Penske’s Blaney Dominates at NH: Victory and Playoff Advancement in NASCAR

Ryan Blaney won the opening race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, demonstrating his dominance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Blaney Secures the Victory

Blaney, driving his number 12 Ford, led 116 laps, including the last 39, and withstood the fierce attack of Josh Berry, who finished in second place. Blaney achieved his third victory of the season and the sixteenth of his career with a lead of 0.937 seconds. That was probably the hardest race I’ve had. Blaney, who is looking 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.

Josh Berry, despite a spin, managed to recover and reach second place. Joey Logano, starting from pole position, finished in fourth place, after leading the most laps. William Byron, in a Chevrolet, finished third.

Penske’s drivers were super fast. I felt like they were on another level.

William Byron

Chase Elliott, after qualifying in 27th position, finished in fifth place. Christopher Bell, the best Toyota, finished in sixth place. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain also stood out, occupying positions in the top 10.

Tension Between Teammates

The race had a tense moment when Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing, were involved in an incident on lap 110. Hamlin, after the incident, questioned the preferential treatment towards Gibbs. Gibbs, for his part, made no comments about the incident. Hamlin finished in 12th position, while Gibbs retired from the race. The next race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.