NASCAR
Ryan Blaney Delivers Roger Penske Second Leg of Indy 500-Coke 600 Sweep
CONCORD, N.C. – North Carolina native Ryan Blaney had a banner night in the Coca-Cola 600. Penske driver No. 12 led a race-high 163 laps in the Monday-delayed marathon. Alongside yesterday’s Indianapolis 500 triumph with Josef Newgarden, Team Penske has swept both Memorial Day weekend classics for the first time ever. This also marks Blaney’s first victory in 59 starts, dating back to 2021, and putting him back in the Playoffs.
After Sunday’s schedule was rained out, engines finally fired Monday afternoon. Polesitter William Byron would prove to be dominant in Stage 1. The 24 took this first 100-lap segment win by less than a car-length over Christopher Bell.
During a brief red flag for rain, one of the fastest cars would be dealt a devastating blow. Christopher Bell’s team attempted to cut a piece of vinyl wrap off of their hood, incurring an unapproved adjustment for the No. 20. Bell would have to give up second on track and restart in the rear, never being able to recover this lost ground. Early on, the 20 showed as much pace as anyone, leading 48 laps.
Perhaps this Coca-Cola 600’s most memorable moment happened late in Stage 2. While racing for sixth, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott made contact. After the 9 was shoved into the wall, Elliott appeared to turn down into the 11, right-rear hooking Hamlin on the frontstretch.
Both driver’s days were done, with Hamlin calling for Elliott to be suspended for intentional wrecking. NASCAR did say they will review this incident. Any penalty ruling would come on Tuesday or Wednesday.
On the restart after the Hamlin/Elliott wreck, Chris Buescher took command over Ryan Blaney, holding on for the Stage 2 win.
Being slowed twice for two smaller accidents, Stage 3 would see a third different winner in Ryan Blaney. The 12 flexed his muscles at this point, driving away from Byron and Tyler Reddick.
Thanks to the number one pit stall though, William Byron restarted as the leader multiple times. While the 24 had short sprint pace, Blaney got better on longer runs. As Byron began to fade, a new contender emerged, Tyler Reddick. Reddick was able to close in on Blaney but couldn’t ever complete the pass. The No. 45 was a highlight reel itself trying to run down the leader, spending more time against or even in the wall than anyone else.
At 60 laps left, Blaney held a four-second lead over the field. It was here when a series of back-to-back cautions kept the field tight, with the 12 falling as far back as seventh. Blaney would only regain the top spot on lap 375, being ruled ahead of Byron as Kyle Larson spun behind them.
Caution number 16 would be the last one in another topsy-turvy Coca-Cola 600. On the final restart with 20 laps left, Blaney got a huge jump over Byron and began to drive off. As much as he tried closing in, Byron could not gain ground on Blaney. In the closing laps, the 12 had a one-second advantage. At the checkers, Blaney led Byron by six tenths for team 12’s maiden win of 2023.
“I might shed a tear,” Blaney said as fans began chanting his name. “This has been a cool weekend, obviously Memorial Day Weekend means a lot. Growing up here and watching Dad run this race for a long time, it’s so cool to just be a part of it, let alone win it.”
“I was able to get the lead on the restart, and our car was so good. I could kind of bide my time a little bit, we were able to drive off. I was hoping for no caution, just because you never know. I think we had the car to do it, but restarts can be crazy.”
“I cannot thank BodyArmor enough. It’s awesome we have their Cherry Lime Camo car here, with Operation Home Front, Menard’s, Advanced Auto Parts, Würth, Ford. So many other partners that do so much for us, Dent Wizard and DEX Imaging.”
“You start to get to feel like you can’t win anymore when you don’t win in a while. It kind of gets hard. So just super thankful to the 12 guys for believing in me. Thank you guys for sticking around. Really appreciate it.”
The Coca-Cola 600 marks Blaney’s first victory in 59 races, a career-longest losing drought. Blaney’s last win was the 2021 regular season finale at Daytona. The Penske 12 is now the 10th different team locked into the 2023 Playoffs after 14 races.
Team owner Roger Penske is still celebrating his 19th Indianapolis 500 win from Sunday with Josef Newgarden. For the first time in Team Penske history, they’ve won both legs of the Memorial Day double.
Behind Blaney and Byron, the top-10 finishers were: Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher, Austin Dillon, and Zane Smith.
Blaney’s last victory was the second half of back-to-back wins from 2021. His next chance at repeating this feat will take place Sunday at Gateway. The Enjoy Illinois 300 will go green at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Gateway’s unique shape put on a great inaugural show for Cup cars last year. Expect big things again from year two in St. Louis.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Logan Riely/Getty Images for NASCAR
