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Kyle Petty was not happy with the performances of Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney during Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami. Petty, a well-known name among NASCAR fans, criticized Larson's aggressive driving and felt that Blaney's decision not to block Tyler Reddick on the final lap was a mistake.
Petty clearly expected much more from the duo, who he believed acted naively. As an experienced figure in the sport, Petty was able to read the intentions of certain drivers and knew what to expect from them.
“All week long, everyone talked about aggression,” Petty said, as quoted by On3.
“Here’s what I want to talk about as we leave Miami: Stupidity, people making bad decisions. Tyler Reddick showed on Lap 7 what he was gonna do to win when he blocked the 5 car of Kyle Larson all the way almost down on the flat getting into Turn 1. But we go to that last restart."
Kyle reflected on Hamlin's statement and optimism, but Ryan Blaney did not perform as expected. Tyler Reddick knew how to use all the flaws of his opponents, seize the opportunity, and make a big success. This race was an important lesson for many.
"Denny Hamlin takes control of the race. And he said and I’m gonna quote him, ‘Control the race with two to go. You gotta find a way to finish.’ And he just didn’t. He didn’t. He led with a couple laps to go. Then the last lap, the 12 car of Ryan Blaney gets by him. Ryan Blaney leads, oh my gosh, Cinderella story, this is a repeat champion."- he continued.
Kyle Petty emphasized that Tyler Reddick is a strong competitor, referencing his determination at the Roval, where he fought hard to stay in the playoffs. Petty noted how Reddick was gaining speed on the final lap, running faster than others and passing them on the outside. He couldn't believe Ryan Blaney didn’t block Reddick, stressing that blocking should have been a key strategy in that moment.
The 28-year-old did not react in the right way, and now he felt exactly the consequences of that. However, no one doubts that Blaney can recover from this and continue at a stronger pace. Reddick knew what to do at a particular moment, managing to spoil the plans of his colleagues.
Petty also criticized the overall decision-making of the drivers, calling some of their moves foolish. He pointed out that Larson made a reckless choice earlier in the race that caused a caution, questioning why he would go three-wide in that situation. Petty described these actions as not just poor decisions or aggressive driving, but outright silly. He ended by mentioning that Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano were probably laughing at the mistakes of the other drivers since they were moving on to the next race in Phoenix.
NASCAR is magical precisely because of the fact that in some moments it is important to maintain focus, know how to make the right move, and stay at the top. If you are not maximally focused, or unsure of yourself, be sure that others will take advantage of it. The last race is an example of that. Reddick has the right to be happy with the way everything turned out, and he has even stronger challenges ahead of him.
Ryan Blaney reacts
The man who has the most right to be unhappy about the last race was clear and loud when he realized what had happened.
After the race, Ryan Blaney expressed his obvious disappointment. He acknowledged that he had a great opportunity to win but didn’t execute well on the final lap. This great NSACAR driver mentioned that he thought he took Turn 3 aggressively, but Tyler Reddick managed to make a strong move that worked out well for him, which Blaney found impressive.
It must also be admitted that Reddick did a great thing when it was most needed.
Blaney added that he hated to let a win slip away like that, but he wasn't entirely sure if they had truly lost it. He pointed out that they had regained the lead after a restart, but the final lap just didn’t go their way. 30-year-old admitted that it was a frustrating outcome.
Ryan Blaney, last year's winner of the NASCAR Cup Series this season, had a few problems, but he held his own throughout the year. Such mistakes will certainly not do him any good, but they can be an important lesson for the future. The fight is very interesting, and only one name will come out on top as the winner of another NASCAR Cup Series season.
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