Ryan Blaney’s Pennzoil 400 unraveled in a cloud of smoke and fury. On Lap 195 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a four-wide battle turned disastrous when Christopher Bell’s aggressive move sparked a wreck that collected Blaney, Erik Jones, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The crash capped a brutal weekend for Blaney, who battled blown tires, pit road woes, and a battered No. 12 Ford; but it was Bell who drew his ire, at least initially.
Ryan Blaney’s Radio Rage and Christopher Bell’s Controversial Move
Blaney’s frustration erupted seconds after impact. “Who f***ing caused that, Timmy? Was it my fault?” he barked to spotter Tim Fedewa.
Fedewa hesitated: “It was tight. I can’t tell. I’ve seen one replay. Looking at it right now, Ryan. We were three-wide. We had two out, one in.”
Blaney didn’t mince words. “I’m as close as I can get to the 20. So, I don’t know. The f***ing 20 apparently just shoves it through the middle, doesn’t have any regard for anybody … I don’t know. Whatever,” he said, referencing Bell’s No. 20 Toyota.
Replays showed Bell diving low into Turn 2, squeezing Blaney alongside Noah Gragson and Bubba Wallace. Pinned against the outside wall, Blaney spun into Jones, ending both their days.
Another look at the incident on Lap 195. pic.twitter.com/QOuIuRKmAN
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 16, 2025
But cooler heads prevailed post-race. After reviewing the footage, Blaney backtracked. “Honestly I think it was my fault. I gotta watch the replay again to know for sure,” he told FS1.
“I thought it was two inside and one outside, so honestly I probably pinched those guys up in the fence. I probably used more track than I should’ve.”
Bell, chasing a historic fourth straight win, avoided penalties but faced scrutiny for risky aggression.
Chaos Beyond the Blaney-Bell Wreck, NASCAR’s Unraveling Tempers
The crash wasn’t the only flashpoint. Carson Hocevar hit Ty Gibbs while exiting the pit road and spun him, unleashing a tirade. “God f***ing damn it! That’s f***ing … you might as well just take four … I have right front damage, and I have left front. I’ll come in and fix the f***ing thing,” he shouted.
Gibbs, unharmed, continued, but Hocevar didn’t.
Trouble on pit road for Carson Hocevar and Ty Gibbs. pic.twitter.com/Q2QuTtpCra
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 16, 2025
Meanwhile, Blaney’s nightmare weekend deepened. A practice crash, slow pit stops, and the Lap 195 wreck left him 34th, his worst finish of 2025. “Just a long weekend for the Pennzoil team,” he sighed.
READ MORE: Pennzoil 400 Results — Josh Berry Stuns the NASCAR World With 1st Career Cup Win
For Bell, the incident broke his winning streak, and he eventually finished 12th. However, he managed to surprise everyone by making an unexpected pitstop at his teammate’s pit box. He had a loose left front wheel and went over to Chase Briscoe’s team to get it tightened. This quick thinking by crew chief Adam Stevens might’ve saved them from a major penalty as loose wheels went running around quite a lot today at Las Vegas.
For Blaney, the dice rolled wrong. For Bell, another gamble paid off. But in NASCAR, grudges last longer than tire marks.