LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Ryan Blaney overcame a major fumble by his pit crew and charged from 17th to first for his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The Team Penske driver led a race-high 115 of 301 laps Sunday and fended off Bubba Wallace by 0.586 seconds.
Josh Berry, who is trying to find a ride for the 2027 season, finished a season-best third, the fourth consecutive top 10 for the Wood Brothers Racing driver.
The top five was rounded out by Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson. Ryan Preece finished ninth and kept his Chase hopes alive by gaining 19 points on Shane van Gisbergen, who finished 20th and remains in the 16th and final spot for the 10-race title run.
It’s the 20th career victory and third this season for Blaney, who had cruised to a big lead when a lug nut fell off the left-front tire of his No. 12 Ford during a pit stop under caution with 111 laps remaining.
The 2023 Cup Series champion picked his way through traffic and was back up to seventh when the yellow flag flew on the 226th lap for a three-car crash. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler made an aggressive strategy call for two right-side tires, and Blaney gained six spots in the pits to retake first place.
He led the final 74 laps on the 1.058-mile oval
NASCAR started the race on wet-weather tires after a midafternoon rain shower, but the track dried quickly, and drivers switched back to slick tires after 40 laps.
A last-place finish extinguished the dim Chase hopes for Ross Chastain, whose No. 1 Chevrolet suffered a mechanical problem after only 40 laps.
“The speed has gotten better, so we’ll hopefully keep moving forward on that,” Chastain said. “That’s the important part. With the things in our control, we were able to make them better through the summer. I’ve learned that’s really tough to do in the NASCAR Cup Series. We did get better, but we’ve got a ways to go.”
The NASCAR Cup Series will conclude its regular season at Daytona International Speedway with a 160-lap race on Saturday, Aug. 29 at the 2.5-mile oval, setting the 16-driver field for the Chase.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
