The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway was a wild ride for Ryan Blaney, and not just because of the on-track chaos. The 2023 Cup champ started strong, qualifying second with a blistering 15.120-second lap at 126.905 mph, hot on AJ Allmendinger’s tail. He kept pace with the leaders through a grueling night of 14 cautions, battling brutal tire wear that turned the half-mile bullring into a survival game.

Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford stayed clean, dodging wrecks that claimed others, and he crossed the line fourth behind Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, and Zane Smith, a clutch top-five that kept his playoff hopes alive. But the real story wasn’t his finish; it was what happened over the radio. During one of Bristol’s many cautions, Blaney’s four-year-old nephew acciden

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