During the closing laps of the 2023 Daytona 500, Ryan Blaney, driving car #12, found himself stuck in the middle of a tight three-wide pack. The final stage of the race was dominated by Toyota drivers Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim, and Christopher Bell, who controlled the lead by maintaining all three lanes of traffic while pacing the field at half throttle to conserve fuel. This fuel-saving tactic created a bottleneck, preventing Blaney and other competitors from advancing toward the front of the pack.
After finishing 27th, Blaney voiced frustration over how the race’s last moments unfolded, highlighting the difficulties faced by drivers trapped behind the Toyota blockade during the critical fuel-saving segment.
Blaney Criticizes Toyota Drivers’ Control of the Race
Ryan Blaney’s race ended prematurely due to a last-lap crash near turn one, limiting his final position in the Daytona 500 despite efforts to make a move forward. Speaking with motorsports reporter Toby Christie, Blaney described how the Toyota drivers dominated the lead by blocking the field, leaving little opportunity for others to pass.
Spent some time fixing our car after the stage two caution. Then, we started in the back and then just kinda got trapped. Toyotas running 52-second laps and were blocking the whole thing. Never really jumped anything on the pit stop and just didn’t really go anywhere on the restart and got caught up in the wreck into [turn] one,
Ryan Blaney, NASCAR driver.
Despite his disappointment, Blaney acknowledged that the situation was predictable given the current style of drafting and fuel-saving racing. He called for NASCAR to address these issues to improve competitiveness at drafting tracks.
It was going to happen eventually. They’ve talked about it, Toyota has. Get three cars and just block the whole field. Unfortunate. We’ve got to fix that. It’s pretty bad,
Ryan Blaney, NASCAR driver.
The race was ultimately won by Tyler Reddick, piloting his #45 Toyota for 23XI Racing. Reddick passed Chase Elliott’s #9 Chevrolet on the final straightaway, claiming his first Daytona 500 victory in his seventh attempt. Hot on his heels were Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in second, followed by Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski in the top five.
Blaney remains winless at the Daytona 500 after 12 tries, though he previously secured second-place finishes in 2017 and 2020 and has two wins in the Daytona fall race.
Upcoming Race at EchoPark Speedway Offers Blaney a Chance for Redemption
Following the Daytona 500, the NASCAR Cup Series will continue at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, February 22. Ryan Blaney aims to improve on his 27th-place finish by seeking his second career victory at the 1.5-mile track. Blaney’s first win at EchoPark came in 2021, though that was before the track transitioned into a drafting-style circuit. Since the change, his best finish there has been second place in 2024.
This upcoming race will provide Blaney and other drivers an opportunity to navigate a drafting track where fuel-saving tactics and pack dynamics continue to shape race strategy and results.
They're all trying to save. No use in burning fuel right now. https://t.co/X4oJ2NEx8L
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 15, 2026
Ryan Blaney was not pleased that Toyota had all three lanes locked up and were running ultra-slow 52 second laps in the final stage. Says, “We need to fix that. It’s pretty bad,” in regard to the fuel saving racing in the #Daytona500 pic.twitter.com/LfTJ17eZ5D
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) February 15, 2026
