Ryan Blaney will have to start Sunday afternoon's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the rear of the field after a crash in practice.
The incident occurred as Blaney completed his 19th lap. He blew a right-rear tire and backed the No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse into the outside wall. Blaney was able to drive the car back to the garage, but his practice session was over.
This marked the second consecutive race at Las Vegas that Blaney had to start from the rear of the field due to a blown tire in practice. He also had a blown tire on the opening lap of the session last fall while preparing for the playoff race.
The No. 12 goes for a spin in practice and heads to the garage early. pic.twitter.com/q042KIabbG
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 15, 2025
"Unfortunately, same problem, a blown tire in practice," Blaney said about his latest Las Vegas incident. "I thought our car was really good before that.
"Just an unfortunate part of it, but they (No. 12 team) have got a lot of work cut out for them."
The No. 12 Ford sustained damage, but it was not enough to force the team to pull the backup out of the hauler. They were able to fix the Blaney's primary car by replacing the rear diffuser and the rear bumper.
Before crashing, Blaney had struggled with speed. He posted the 28th-fastest lap with a time of 29.605 seconds. He also ranked 17th in the consecutive 10-lap average with a speed of 182.003 mph.
The problem for the 2023 Cup Series champion is that he was not able to take part in qualifying due to the crash in practice. This ensured that he would have to start from the rear of the field on Sunday afternoon.
The good news for Blaney is that he has contended for strong finishes at the 1.5-mile Nevada track throughout his Cup Series career. He has made 17 starts and posted top-10 finishes in 10 of them. This includes a third-place finish in last season's spring race and a sixth-place finish in the 2023 playoff race.