”
(Top photo of Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney during Sunday’s Brickyard 400: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)