‘Once bitten, twice shy’ fits Ryan Blaney’s history at Texas Motor Speedway perfectly. What should have been a straightforward million-dollar celebration during the 2022 NASCAR All-Star race quickly turned into one of the most stressful moments of his career. A late caution changed everything, leaving the 2023 Cup champion convinced he had thrown away a massive win for Team Penske. Fast forward to today, Blaney did not sugarcoat his anxiety as he looks back at the moment.
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Ahead of the regular-season race at Texas, the No. 12 driver will never forget the incident, as the track brings back memories.
“But, um, I don’t think I’ve ever had a sheer panic moment like that. You know, those things where you’re just, your heart sinks and your stomach drops. Like I’m the biggest idiot alive,” he said.
The drama began when Blaney crossed the finish line ahead of Denny Hamlin, believing he had secured the All-Star race victory four years ago.
Under normal NASCAR rules, the race would’ve ended right there after the caution appeared on the final lap following Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s contact with the wall. But the All-Star race had a different format. The event had to finish under green flag conditions, meaning the race was not over after all.
Thinking the night was done, Blaney lowered the window net on his No.12 Ford in celebration. And moments later, he realised the caution had forced the race into a two-lap overtime. That left him scrambling to pull the net back into place as crews and officials prepared for the green flag.
NASCAR rules required the window to remain secured during competition, making the situation even more tense as questions surfaced about whether he should have been penalised.
"I'm the biggest idiot alive." 🤦 @Blaney still has scars from the time he dropped his window net too early while leading at @TXMotorSpeedway ⚠️ "I don't think I've ever had a sheer panic moment like that."😱 "I won the All-Star race TWICE... got paid once." 😑
However, despite the confusion and pressure, Blaney managed to hold off Hamlin during overtime and officially claimed the $1 million prize by 0.266 seconds. Reflecting on how things went down, Blaney kept his answer light.
“I don’t know where that window net went. I’ve been fun to frame it next to the check, but at least I got the check. That was a panic. So won the all-star race twice, got paid once,” the Team Penske driver added.
NASCAR later acknowledged the caution call itself was debatable, while some competitors questioned whether Blaney should have been black-flagged for the window net issue.
Even so, the bizarre sequence became one of the most memorable All-Star finishes in the recent history of racing and an unforgettable one.
But as the focus shifts to the Wurth 400 race this weekend, Blaney’s chances to win at the 1.5-mile look strong.
Can Blaney make it a Texas re-peat win?
Despite a string of frustrating finishes over the years, a 32-year-old has built a solid résumé at the 1.5-mile track in the cup series.
With several top-five and top-10 finishes, Blaney has consistently shown speed and a knack for running near the front. He famously led 150 laps in the 2020 Texas race before cycling for seventh, proving he has long had a race-winning pace at the track.
Fast forward to today, the Ford driver entering the weekend is one of the more reliable contenders in the field, quietly pulling together another strong season. As he enjoys his third place in the standings, with six top-10 finishes and an unforgettable win at Phoenix recently, a 37th-place finish at Talladega proved to be a bump in the road.
However, that kind of consistency overall keeps him firmly in the hunt. His past success, combined with Team Penske’s strength on intermediate tracks, makes him a driver capable of bouncing back quickly and putting himself back in contention for a front-running finish.
