LOUDON, NH. - Ryan Blaney capped off a dominant week for Team Penske by winning Sunday’s Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and clinching a spot in the Round of 8.
Blaney, along with Penske teammate Joey Logano, and Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry set the tone in qualifying by sweeping the top three spots. Logano, who was part of a tire test at NHMS prior to race weekend, won the pole with Blaney second and Berry third.
The race proved to be just as dominant with Logano leading the first 53 laps before Blaney passed him and won the first stage. He eventually led 61 consecutive laps before pit strategy jumbled the running order, but that didn’t hamper Logano, who bounced back to win the second stage and set up a final stage that saw Berry assert himself into the fray.
Berry finished fourth in Stage 1, but got spun on lap 83 and went to the rear of the field after having to pit for new tires. He steadily gained ground, managing to finish 10th in Stage 2 and then compete for the win against Blaney after caution came out for Cody Ware’s spin with 48 laps to go.
Blaney, who was leading at the time, along with Logano, who was running second, decided to pit, but Berry opted to stay out and assume the lead. When the race restarted with 42 circuits remaining, Berry and Blaney got clear and began a battle that lasted all the way to the checkered flag. Blaney passed for the lead with 39 laps to go, but Berry stayed within striking distance before ultimately settling for second.
Logano led all drivers with 147 laps led while Blaney was next with 116. Overall, Ford had four drivers combine to lead 275-of-301 laps.
Blaney’s victory was his third of the season and 16th of his career. Berry finished second while Logano was fourth. Austin Cindric, Ford’s other playoff contender, ended up 17th.
With two races remaining in the Round of 12, and Blaney’s spot already secured in the Round of 8, Logano and Cindric are still in contention to advance. Logano is sixth going into next week’s race at Kansas Speedway, 24 points above the cut line, while Cindric is 10th and -19 below the final transfer spot.
The Round of 12 continues at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 28, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NCS RACE TOP-10 OFFICIAL FINISHERS
1st – Ryan Blaney
2nd – Josh Berry
3rd – William Byron
4th – Joey Logano
5th – Chase Elliott
6th – Christopher Bell
7th – Kyle Larson
8th – Michael McDowell
9th – Ross Chastain
10th – Chase Briscoe
REMAINING FORD FINISHERS
14th – Ryan Preece
16th – Noah Gragson
17th – Austin Cindric
18th – Chris Buescher
19th – Todd Gilliland
23rd – Brad Keselowski
24th – Cole Custer
27th – Zane Smith
31st – Cody Ware
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang Dark Horse – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW
YOU’RE ABOUT TO GET THE LOBSTER.
“I’m looking forward to it and see how it tastes. I’ve wanted a lobster ever since I was a little kid coming to watch these races. I’ve always wanted one of those things, so I’m looking forward to it.”
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE TODAY?
“I don’t know. The way the pit cycles went sometimes. We lost control for a little bit, but then we were able to get it back before the green flag stops in stage three. We were just kind of biding our time after the green flag stop and then the caution came out and two was a great call. We saw two worked well in the first stage for a while and I figured if we could come out on the front row or something we would have a good shot and Josh definitely didn’t make it easy on me. His car got rolling there for 10 or 15 laps and I really had to find new lanes and push harder. My car was going really free and then we were able to gap him there at the end with his right-rear going away. It was a great race and a cool weekend, honestly. I couldn’t be prouder of everybody.”
CAN YOU SEE THE PATH TO PHOENIX NOW?
“It’s starting to light up.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse –
YOU REBOUNDED WITH STRATEGY AND FINISHED 17TH. WHAT POSITIVES CAN YOU TAKE FROM TODAY?
“It’s probably what our average was throughout the day. I think between screwing up qualifying on my end, I thought we had a great long run car with our Autotrader Ford Mustang, just weren’t able to capitalize on it. I felt like I really struggled to get going, so not enough positives to outweigh the negatives. It’s obviously a great day for the team with the 12 and the 22, but the saving grace is I think a lot of the guys I’m racing didn’t get stage points either and probably had a smaller loss than what we could have. You’ve got to expect to want to run in the top 10 and get stage points to advance out of this round, so not everything we needed, but we’re still in the game.” KANSAS NEXT WEEK AND THEN THE ROVAL. WHAT’S THE MINDSET? “I think this weekend is proof. You can’t take anything for granted, but I don’t think we’re in a position to be desperate. We’ve just got to go out the next two weekends and do better than we did this weekend. If we have a repeat of this weekend, it’s not gonna be enough to make it through. We’re capable of it and I believe in that. I feel good about Kansas.”
JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse –
WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED TO PASS THE 12 AT THE END?
“I don’t know. We lacked a little bit of fire off, but, honestly, ever since the start of the race we were just mired in so much traffic. It was hard to know what we needed. Our long run seemed really strong, so I think it could have gone a couple different ways. Obviously, if it stays green, I think we have a chance at it. Maybe we should have taken two tires there, but, ultimately, we were down a set from the spin, so we didn’t want to take our last tires that early. Still, it’s just a great day. We had a great car. Everybody did a great job. The pit stops were awesome and we have a lot to look forward to.” HOW ABOUT THE WAY YOU RECOVERED FROM THE SPIN. WHAT WAS THE KEY? “For one, we had a really good car. It was a grind for sure, but we had a really good car and we just chipped away at it. I kind of wish at times maybe we should have stayed out or took two tires. I don’t know, but we just kept putting four on it and kept moving forward and did it the old fashioned way. It was a lot of fun.”
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse –
“The 12 was wicked fast in practice and he showed that again in the race. Our only chance was beating him on pit road and beating on details, but they were able to make up their track position when they put four on. Over time they got back up there. That last restart, I could have restarted behind him and probably finished third in the race, but I wanted a chance to win and if I was behind the 12, I wasn’t gonna win. I went for it and it cost us a spot, but, overall, I’m proud of the execution. We obviously got a ton of points today. I think we got a second and a first in the first two stages and a top four finish, so we did what we needed to do. We’re plus the cut line. I’d rather win. That’s just the greed in me, especially when it’s home.”
