Ryan Blaney and the pit road have not been the best of friends in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. His recent outing at the Texas Motor Speedway was another instance of the same, but with a twist.

During the Würth 400 last Sunday, the Team Penske driver was having an amazing run in the race. He had gained 18 places and was running in the top 15 after starting from 31st place. However, his progress came undone when he tried to leave his pit box during stage two but ended up stalling the car several times.

For the first time this season, it was a mistake from his side and not his pit crew that derailed a race in the pits. During his recent appearance on the "Dale Jr Download" podcast, Blaney was questioned about what exactly happened that led him to stall his car. He explained the details, saying:

"Coming around the 48 (Alex Bowman), he was in the stall before us. His guys were running around the right side, so they're as wide as they're gonna be. So I'm looking at his guys, like I don't wanna hit any of them. Coming down in second (gear), and I usually bang, bang into neutral, and then get into my box. So I just pushed the clutch in and kept it in gear, and I kind of got around because I need to get my hands back to the right and my wheel straight."

It was because of that added variable that Blaney forgot to downshift. "In my mind, I thought I went to neutral, and so they dropped the right side. I pull back into gear thinking I'm in first, but now I'm in third, and I don't look at my dash, right? You're never like, 'Oh, what gear am I in on pit road?' I stalled it three times before I realized I was in third gear," he added.

This mistake cost him valuable time and dropped him down to 28th place. He made up places to eventually finish 10th. However, this is not the first time the 2023 NASCAR champion has struggled on pit road this season. 

Ryan Blaney is no stranger to pit road issues

While the No. 12 Team Penske driver might be delivering on the track, the pit road has been a huge letdown for him. Through the first eight races in the 2026 season, Ryan Blaney lost 88 positions on pit road.

During the race at Bristol, he lost five positions due to a slow pit stop. Prior to that, in Darlington, the pit crew sent him out of his stall with a loose lug nut on the left side, which relegated him to 20th place for the Stage 2 restart. 

The Team Penske leadership then stepped in to resolve the issue. They made changes to his pit crew ahead of the Kansas race, with Blaney getting a new jackman in Graham Stoddard.

However, despite the pit road setbacks, the 2023 Cup Series champion has managed to bounce back and make up places in the race. He remains Team Penske's best performer and its only race winner this season.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak