In a race where the Fords proved to be the fastest 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, but 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, crossing the finish line with a 0.937-second lead.
“Those last 20 laps were probably the hardest I’ve run,” commented the Team Penske driver. “I was trying to conserve and leave a little for Josh, but then he started to push. I had to dig deep to keep him at bay, trying new lines. It was a good, clean race. I appreciate Josh for not using the bumper when he could have.”
Blaney, who is seeking to reach the season finale for the third consecutive year, became the first driver to secure a spot in the third round of the playoffs.
“It was an incredible day,” said Berry, who led 10 laps. “Congratulations to Ryan at the end. All our cars were very strong, and Ryan did a great job. Honestly, I was surprised to be able to hold him off at the end.”
Josh BerryThe Fords demonstrated their dominance from qualifying, where Joey Logano, also from Penske, secured the pole position, completing a sweep of the top three positions with Blaney and Berry. These three drivers led 273 of the 301 laps of the race. William Byron, the highest-ranked Chevrolet driver, finished third.Logano, who led 147 laps, finished in fourth place. Chase Elliott, after qualifying in 27th place, managed to rally to fifth place. Christopher Bell, the best Toyota, finished in sixth place. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain finished in seventh and ninth place, respectively.“It was a good day overall,” Byron said. “The Penske guys were super fast. I felt like they were in another league.”
William ByronConflict between teammates
The race had a tense moment on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin spun out his teammate Ty Gibbs. Gibbs, who didn’t qualify for the playoffs, was apparently hindering Hamlin and Bell’s progress.After the incident, Hamlin questioned whether Gibbs was receiving preferential treatment.“Does Ty know we’re racing for a championship?” Hamlin asked his team over the radio. “What is he doing?”
Denny HamlinTy Gibbs briefly returned to the track before being forced to enter the garage due to the damage to his Camry, finishing in 34th place. After the race, Hamlin spoke with Joe Gibbs and JGR’s competition director, Chris Gabehart.“Are they afraid to talk to him? That’s what I feel,” Hamlin said on the radio to his team. “They’re just afraid of him.”
Denny HamlinThe next race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.“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 sort it out and see how it goes. But honestly, it’s unfortunate that the contact happened.”
Denny Hamlin
