NASCAR
Ryan Blaney Returns to Round of 8 after First New Hampshire Win
LOUDON, N.H. – Team Penske and Ford came to play and possibly lay down a championship message at The Magic Mile. Between Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, Penske Playoff contenders led 261 laps of the Mobil1 301 at New Hampshire. Ryan Blaney was the fastest man in The Granite State over the closing laps, sealing his Round of 8 fate with a maiden New Hampshire triumph.
New England native Joey Logano may have been the polesitter, but Stage 1 went to his teammate Ryan Blaney. The No. 12’s long run pace came to life late in the opening run, with Blaney taking command on lap 53. Team Penske went onto win both stages with Logano.
The highlight reel moment between both stages however happened further back, in a race between Toyota teammates. Ty Gibbs was aggressively holding off Denny Hamlin for 11th, leading to the 11 spinning the 54 in turn two. Gibbs’ day was done here, while Hamlin continued onward.
The Nos. 11 and 54 get together! @TyGibbs spins and backs it into the wall. pic.twitter.com/Qp9oVyufFF
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 21, 2025
In mirrored fashion to Stage 1, Logano has initial track position to start Stage 3 but Blaney came to life not long later. The 12 stalked down and finally passed the 22 for the lead on lap 228, only to pit almost immediately. The 12 eventually cycled back to the point with just over 50 laps left. One final caution allowed Josh Berry to stay out, but even his fresher tires could not keep Blaney at bay. Despite some tight racing between both Mustangs, Blaney came out on top in New Hampshire.
“Yeah, that was probably the hardest 20 laps that I drove,” Blaney said. “I was trying to kind of bide my stuff and kind of pull Josh a little bit. Then he really started coming, and I started to get super free. It was all I could do to hold him off, trying new lanes. That was good racing and clean racing. I appreciate Josh for not throwing me the bumper when he could have.”
“What a cool day. What a cool weekend. Super-fast car all weekend. Can’t believe the 12 boys, they’re unbelievable. Really have been strong through the playoffs. It’s great to get a win, first race of this round.”
“Appreciate Menards/Libman Ford, Roush Yates Engines, DEX Imaging, BodyArmor, Wabash, the Würth Group, Advance Auto Parts, everybody who makes this possible. Thank you guys for being here. Really appreciate it.”
“I expect him to go out and try to win the race. I knew he wasn’t going to play over from me, but I didn’t think I was ever going to get the bumper. We raced just super clean.”
“I would do the same if I was him, right? You go and try to win the race. That’s what this thing is all about. Luckily I hung on a little bit better than his. For a while, it was stressful and worn out, but overall what a cool weekend. Look forward to going to Kansas next week.”
A Penske-perfect top-three sweep was only broken up by William Byron, who got to the checkers ahead of Joey Logano. The 22 edged out Chase Elliott after a spirited multi-lap back and forth battle. The rest of the top-10 were: Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain, and Chase Briscoe.
Thanks to the Loudon win, Blaney is the only man locked into the Round of 8. The rest of the updated Playoff grid following race one of this round can be seen below.
NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings after 1 race in the Round of 12. #Mobil1301 #NASCARPlayoffs #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/8kV6v30ONq
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) September 21, 2025
2025’s NASCAR Playoffs hit their halfway point next week at Kansas Speedway. The Hollywood Casino 400 goes green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Kansas is the lone conventional race left in this Playoff round, before the great wildcard of the Charlotte Roval. Who can gain the upper hand in this all-important Playoff elimination precursor?
Written by Peter Stratta
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