In a race where the Fords demonstrated their speed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney emerged as the best, marking the start of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Blaney, Cup champion in 2003, led 116 laps with his No. 12 Mustang, including the final 39. However, he had to defend against the fierce attack of Josh Berry, who finished in second place and got within a few meters before going off the track. Blaney secured the victory by 0.937 seconds, achieving his third win of the season and the sixteenth of his career.
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.That was probably the hardest 20 laps I’ve driven. I was trying to save and push a little bit on Josh, and then he started to really close in. I had to dig deep to keep him at bay, trying new lines. It was good, clean racing. I appreciate Josh for not using the bumper on me when he could have.
Ryan Blaney
The Fords backed up their impressive qualifying performances on Saturday, where Joey Logano took the pole position, completing a sweep of the top three spots with Blaney and Berry. This same trio led 273 of the 301 laps on Sunday. William Byron, was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver, finishing in third place.It was an incredible day. Congratulations to Ryan at the end. All our cars were really strong, and Ryan did a great job there. Honestly, I was surprised to be able to hold him off at the end.
Josh Berry
Logano finished fourth after leading 147 laps with the No. 22 Ford. The native of Middletown, Connecticut, started from the pole for the first time at New Hampshire, which he considers his home track.It was a good day overall. The Penske guys were super fast. I felt like they were in another league.
William Byron
Chase Elliott, after qualifying 27°, finishing last among the 12 playoff drivers, achieved fifth place. Christopher Bell finished sixth, being the best Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain finished in seventh and ninth place respectively, demonstrating the competitiveness of the playoff drivers, who occupied eight of the top ten positions on the 1.058-mile oval. The race became tense for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 110, when Denny Hamlin spun his teammate Ty Gibbs into the wall in turn 2, while they were competing for 11th place. Gibbs, the only JGR driver who didn’t qualify for the playoffs, seemed to be hindering the progress of his teammates Hamlin and Christopher Bell when the incident occurred.Blaney was incredibly fast in practice and 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 the greed in me, especially when it’s at home.
Joey Logano
Does Ty know we’re racing for a championship? What the (expletive) is he doing?
Denny HamlinAfter the crash, 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 due to the damage to his Camry. He finished 34th and refused to comment on the incident or on what Hamlin said.Hamlin, after finishing 12th, spoke with Joe Gibbs and JGR’s competition director, Chris Gabehart, before speaking with the media.It’s unfortunate, but I’m excited to race next week and I’m looking forward to it.
Ty GibbsAfter dominating the first round with three consecutive wins, 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 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.It’s very unfortunate that he’s gone, and obviously the contact came from us. I have no comment other than that. We’ll sort it out, but we’ll see how it goes. But honestly, it’s unfortunate that the contact happened.
Denny Hamlin
