In a race where the Fords demonstrated their speed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney took the victory, marking the start of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Blaney, driving the number 12 Mustang, led 116 laps, including the last 39, and had to defend against the attack of Josh Berry, who finished in second place.
Blaney secured the victory with a 0.937-second lead, earning his third win of the season and the sixteenth of his career.
“Those were probably the 20 hardest laps I’ve driven,” stated the Team Penske driver. “I was trying to conserve and pull away a bit from Josh, but 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 bumping me 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) salutes the fans after winning the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Berry, with his number 21 Ford from Wood Brothers Racing, recovered from a spin on lap 82 and his elimination in the first round.
“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. Honestly, I was surprised I could keep the pace at the end.”
Josh BerryThe Fords demonstrated their dominance from Saturday’s qualifying, where Penske star Joey Logano took the pole position, completing a sweep of the top three spots with Blaney and Berry. The same trio led 273 of the 301 laps on Sunday.
William Byron, the highest-ranked Chevrolet driver, finished third.
“It was a good day overall,” commented Byron, who holds the highest position after Blaney in the playoff standings, with two races remaining in the second round. “The Penske guys were super fast. I felt like they were in another league.”
William ByronLogano finished fourth after leading 147 laps with 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,” Logano said. “Obviously, we got a lot of points today, so we did what we had to do, but I’d rather win. That’s the ambition in me, especially when it’s at home.”
Joey Logano
Chase Elliott, after qualifying in 27th place, the last among the 12 playoff drivers, achieved a 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 took seventh place, and Ross Chastain was ninth, with the playoff drivers taking eight of the top ten spots on the 1.058-mile oval.
Conflict between teammates
The race became tense for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin caused his teammate, Ty Gibbs, to crash into the wall of turn 2 while they were competing for 11th place. Gibbs, the only JGR driver who did not 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?”, Hamlin said over his team radio shortly before contact occurred. “What the (expletive) is he doing?”
Denny HamlinAfter 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 over 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 I’m looking forward to it,” said Gibbs, the 2022 Xfinity Series champion, who remains winless after 117 Cup series races.
After finishing in 12th place, Hamlin had a post-race conversation with Joe Gibbs and JGR’s competition director, Chris Gabehart, before heading to the media.
“It’s very unfortunate that they spun him there, and obviously the contact came from us,” Hamlin said. “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
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.
