In a race where the Fords demonstrated their speed 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 the number 12 car, led 116 laps, including the last 39, but had to defend against the attack of Josh Berry, who finished second. Berry got within a few meters of Blaney with 10 laps to go, but made a mistake in a turn. Blaney secured the victory with a 0.937-second lead, earning 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 his place in the third round of the playoffs.That was probably the hardest race I’ve had in 20 laps. I was trying to conserve my resources and push Josh a little, but then he started to get closer. I had to give it my all to keep him at bay, trying new lines. It was a good, clean race. I thank Josh for not using the bumper on me when he could have.
Ryan Blaney
The Fords demonstrated their dominance from Saturday’s qualifying, with Joey Logano securing the pole position, followed by Blaney and Berry. The same trio led 273 of the 301 laps. William Byron, was the highest-finishing Chevrolet, ending in third place.It was an incredible day. 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 keep him at bay at the end.
Josh Berry
Logano, in fourth place, led 147 laps with the number 22 Ford. Blaney was very 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 the ambition in me, especially when it’s at home. Chase Elliott, after qualifying in 27th place, finished in fifth place. Christopher Bell was sixth, being the best-positioned Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain finished in seventh and ninth place, respectively, with eight of the top ten positions occupied by playoff drivers. The race had a tense moment on lap 110 when Denny Hamlin spun his teammate Ty Gibbs, causing the latter to hit the wall. Gibbs, the only JGR driver who didn’t qualify for the playoffs, seemed to be hindering Hamlin and Bell’s progress before the incident.It was a good day overall. The Penske guys were super fast. I felt like they were in another league.
William Byron
Gibbs briefly returned to the track before being forced into the garage due to the damage suffered to his Camry, finishing in 34th place. He declined to comment on the incident. Hamlin, after finishing in 12th place, spoke with Joe Gibbs and JGR’s director of competition, Chris Gabehart.Does Ty know we’re racing for a championship?
Denny Hamlin
After dominating the first round with three consecutive victories, Joe Gibbs Racing had an unexpected performance in the first stage at New Hampshire. The second race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.It’s very unfortunate that he had that spin, and obviously the contact came from us. I don’t have any 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
