Tag: Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney wins the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono, full results

Ryan Blaney wins the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. Check out the full results and race recap from Pocono!

NASCAR arrived at Pocono Raceway for a thrilling weekend in Pennsylvania, and the Cup Series race provided some drama. Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin won the first two stages; however, neither of them was able to win the event. Hamlin tried to run down a Team Penske driver, but it wasn’t enough, leading to their second win of the 2024 NASCAR season.

[autotag]Ryan Blaney[/autotag] won The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono, earning his second victory of the 2024 NASCAR season. Blaney was able to get out front and had great track position after Stage 2. The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion was able to manage the lead and gave himself the best shot to win at Pocono.

Blaney has won two of the last five races and could be rounding into form before the Olympic break. The two wins for the No. 12 team have boosted his playoff-point total, and he will look to carry the momentum into Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend.

NASCAR results from Pocono in July 2024:

  1. No. 12 Ryan Blaney
  2. No. 11 Denny Hamlin
  3. No. 48 Alex Bowman
  4. No. 24 William Byron
  5. No. 22 Joey Logano
  6. No. 45 Tyler Reddick
  7. No. 6 Brad Keselowski
  8. No. 19 Martin Truex Jr.
  9. No. 9 Chase Elliott
  10. No. 23 Bubba Wallace
  11. No. 17 Chris Buescher
  12. No. 20 Christopher Bell
  13. No. 5 Kyle Larson
  14. No. 43 Erik Jones
  15. No. 14 Chase Briscoe
  16. No. 99 Daniel Suarez
  17. No. 77 Carson Hocevar
  18. No. 2 Austin Cindric
  19. No. 7 Corey LaJoie
  20. No. 4 Josh Berry
  21. No. 16 A.J. Allmendinger
  22. No. 51 Justin Haley
  23. No. 3 Austin Dillon
  24. No. 34 Michael McDowell
  25. No. 31 Daniel Hemric
  26. No. 15 Cody Ware
  27. No. 54 Ty Gibbs
  28. No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek
  29. No. 71 Zane Smith
  30. No. 41 Ryan Preece
  31. No. 21 Harrison Burton
  32. No. 8 Kyle Busch
  33. No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  34. No. 38 Todd Gilliland
  35. No. 44 J.J Yeley
  36. No. 1 Ross Chastain
  37. No. 10 Noah Gragson

Ryan Blaney expresses frustration with Michael McDowell at New Hampshire

Ryan Blaney expresses his frustration with Michael McDowell at New Hampshire. What did Blaney say about McDowell after their accident?

[autotag]Ryan Blaney[/autotag] had the second-best car behind Christopher Bell in the final laps of the USA TODAY 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but a likely top-3 finish was blown up with nine laps to go. Michael McDowell, who started on the front row, realized he had a great shot at winning and sent it into Turn 1. McDowell didn’t stick and ended up taking Blaney out with him.

The driver of the No. 12 car was very unhappy on the radio and didn’t understand what McDowell was doing on the restart. Following the event, Blaney discussed McDowell’s apology on pit road and the incident on the race track.

“An apology’s nice, but it’s not going to bring back what [Michael McDowell] did,” Blaney said. “I mean, I knew what he was trying to do. It was like a low-percentage move. I mean, it’s wet down there, and you’re just going to shove it off in there and what do you think’s going to happen? You’re going to take both of us out.”

“So I know he’s got to win and all that, and that’s his excuse, but you’ve got to be a little bit more calculated than that, and it just stinks that we’re at the expense of it. Man, I really thought we had a decent shot to contend.”

Blaney went from a likely top-3 finish to 25th place. It was a disappointing finish for the Team Penske driver, who sat in second place during the two-hour rain delay. Luckily for Blaney, he won at Iowa Speedway the previous weekend, so he’s locked into the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if Blaney repays the favor to McDowell in the coming weeks.

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Ryan Blaney makes NASCAR history with Cup Series win at Iowa

Ryan Blaney made NASCAR history with his Cup Series win at Iowa Speedway. Find out what Blaney accomplished for the first time in history!

