STP 500: Ryan Blaney taps Jimmie Johnson, spins Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Stage 1 at Martinsville turned into Ryan Blaney vs. the world, or at least Ryan Blaney vs. Hendrick Motorsports.

Ryan Blaney is fast, and there’s always going to be some bumping and banging at Martinsville Speedway. But the driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford might want to be careful about who he’s knocking out of the way for the rest of the STP 500.

Blaney had a memorable Stage 1 on Sunday that featured run-ins with two of NASCAR’s biggest names. First, he bumped Jimmie Johnson up into the Chevy of Jamie McMurray, adding more damage to cars that were already showing same damage. McMurray ended up with a tire rub from the incident that would end his day after his right-rear blew, spinning him into the wall and leaving his No. 1 Chevy sideways across the track.

For his part, Johnson reportedly came across his radio to tell his team to “tell Ryan Blaney that wasn’t cool.”

One guesses Dale Earnhardt Jr. had even more choice things to say after Blaney helped him go around toward the end of Stage 1. Junior was having a so-so day already and was already loose when Blaney made contact with him, but it’s possible he would not have spun without some “help” from the 21.

Blaney and Earnhardt have had their issues already this season, with Blaney memorably calling Junior a certain four-letter word after some frustration at Phoenix. They mended fences after that and continue to call each other friends, but Junior Nation might not be as forgiving as its favorite driver.

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The No. 21 looks like one of the faster cars in today’s STP 500, and Blaney has been a minor revelation driving for the single-car Wood Brothers operation. But even though both Johnson and Earnhardt recovered from their brushes and were back in the top 15, one wonders how long the Hendrick guys are going to be alright with Blaney bumping into them.