Ryan Blaney suffers disastrous crash in NASCAR playoff race

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) leads a group during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Ryan Blaney suffers disastrous crash in crucial NASCAR playoff race

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 6:54 PM ET

Ryan Blaney could not have had a worse start to the penultimate round of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Late in Stage 1 of Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Blaney's No. 12 Team Penske Ford blew a tire, leading to hard contact between Blaney's car and the outside wall.

Huge playoff implications on Lap 72! @Blaney has trouble and gets into the wall. pic.twitter.com/MoCg5bEGHx
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 12, 2025

Blaney brought his vehicle down pit road before exiting the car. He was not officially ruled out of the race immediately following the incident, but he is effectively out of contention for a good finish and will likely finish last (38th).

Blaney entered Sunday's race — the opening race of the Round of 8 — second on the Cup Series playoff grid, six points above the cut line.

Ryan Blaney will need more heroics to make Championship 4

Shortly after the crash, the USA Network telecast showed Blaney last on the playoff grid, 34 points below the cut line.

That will force the No. 12 team to put together two solid races at Talladega or Martinsville, where a win could lift Blaney to the Championship 4 for the third year in a row. The good news? Blaney is a three-time Talladega winner and has won the last two fall races at Martinsville in a must-win scenario to make the Championship 4.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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