In a race where the Fords demonstrated their superiority 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 his 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 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 a spot in the third round of the playoffs.They were probably the 20 hardest laps I’ve driven. I was trying to save and pull Josh a little bit, but then he really started to tighten up. I had to do everything I could to keep him at bay, trying new lanes. It was a good, clean race. I appreciate Josh for not pushing me when he could have.
Ryan Blaney
The Fords demonstrated their dominance from qualifying, where Joey Logano took the pole position, completing a sweep of the top three spots with Blaney and Berry. These three drivers led 273 of the 301 laps. William Byron, was the highest-finishing Chevrolet, finishing in third place.It was 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 keep him at bay at the end.
Josh Berry
Logano, finished in fourth place after leading 147 laps.It was a good day overall. The Penske guys were super fast. I felt like they were on another level.
William Byron
Chase Elliott, who qualified in 27th place, managed a comeback to finish in fifth place. Christopher Bell, was the highest-finishing Toyota, ending in sixth place. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain finished seventh and ninth respectively, with eight of the top ten positions being occupied by playoff drivers. The race became tense for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin spun his teammate Ty Gibbs.[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 ambition in me, especially when it’s at home.
Joey Logano
After the incident, Hamlin questioned whether the team owner’s grandson, Joe Gibbs, was receiving preferential treatment.Does Ty know we’re competing for a championship?
Denny Hamlin
Ty Gibbs briefly returned to the track before being forced to enter the garage with damage to his Camry, finishing in 34th place. Hamlin, after finishing in 12th place, had a conversation with Joe Gibbs and JGR’s director of competition, Chris Gabehart.Are they afraid to talk to him? That’s what I feel. They’re just afraid of him.
Denny Hamlin
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 spun there, and obviously the contact came from us. I have no comment other than that. We’ll sort it out and everything, but we’ll see how it goes. But honestly, it’s unfortunate that the contact happened.
Denny Hamlin
