Penske’s Blaney Dominates at NH: Key NASCAR Playoffs Victory

Ryan Blaney Wins in New Hampshire, Securing a Spot in the Next Round of Playoffs

In a race dominated by Fords at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney demonstrated his skill by securing the victory in the first race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Blaney, driving his No. 12 Ford Mustang, led 116 laps, including the final 39, and managed to withstand the strong attack from Josh Berry, who finished in second place. Blaney secured his third win of the season and the sixteenth of his career, crossing the finish line with a 0.937-second lead.

That was probably the 20 most difficult laps I’ve driven. I was trying to maintain my pace and pull away a bit from Josh, but 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 using the bumper on me when he could have. What a great day and weekend! A super fast car. We’ve really been strong during the playoffs. It’s great to get a win in the first race of the round.

Ryan Blaney

With this victory, Blaney becomes the first driver to secure a spot in the third round of the playoffs.

Berry, despite a spin on lap 82, managed to recover and demonstrate his competitiveness.

It was definitely an incredible day. My 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 hopefully we can keep it up.

Josh Berry

The outstanding performance of the Fords extended from Saturday’s qualifying, where Joey Logano, also from Penske, secured the pole position, completing a top-three sweep alongside Blaney and Berry. The same trio led 273 of the 301 laps of the race. William Byron, with a Chevrolet, achieved third place.

It was a good day overall. The Penske guys were super fast. I felt like they were in another zip code.

William Byron

Logano finished fourth after leading 147 laps.

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

Chase Elliott, after qualifying in 27th place, managed to move up to fifth position. Christopher Bell, was the highest-ranked Toyota, in sixth place. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain also stood out, finishing seventh and ninth respectively, with eight of the top ten positions occupied by playoff drivers.

Tension at Joe Gibbs Racing

The race was marred by an incident between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin spun Ty Gibbs into the wall. Hamlin questioned the situation over the radio, insinuating possible preferential treatment for Gibbs, the grandson of the team owner. Gibbs, who had to withdraw from the race due to the damage, declined to comment on the incident.

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

Ty Gibbs

Hamlin, after talking with Joe Gibbs and competition director Chris Gabehart, commented that the contact was unfortunate.

It’s very unfortunate that it spun there, and obviously the contact came from us. I have no comment other than that. We’ll get over it and everything, but we’ll see how it goes. But, honestly, it’s a shame that the contact happened.

Denny Hamlin

The Joe Gibbs Racing team, which had dominated the first round, struggled in the first stage of the race in New Hampshire. The next race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be held at Kansas Speedway.