Trouble has occurred for Ryan Blaney, one of the eight remaining NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders. On Lap 72 of Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Blaney encountered a cut left front tire in Turn 4. The cut tire sent Blaney skidding hard into the outside wall.
Here is the incident, triggered by a cut left front tire, which sent Ryan Blaney into the outside wall, and has led to catastrophic damage and will result in a 38th-place finish for the #NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contender. pic.twitter.com/xnb0LIvMWW
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) October 12, 2025
As Blaney worked his way down pit road, it became very clear, very quickly, that the damage sustained in the impact into the outside SAFER barrier was catastrophic.
Moments after Blaney parked his No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse in his pit stall on pit road, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion climbed from his car as his team determined the damage was too severe.
The Penske team has pushed the car back behind the wall, and Blaney, who will be credited with a last-place finish, will see his hopes of a second NASCAR Cup Series championship take a severe hit on Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Here are some additional looks at what put Blaney out of the race:
NOT THE DAY BLANEY WANTED ?
Ryan Blaney’s day ends early in Las Vegas. #NASCARPlayoffs
?: @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/fJgnDemhgu
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 12, 2025
After being checked and released from the infield care center, Blaney explained that he had no indication that he was about to encounter a race-ending situation on Lap 72.
“No, I didn’t have any thoughts that it was gonna blow. As soon as I lifted into three it blew out.”
If Blaney is going to make it into the Championship 4, it will likely take a clutch victory next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway or the following weekend at Martinsville Speedway after the early race exit Sunday at Las Vegas.
“I’m not overjoyed, I tell you that. We’ll have to come from behind like we did last year,” Blaney explained. “Hopefully, we can win one of the next two weeks. We just can’t have a smooth day it seems like.”
While it’s not an ideal situation, Blaney remains optimistic of his chances to advance to the Championship 4 due to his past performances at the final two tracks that comprise the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
“You’ve got to be optimistic. I’m not very happy right now, but tomorrow morning I’ll be optimistic to go to the next race,” Blaney said. “We’ve had good success at the next two events, so hopefully we can come and bring the speed and try to overcome the hole we put ourselves in today.”
As they run, currently, Blaney would drop to the final driver in the eight-man NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Grid.
