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NASCAR: The Good, Bad And Ugly From Texas

By Tanner Whitt

Apr 9, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; A view of the start of stag two of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; A view of the start of stag two of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 8, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (21) during practice for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (21) during practice for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The Bad: Blaney Doesn’t Finish The Deal

Ryan Blaney had the most dominant car on Sunday. He led 148 laps and won both stages 1 and 2 and seemed like he was going to be the guy to beat. He constantly held a multiple second lead over the field during each green flag run. Nobody could come close to Blaney.

That was, until a debris caution came out with 7 laps to go in stage 2.

Blaney along with 6 other cars, including the 48, and 42, decided to stay out to try to capture those coveted stage points. The rest of the field pitted, which allowed them to stay out when the stage ended.

When the stage restarted with 3 laps to go, Blaney took the lead and held on to win the stage, but he had to pit before the start of stage 3. Because of this, Blaney restarted 20th and never found his way back to the top 10 while others, like Johnson and Larson, recovered and finished 1st and 2nd. Blaney had a fast car when he was out front, but when he found himself mired deep in the pack, the handling went away on his Wood Brothers Ford.

The kid is learning the ropes and has a bright future in the sport. Just like other young drivers, Blaney will get his fair share of wins, probably sooner rather than later. He may even get one in 2017.

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