In a race dominated by Fords at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney took the victory in the first race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Blaney, driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang, led 116 laps, including the final 39, but had to defend against the attack of Josh Berry, who finished in second place. Berry got close to Blaney by a few car lengths, but a mistake in a turn prevented him from challenging for the victory.
Blaney secured the win with a 0.937-second lead, earning his third victory of the season and the sixteenth of his career.
“They were probably the hardest 20 laps I’ve driven,” Blaney commented. “I tried to manage my car and let Josh get close a little bit, but then he started to really pressure. I had to dig deep to keep him at bay, trying different lines. It was a good, clean race. I appreciate Josh for not using the bumper when he could have.”
Ryan BlaneyBlaney, who is seeking to reach the championship final for the third consecutive year, became the first driver to secure a spot in the third round of the playoffs.NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) jumps off his car after saluting fans after winning the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Eric Canha-Imagn ImagesJosh Berry, despite suffering a spin on lap 82, managed to recover and finish in second place, demonstrating the competitiveness of his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.
“It was an incredible day,” said Berry, who led 10 laps. “Congratulations to Ryan at the end. All of our cars were really strong, and Ryan did a great job there. Honestly, I was surprised I could hold him off at the end.”
Josh BerryFord’s dominance was evident from Saturday’s qualifying, where Joey Logano took the pole position, completing a sweep of the top three with Blaney and Berry. The same trio led 273 of the 301 laps of the race.
William Byron, was the highest-finishing Chevrolet, finishing in third place.
Joey Logano, after leading 147 laps, finished in fourth place.
Chase Elliott, who started from the 27th position, managed to climb to fifth place.
Christopher Bell, was the highest-ranked Toyota, in sixth place.
Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain finished in seventh and ninth place respectively, demonstrating the competitiveness of the drivers in the playoffs.
Conflict between teammates
The race had a tense moment on lap 110 when Denny Hamlin caused Ty Gibbs to hit the wall, while both were competing for eleventh position.
Hamlin questioned by radio if Gibbs was receiving preferential treatment.
Gibbs had to abandon the race due to the damage and refused to comment on the incident.
Hamlin, after finishing in twelfth position, had a conversation with Joe Gibbs and Chris Gabehart.
“It’s a shame that he went off track, and obviously the contact came from us,” Hamlin said. “I have no comment other than that. We’ll sort it out, but we’ll see how it goes. But honestly, it’s a shame that the contact happened.”
Denny HamlinThe next race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be held at Kansas Speedway.