[autotag]Ryan Blaney[/autotag] needed Sunday night. Blaney won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway after holding off Hendrick Motorsports. A hard-charging Christopher Bell would’ve passed Blaney, but he was too far behind. The Team Penske driver deserved a little luck after World Wide Technology Raceway, and it has turned into NASCAR history.

Blaney is the first driver to win at Iowa Speedway in all three series by winning the Cup Series race on Sunday night. Obviously, the Cup Series just ran its first race, but Blaney has won at Iowa in the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series. The 2023 Cup Series champion won his Truck Series event at Iowa in 2012 and the Xfinity Series event in 2015.

It has been a long season for Blaney, who hasn’t shown as much speed as he did in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs. Yet, the No. 12 team has finally returned to victory lane and secured a spot in the 2024 NASCAR playoffs. Blaney needed that victory at Iowa, and hopefully, for the No. 12 team, it starts a string of momentum for a competitive summer.

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Two-tire call in Iowa locks Blaney into Cup playoffs

This time, there was no unpleasant surprise waiting for Ryan Blaney near the finish line of a NASCAR Cup Series race. Grabbing the lead on crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s two-tire call under the final caution of Sunday night’s Iowa Corn 350, Blaney …

This time, there was no unpleasant surprise waiting for Ryan Blaney near the finish line of a NASCAR Cup Series race.

Grabbing the lead on crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s two-tire call under the final caution of Sunday night’s Iowa Corn 350, Blaney led the final 88 laps of the inaugural Cup race at 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway.

In front of a large contingent of family and friends, the reigning series champion crossed the finish line 0.716 seconds ahead of runner-up William Byron, who was racing on four new tires after a pit stop under caution for Chris Buescher’s accident on lap 260.

The victory was Blaney’s first of the season and the 11th of his career. He’s now won at Iowa Speedway in all three NASCAR national series, having triumphed in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2012 and the Xfinity Series in 2015.

All told, the race winner led four times for 201 of 350 laps on a track that was repaved in the bottom two lanes in the corners.

“What a cool way to win here. This place means a lot to me and means a lot to my mom (Lisa, from Chariton, Iowa),” said Blaney, who was leading June 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway outside St. Louis before running out of fuel on the white-flag lap.

“We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on, so they willed us to that one. Overall, I really appreciate the whole [No. 12 team]. I mean, our car was really fast all night and we got a little bit better through the night, and two tires was a good call there.

“I didn’t know how well I was going to hold on. I started to struggle a little bit at the end but had enough to hang on. I’m super proud of the effort.”

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Byron wasn’t surprised Blaney won the race on two fresh tires, given the quality of the Team Penske driver’s No. 12 Ford.

“No, he had a really good car, so he was up front and contending a lot, and him and the No. 5 (pole winner Kyle Larson) were really good,” Byron said. “We were just a step off of that, you know?

“I feel like I just needed to turn the center just a hair better and still kind of maintain the long run. Proud of the effort. It was a really good night, and I feel like we can learn from this and build from it to be a little bit better.”

 

In a race that featured eight cautions for 49 laps, Chase Elliott finished third, followed by Christopher Bell, who started from the rear of the field in a backup car after blowing a right front tire and crashing in Friday’s practice.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. came home fifth, with Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski completing the top 10.

The restart after the second stage break changed the entire dynamic of the race. Larson had just taken the green/checkered flag to claim his eighth stage victory of the season, but on lap 220, one circuit after the final stage went green for the first time, contact from Suarez’s Chevrolet sent Larson’s Camaro spinning into the outside wall on the frontstretch, pinching Denny Hamlin’s Toyota into the barrier in the process.

Hendrick’s No. 5 crew eventually repaired the wounded machine, but not until the 2021 champion had lost 31 laps in the garage. Larson finished 34th, 36 laps down and lost the series lead to Elliott, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.

