Team Penske Fords were fast in practice, fast in qualifying and fastest in the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when it counted Sunday afternoon with Ryan Blaney taking a 0.937s victory over fellow Ford driver Josh Berry in the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.
It marked a distinct competitive turn in this year’s championship with three Fords finishing among the top five and three Chevrolets among the top eight at the one-mile New Hampshire track after a Toyota sweep of the Playoffs’ opening three-race round.
Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford – which started on the outside of the front row – led 116 of the race’s 301 laps includ ing the final 39 laps holding off the Wood Brothers Racing driver Berry, who had rallied back in his No. 21 Ford after a spin on lap 21.
“Probably the hardest 20 laps I drove,” Blaney, 31, said of the race’s closing laps. “Was trying to bide my stuff and he (Berry) really started coming. He started to get super free and it was all I could do to hold him off. It was good racing, clean racing, and I appreciate Josh not throwing me the bumper when he could have.”
Blaney’s victory cashes the popular 2023 series champion’s ticket into the Round of 8 in pursuit of his second NASCAR Cup Series title – important both Sunday and likely further in the Playoffs as the season’s three-race winner can expect fierce competition from his Penske teammate, three-time and reigning series champ Joey Logano as the Playoffs intensify.
The two were quickest throughout preparation for Sunday’s race and maintained that edge throughout the day – combining to lead 263 of the 301 laps.
Pole-winner Logano led the most laps (147) and finished fourth. He crossed the line just behind another Playoff-eligible driver, Hendrick Motorsports William Byron, whose teammate Chase Elliott turned in an inspiring comeback performance with a fifth-place showing after a 27th-place starting position.
“We ran well, we just weren’t the fastest car,” Logano said. “The No. 12 (Blaney) was fastest in practice and he showed that again in the race. Our only chance to beat him was on pit road and beat him on details, but they were able to make up their track position when they put four [tires] on. That last restart I could have started behind him and finished third in the race, but if I was behind the No. 12 I wasn’t going to win.”