In a race dominated by Ford 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 the number 12 Ford Mustang, led 116 laps, including the last 39, but had to defend against the strong attack of Josh Berry, who finished in second place. Blaney secured his third win of the season and the sixteenth of his career, with a 0.937-second lead over Berry.
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.They were probably the hardest 20 laps I’ve run. I tried to maintain my pace and pull a little bit on Josh, but then he started to really push. 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 using the bumper when he could.
Ryan Blaney
It was an incredible day. Congratulations to Ryan at the end. All our cars were very strong, and Ryan did a great job there. Honestly, I was surprised to be able to keep him at bay at the end.
Josh BerryThe Fords showed their strength from qualifying, where Joey Logano, Blaney’s teammate, took the pole position, completing a top-three sweep alongside Blaney and Berry. The same trio led 273 of the 301 laps. William Byron was the highest-finishing Chevrolet, ending in third place.Logano finished fourth after leading the most laps, 147, in the number 22 Ford.It was a good day overall. The Penske guys were very fast. I felt like they were in another league.
William ByronChase Elliott, who qualified in 27th place, finished fifth. Christopher Bell was sixth, being the best Toyota classified. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain finished seventh and ninth respectively, solidifying the presence of playoff drivers in the top ten. The race became tense for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin spun his teammate Ty Gibbs into the wall.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 LoganoDoes Ty know we’re racing for a championship? What the (expletive) is he doing?
Denny HamlinGibbs, who failed to qualify for the playoffs, appeared to interfere with the progress of Hamlin and Bell. Hamlin questioned whether Gibbs was receiving preferential treatment. Ty Gibbs briefly returned to the track before being forced to retire from the race due to damage to his Camry, finishing in 34th place. Hamlin, after finishing in 12th place, had a conversation with Joe Gibbs and JGR’s competition director, Chris Gabehart.After dominating the first round with three consecutive victories, Joe Gibbs Racing had a disappointing performance in New Hampshire, where the team had won the last three Cup races and six consecutive stages. The team failed to score points in the first stage. The second race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be held on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.It’s very unfortunate that they spun him there, and obviously the contact came from us. I have no comment other than that. We’ll fix it and everything, but we’ll see how it goes. But honestly, it’s unfortunate that the contact happened.
Denny Hamlin
