Ryan Blaney narrowly escaped disaster at Phoenix, but it will cost him some valuable track position as he had to pit a second time in a short timespan. He had to return after a pit stop to secure a left-side tire.
The wheel itself didn’t come off, which will save Blaney’s crew members from a costly penalty that would rule them out for multiple future races. But it was a big mistake midway through Stage 2 and could prove costly.
“All good fellas; don’t worry about it,” Blaney said on his team radio, per Dustin Albino. “Long ways to go. We will get it back.”
At the time of the mistake, Ryan Blaney was running in P2 at Phoenix. He had been battling Joey Logano for the lead while holding off Tyler Reddick. After the mistake he restarted in P24, so he’ll have a lot of ground to make up.
Ross Chastain penalized for losing wheel at COTA
NASCAR issued its penalties from the weekend at COTA, and Ross Chastain found himself on the disciplinary list. He lost a tire late in the Cup Series race, something Ryan Blaney narrowly avoided early Sunday at Phoenix.
For that, NASCAR has suspended crew members Josh Appleby and Kenneth Pozega from the next two points events, through Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 15. There were no other penalties stemming from the weekend at COTA.
It’s been a bit of a rough start for Ross Chastain so far in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026. He finished in third at Atlanta Motor Speedway but finished 20th at Daytona and 35th this past weekend at COTA.
As a result, Chastain sits just 20th in the points standings. That said, everyone is trailing Tyler Reddick by a wide margin right now, courtesy of his historic feat notching the first three wins of the season.