Blaney: 'I hate to see him wreck'

Blaney's bump on Jones' No. 20 Toyota on Lap 173 turned the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and sent him hard into the outside retaining wall, which appeared to not be protected by a SAFER barrier.
 
The head-on shot mangled the front of Jones' car and sent the driver, who was battling Blaney for third place, on an ambulance ride to the infield care center.
 
"I'm not sure what I hit," Jones said when asked about the SAFER barrier implication. "I just knew it was a wall. I'm not too sure."
 
Safety measures have been one of the major talking points for drivers this year, starting in Daytona when Kyle Busch -- Jones' boss in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series -- broke his right leg when he smashed an inside retaining wall. Jeff Gordon crushed his car last week at Atlanta hitting a concrete wall.
 
This shot was a direct hit, but came via inadvertent contact. Racing in close quarters, Blaney's car, which was on the inside lane, wiggled significantly and drifted up the track. His No. 22 Ford righted once it hit Jones' car, but it sent the No. 20 into a spin that Jones had no shot of righting.
 
"The 22 (of Blaney) just lost it, obviously," said Jones, who would finish 29th. "We were there to catch him and save his day. Not a lot of car control from him, and it was really unfortunate to get taken out that way. We had a strong car, and one I thought could probably contend for the win. It's just a shame that it had to end the way it did."
 
Blaney opened every post-race interview by apologizing to Jones for his role in the wreck. By the time Blaney arrived in the media center for his press conference following a runner-up finish, his body language gave even more cues than his words.
 
"That sucked," Blaney said, his face a grimace and his shoulders slumped. "I hate to see him wreck. It was unfortunate."
 
Despite his role in that incident, Blaney was in position to challenge Austin Dillon, who led 183 laps, for the win. Dillon threw a block when Blaney attempted to pass low, and then again when the No. 22 roared up to the top line.
 
Was there a thought in Blaney's mind to attempt to move Dillon for the win? No. And it was directly due to the previous incident with Jones.
 
"I didn't want people saying any more bad things about me after I wrecked Erik," Blaney said of his reasoning. "I mean, it's a racing incident, but you never want to see a wrecked race car and you be a part of it. I know it's a racing deal, but that's the worst spot to be in, pinned down on the bottom and have someone right on your door. It happens, but I don't like getting into things with people. I hope he knows I feel bad about it."

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