Penske’s Blaney Dominates in NH and Secures NASCAR Playoff Spot

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

In a race where Fords dominated New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney proved to be the best, securing the victory in the first race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The 2003 Cup champion led 116 laps in his No. 12 Mustang, including the final 39, but had to fend off the fierce attack of Josh Berry, who finished second. Blaney secured the victory by 0.937 seconds, earning his third win of the season and the sixteenth of his career.

That was probably the hardest race I’ve done in 20 laps

Ryan Blaney

Blaney, seeking to reach the championship final for the third consecutive year, became the first driver to advance to one of the eight available positions in the third round of the playoffs.

Josh Berry, with his No. 21 Ford from Wood Brothers Racing, recovered from a spin and his elimination in the first round to finish in second place.

It was a great day. Congrats to Ryan at the end. All of our cars were really strong, and Ryan did a great job there. Honestly, I was surprised to be able to keep him honest at the end.

Josh Berry

The Fords backed up their impressive performance in Saturday’s qualifying, when Penske star Joey Logano won 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 was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver, finishing third. Logano finished fourth after leading 147 laps in the No. 22 Ford. Chase Elliott, after qualifying 27th, finished in fifth place. Christopher Bell, the highest-ranked Toyota, finished sixth. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain also secured a spot in the top ten.

Tension Between Joe Gibbs Racing Teammates

The race became tense for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin spun his teammate Ty Gibbs off the track while they were competing for eleventh place.

Does Ty know we’re racing for a championship?

Denny Hamlin

After the incident, Hamlin questioned whether the team owner’s grandson, Joe Gibbs, was receiving preferential treatment. Ty Gibbs briefly returned to the track before being forced to enter the garage with damage to his Camry, finishing 34th. The next race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.