Blaney wins at New Hampshire to qualify for NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8

Ryan Blaney took the victory in the Mobil 1 301 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the first event of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Blaney crossed the finish line ahead of Josh Berry from Wood Brothers Racing, automatically securing his spot in the next elimination round.

Sunday's race on the Loudon oval saw the Team Penske Fords out front for much of the event, with Blaney and Joey Logano combining to lead 263 of the 301 total laps. Blaney commanded 116 laps, including the final 39, while Logano led the most with 147 laps led before finishing in fourth place.

Blaney Holds Off Berry's Pressure in the Final Laps

"Probably the toughest 20 laps I've ever driven," stated Blaney about the closing moments. "I was trying to manage my pace and he [Berry] really started closing in. It got really loose and it was all I could do to hold him off. It was good racing. Clean race and I appreciate Josh not bumping me when he could have."

Photo By Nascar Media

Berry had to recover after a spin on lap 21 but managed to fight back to contend for the win in the final laps. The driver of the #21 Ford briefly led on two occasions during the second half of the race.

Logano, the pole position winner and current three-time series champion, acknowledged his teammate's superiority. "We ran well, we just weren't the fastest car," said Logano. "The 12 [Blaney] was the fastest in practice and he showed it again in the race. Our only chance to beat him was on pit road and with strategy. But they were able to get their track position back when they took four tires."

Ford Breaks Toyota's Playoff Winning Streak

The victory marked a significant competitive shift in these playoffs, as Toyota had swept the three races of the first elimination round. At New Hampshire, three Fords finished in the top five and three Chevrolets in the top eight, while the highest Toyota was Christopher Bell in sixth place.

William Byron from Hendrick Motorsports completed the podium in third place, scoring his first top-10 in eight races at New Hampshire. Chase Elliott, also from Hendrick, made an excellent comeback from his 27th starting position to finish fifth.

Photo By Nascar Media

Championship Standings after New Hampshire

With this win, his 16th in the Cup Series, Blaney leads the playoff standings with 3,084 points and a guaranteed spot in the Round of 8. Byron is second with 3,082 points, followed by Kyle Larson (3,076) and Bell (3,064).

Denny Hamlin, who arrived as the championship leader, fell to fifth place after a 12th place finish. Hamlin was involved in an incident with his teammate Ty Gibbs midway through the race.

The drivers in the elimination zone are Ross Chastain (ninth with 3,035 points), Austin Cindric (tenth with 3,028), Tyler Reddick (eleventh), and Bubba Wallace (twelfth). Cindric finished 17th, Reddick 21st, and Wallace 26th at New Hampshire.

The next race will be the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 28th, where Chastain is the defending winner.

Results - Mobil 1 301, New Hampshire Motor Speedway