NASCAR Nationwide Series At Richmond: No Hard Feelings For Ryan Blaney, Darrell Wallace Jr.

Ryan Blaney and Darrell Wallace Jr. raced hard in Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond, the two young drivers slamming doors and banging fenders as they battled for position in the top 10.

Many drivers would have gotten out of their cars after the race and confronted one another after the race. Others would have yelled or pointed fingers or expressed their displeasure over the contact.

So what did Blaney and Wallace do after their disagreement? They shook hands on pit road – twice – and laughed about their duel.

Wallace said Blaney got loose and knocked him up the track, but he wasn’t mad about it at all.

“I don’t know if he’s pissed at me, but I love that kid,” Wallace said with a smile as he waited for Blaney to finish an interview. “He’s like a brother to me. We know how to run each other hard and clean. We get into each other, but we come out shaking hands. That’s what racing is all about. That was fun.”

Blaney had a different version of events and said Wallace came down across his nose while he was trying to make a pass. That prompted him to give Wallace a bump in return.

“I wasn’t going to take it,” Blaney said, calmly.

But was he mad? Nah. Blaney called it “fair-game short-track racing” and said there were no ill feelings.

“It’s hard to do anything when he’s laying on my door getting into the corner,” Blaney said. “But it was good racing with him, and good we both came out (in the top 10).”

Blaney, driving Penske Racing’s No. 22 car, finished ninth. Wallace, driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 car, was 10th.

Both drivers are part of NASCAR’s “Next 9” – a group of nine up-and-coming racers – and have high expectations for their future.

“Tenth for me feels like a 20th or 30th,” Wallace grumbled.