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 number 12 Mustang, led 116 laps, including the last 39, and managed to hold off Josh Berry, who finished in second place. Blaney earned his third win of the season and the sixteenth of his career, with a lead of 0.937 seconds.
Blaney, who is seeking to reach the championship final for the third consecutive year, became the first driver to secure his place among the eight competitors in the third round of the playoffs.They were probably the 20 toughest laps I’ve driven. I was trying to save a little and draft Josh, but then he really started closing in. I had to give it my all to keep him at bay, trying new lines. It was a good, clean race. I thank Josh for not using the bumper on me when he could.
Ryan Blaney
Joey Logano, Blaney’s Penske teammate, secured the pole position on Saturday and completed a Ford sweep in qualifying, along with Blaney and Berry. The same trio led 273 of the 301 laps on Sunday. William Byron, of Chevrolet, finished in third place. Logano, for his part, finished fourth after leading 147 laps in the number 22 Ford.It was definitely an incredible day. Congratulations to Ryan at the end. All of our cars were very strong, and Ryan did a great job there. Honestly, I was surprised to be able to hold him off at the end.
Josh Berry
Chase Elliott, after qualifying 27th, climbed to fifth position. Christopher Bell, the best Toyota driver, finished sixth. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain finished seventh and ninth respectively, demonstrating the presence of playoff drivers in the top 10. The race had a tense moment for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin pushed his teammate Ty Gibbs into the wall. Hamlin questioned Gibbs’ attitude over the radio, suggesting possible preferential treatment. Gibbs retired from the race with his damaged car and refused to comment on the incident. Hamlin, after finishing in 12th position, met with Joe Gibbs and competition director Chris Gabehart.[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 just the greed in me, especially when it’s at home.
Joey Logano
Joe Gibbs Racing, after dominating the first round, had an unexpected performance in New Hampshire, where the team had won the last three races and six consecutive stages. The next race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.It’s very unfortunate that he went to the spin there, and obviously the contact came from us. I don’t have any comment other than that. We’ll figure it out and everything, but we’ll see how it goes. But honestly, it’s unfortunate that the contact happened.
Denny Hamlin
