Blaney and Penske Dominate NASCAR Cup Playoff: ¡Convincing Victory!

In a race where the Fords proved to be the fastest at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney took the victory in the opening of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Blaney, driving his number 12 Mustang, led 116 laps, including the last 39, and had to defend his position from the relentless Josh Berry, who got dangerously close within a few car lengths before going off a turn. Blaney secured the victory with a 0.937-second lead, earning his third win of the season and the sixteenth of his career.

That was probably the 20 toughest laps I’ve driven. I was trying to maintain my pace and pull away a bit from Josh, and then he really started to close in. I had to give it my all to keep him at bay, trying new lines. It was a good, clean race. I appreciate Josh for not bumping me when he could have.

Ryan Blaney

Blaney, who is seeking to reach the season finale for the third consecutive year, became the first driver to secure a spot in the third round of the playoffs.

Berry, whose Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford has a competitive alliance with Penske, recovered from a spin on lap 82 and his elimination in the first round, after finishing last in each of the first three playoff races.

It was definitely an incredible day. Congratulations to Ryan at the end. All of our cars were really strong, and Ryan did a great job out there. Honestly, I was surprised to be able to hold him off at the end. It’s a shame to finish second, but after the last few weeks, it feels good. This is definitely what we are capable of, and I hope we can keep it up.

Josh Berry

The Fords backed up their impressive performances in Saturday’s qualifying, where Penske star Joey Logano won the pole position, completing a sweep of the top three spots with Blaney and Berry. These same three drivers led 273 of the 301 laps on Sunday. William Byron was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver, finishing in third place.

It was a good day overall. The Penske guys were super fast. I felt like they were on another level.

William Byron

Logano finished fourth after leading a record 147 laps in the No. 22 Ford. The Middletown, Connecticut native started from the pole for the first time at New Hampshire, which he considers his home track.

[Blaney] was incredibly fast in practice, and he showed it again in the race. Obviously we got a lot of points today, so we did what we had to do, but I’d rather win. That’s the greed in me, especially when it’s at home.

Joey Logano

After qualifying in 27th place, the last among the 12 playoff drivers, Chase Elliott finished in fifth place. Christopher Bell finished sixth as the best Toyota driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, which remained undefeated in the first round of the playoffs. Kyle Larson finished seventh, and Ross Chastain was ninth, with playoff drivers taking eight of the top ten spots on the 1.058-mile oval. The race became tense for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin spun his teammate Ty Gibbs into the wall in Turn 2 while they were competing for 11th place. Gibbs, the only JGR driver who didn’t qualify for the playoffs, seemed to be hindering the progress of his teammates Hamlin and Christopher Bell when the incident occurred.

Does Ty know we’re competing for a championship?

Denny Hamlin

After the accident, Hamlin questioned whether the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs was receiving preferential treatment. “Are they afraid to talk to him? That’s what I feel,” Hamlin said on the radio to his team. “They’re just afraid of him.” Ty Gibbs briefly returned to the track before being forced to enter the garage due to the damage to his Camry. He finished in 34th place and refused to address the incident or what Hamlin said when directly asked about both.

It’s unfortunate, but I’m excited to race next week and looking forward to it.

Ty Gibbs

After finishing in 12th place, Hamlin had a post-race conversation with Joe Gibbs and JGR’s competition director, Chris Gabehart, before speaking with the media.

It’s very unfortunate that he was taken off the track there, and obviously the contact came from us. I have no comment on that. We’ll sort it out and everything, but we’ll see how it goes. But honestly, it’s unfortunate that the contact happened.

Denny Hamlin

After dominating the first round with three consecutive victories, Joe Gibbs Racing surprisingly faltered in the first stage at New Hampshire, where the team had won the last three Cup races and six consecutive stages. The team failed to score any points in the first stage on Sunday, as Hamlin, Bell, and Chase Briscoe finished outside the top 10 in the 70-lap segment. The second race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.