Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott Suffer Brutal Gateway Playoff Blows
Gateway was already chaotic. Then it became a nightmare for Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. Both drivers entered Sunday’s race with legitimate championship hopes. Both left World Wide Technology Raceway with major playoff problems. And neither driver could blame another competitor. Blaney’s Day Ends With No Brakes Ryan Blaney looked like a contender for much…
A chaotic day at World Wide Technology Raceway dealt brutal blows to championship hopefuls Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. Entering Sunday's race with legitimate playoff aspirations, both drivers exited with major problems that could derail their championship pursuits.
Blaney, driving for Team Penske, started the race third and ran near the front early on. However, his brakes failed during the final stage, causing his No. 12 Ford to crash into the wall. Blaney immediately realized the severity of the issue, telling his team, "I have no brakes." This catastrophic failure ended his afternoon and dropped him to 34th place in the standings, 33 points behind current leader Denny Hamlin.
Chase Elliott, representing Hendrick Motorsports, had a different but equally devastating experience. He quietly built a strong race, running sixth late in the event. However, his brakes also failed, causing his No. 9 Chevrolet to slide into Turn 1. The impact collected Chase Briscoe's Toyota, ending both drivers' strong runs. Elliott finished 31st, a significant drop to 11th place in the Chase standings, leaving him 93 points behind Hamlin as the Round of 16 approached its conclusion.
The misfortune did not end with Blaney and Elliott. Gateway Raceway presented a record 18 cautions, with 87 of the 247 laps run under caution. Two red flags also appeared during the chaotic finish. Several Chase contenders faced their own troubles, including 19th place finishes for Christopher Bell, 25th for Tyler Reddick, and 32nd for Chase Briscoe. Kyle Larson's victory lifted him to second place in the standings, making the damage inflicted by Gateway even more significant.
With Bristol remaining in the opening playoff round, the pressure is mounting for both Blaney and Elliott. Blaney still maintains a cushion, but Elliott has much less room to maneuver. Both drivers have the opportunity to improve their standings at the upcoming race, with Blaney hoping to put Gateway behind him and move on, while Elliott must urgently stop the bleeding and prevent further damage to his championship aspirations.
While Gateway did not eliminate either contender, it certainly made the path to the title much more difficult.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
