DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske Menards/Peak Ford waves to the crowd prior to the running of the 68th NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 15 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602151951500

Jul 28, 2026, 1:37 AM CUT

$1M in loss, Ryan Blaney unsold over Cup star's apology: "Cost us a lot of money"

Ryan Blaney entered the Brickyard 400 with a chance to claim the $ 1 million prize as one of the final two drivers in NASCAR’s 2026 In-season Challenge alongside Todd Gilliland. But it wasn’t meant to be for Blaney and Team Penske as a late-race incident with John Hunter Nemechek ended their bid, leaving Blaney annoyed despite the latter's apology.

During the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 26, the No. 12 Team Penske driver started in 13th while Gilliland started in 36th. On lap 120 of 160, contact with Nemechek sent Blaney spinning and hitting the wall, causing him to finish the race 26th while Gilliland walked away with the million-dollar prize after finishing the race just two places higher in 24th.

In a post-race interview with Frontstretch, Blaney was questioned if everything was okay between him and Nemechek after the apology.

"Well, he apologized and said he messed up," Blaney told Frontstretch. "So, apology is nice. But it still happened and cost us a lot of money."

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 14: Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske Menards/Peak Ford looks out in the garage area prior to the final practice for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 14, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 14 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602142250500

In this contact, the Team Penske driver damaged his splitter, which caused him to make multiple visits to pit road. He eventually restarted the race in 31st place. When questioned further about the damage he had sustained, Blaney replied:

"Wasn't great. I don't think it helped us obviously, but I don't think it hurt us to a killer extent."

The five-race In-Season Challenge began with 32 drivers at Sonoma on June 28. No one expected Gilliland to make it all the way to the finale, let alone win the whole thing.

As for Blaney, this visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was definitely one to forget.

Todd Gilliland praises Ryan Blaney’s pace despite crash

Todd Gilliland saw the whole incident between Blaney and Nemechek unravel in front of him. Despite the crash, the No. 12 Team Penske driver did not give up as he tried to gain a few places before settling for 26th.

But he could not make up any more places due to the nature of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which does not aid on-track passing.

During an interview with NBC Sports, Gilliland reflected on Blaney’s performance and expressed his surprise when he saw where his In-Season Challenge rival was placed.

"I saw (Blaney) spinning up top, and I thought that was at least a chance for us," Gilliland said during the interview. "I was very surprised how fast he still was after that. He was right on my bumper.

"There was one car in between us, but fairly close for the last 25 laps or so. It was nerve-racking for sure, but it's great to feel those nerves racing for something meaningful, and it was cool."

With the In-Season challenge now over, Ryan Blaney can focus on the upcoming chase. After the Brickyard 400, he stands in 3rd place with 766 points.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco