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NASCAR: 5 Lessons Learned From The STP 500 at Martinsville

By Michael Guadalupe

Apr 2, 2017; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) leads during the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) leads during the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ryan Blaney was ready to knock everyone out of the way to win the race. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Blaney was ready to knock everyone out of the way to win the race. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Ryan Blaney Impressed at Martinsville But Still Has a lot to Learn

Ryan Blaney was out to prove a point on Sunday, and prove a point he did.

This young driver continues to impress in the second year of his career and he wasn’t going to slow down at Martinsville.

He finished the race in 25th, but for a good portion of the early stages he was pushing his was forward and had an extremely fast car. He was aggressive, and wasn’t afraid to bump anyone who was in his way.

Not even seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

Blaney got into the bumper of Johnson a couple of different times, and the veteran driver was not happy with him, and the driver of the 21 car moved Johnson up into Jamie McMurray during the first stage of the STP 500.

It was a bold move to make, especially with the experience a veteran like Johnson has at this track.

Later on in the race Blaney would strike again, this time getting into it with Dale Jr. Blaney tried to call Jr. after the race, but Dale declined his call.

It’s great to see a young driver like Blaney have no fear and mix it up with veterans, but it can also come back to haunt him if he’s not careful. There was no way Johnson was giving the 21 any room after Blaney moved him up the track earlier in the race. And while Blaney was able to apologize to Dale after an incident at Phoenix, there are only so many times Junior will accept his apology.

Blaney is a daring driver, but needs to make sure he’s not making enemies with veterans of NASCAR. They won’t forget what he did at Martinsville, and they could choose to pay it back at another race by denying him room to pass or just trying to block him.

If you race drivers hard, expect them to pay it back. This is something Blaney is going to learn after how he raced around Martinsville this past Sunday.

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