'Making dumb decisions' led to bitter Texas loss - Blaney

Ryan Blaney was lined up on the front row for three late restarts Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway but failed to capitalize.

Blaney finished third in the Wurth 400 behind Team Penske teammate Joey Logano and Ross Chastain. The final restart came in overtime. After he could not clear Logano, Blaney lost second position to Chastain.

“The one time I didn’t pick the outside, the No. 71 gets the lead, and then I couldn’t get it back,” Blaney said. “Just the driver making dumb decisions and not doing his job.”

Blaney restarted outside the front row with 15 laps to go, 10 laps to go, and in overtime. There were two late restarts in which he chose the inside lane. The first was with 39 laps to go as he was on the inside behind Kyle Larson, and with 23 laps to go, he again chose to be behind Larson.

It was the restart with 23 to go when McDowell timed it better than Larson and took the lead. Blaney went to second but was still chasing McDowell when the caution flew with 21 laps to go. He and McDowell were side-by-side with 14 laps to go on the ensuing restart, but McDowell was deemed the leader when the caution came out.

McDowell prevailed on the restart with 10 laps to go by clearing Blaney in Turns 3 and 4. Logano took the second position from Blaney and hunted down McDowell for the race lead before the final caution came out with three laps to go.

The final caution was for McDowell. Blaney took second position from McDowell, who then crashed behind him. Logano cleared his teammate for the win off Turn 2 on the first lap of the restart.

“I appreciate the No. 12 car — it was a fast car,” Blaney said. “I can’t do anything right currently, so hopefully it’ll work itself out.”

Team Penske has won the last two Cup Series races, which leaves Blaney and his team the last ones left looking for a victory. He moved to seventh in points after Sunday’s race with his third top-five finish in the last four races.