Larson, who led 80 laps on Sunday before the accident that waylaid him, trails Elliott by eight points with nine races left in the regular season. Next up for the Cup Series is the June 23 USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RESULTS

Ryan Blaney wins Cup Series race at Iowa, full results and race recap

Ryan Blaney wins the NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. Check out the full results and race recap from Iowa!

The NASCAR Cup Series arrived at Iowa Speedway, and while tires were an issue on Friday, they were much better on Sunday night. There were fewer blown tires than in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, which allowed the drivers to maximize their cars on the race track. In the end, it was the defending Cup Series champion who prevailed.

[autotag]Ryan Blaney[/autotag] won the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa, earning his first Cup Series victory of the 2024 NASCAR season. Blaney won Stage 1, and while he didn’t have the best car, Kyle Larson, who won Stage 2, crashed out after contact with Daniel Suarez. The Team Penske driver never had an actual battle at the end, holding off William Byron and Chase Elliott.

The 2023 Cup Series champion needed a good run after a few rough performances over the last month. Blaney may not have been the fastest on Sunday night, but it was enough to earn a victory. It will be fascinating to see if the driver of the No. 12 car gains any momentum as NASCAR enters the true summer events.

Iowa Corn 350 results:

  1. No. 12 Ryan Blaney
  2. No. 24 William Byron
  3. No. 9 Chase Elliott
  4. No. 20 Christopher Bell
  5. No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  6. No. 22 Joey Logano
  7. No. 4 Josh Berry
  8. No. 48 Alex Bowman
  9. No. 99 Daniel Suarez
  10. No. 6 Brad Keselowski
  11. No. 1 Ross Chastain
  12. No. 38 Todd Gilliland
  13. No. 51 Justin Haley
  14. No. 77 Carson Hocevar
  15. No. 19 Martin Truex Jr.
  16. No. 10 Noah Gragson
  17. No. 23 Bubba Wallace
  18. No. 17 Chris Buescher
  19. No. 3 Austin Dillon
  20. No. 21 Harrison Burton
  21. No. 7 Corey LaJoie
  22. No. 45 Tyler Reddick
  23. No. 34 Michael McDowell
  24. No. 11 Denny Hamlin
  25. No. 54 Ty Gibbs
  26. No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek
  27. No. 41 Ryan Preece
  28. No. 14 Chase Briscoe
  29. No. 31 Daniel Hemric
  30. No. 2 Austin Cindric
  31. No. 71 Zane Smith
  32. No. 43 Erik Jones
  33. No. 15 Kaz Grala
  34. No. 5 Kyle Larson
  35. No. 8 Kyle Busch
  36. No. 16 A.J. Allmendinger

Ryan Blaney thinks NASCAR should return to Chicagoland Speedway

Ryan Blaney thinks NASCAR should return to Chicagoland Speedway. Find out what else Blaney said about Chicagoland in 2024!

NASCAR has been working on its schedule for the 2025 Cup Series season, and there should be heavy optimism. The sport has done an excellent job with the calendar over the last few years, and it should continue moving forward. However, which places or tracks do drivers want NASCAR to compete at in the Cup Series?

FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass asked several drivers, including [autotag]Ryan Blaney[/autotag], this question, and the answers were fascinating. Blaney advocated for a track that should still be on the schedule and one that fans would love to see again.

“[Chicagoland Speedway] deserves to have a race back at it,” Blaney said. “I definitely think the track we need to revitalize. If we’re revitalizing tracks, let’s revitalize Chicago. You start with that one. The other ones I don’t have too many opinions about.”

NASCAR never returned to Chicagoland Speedway after the COVID-19 pandemic but did introduce the Chicago Street Course in 2023. If Chicagoland can host a Cup Series event, NASCAR needs to figure out how to return. The facility may take some work, but Chicagoland deserves a spot on the NASCAR calendar.

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2024 Toyota Save Mart 350 odds, picks and predictions

Looking at the odds for Sunday’s 2024 Toyota Save Mart 350, with NASCAR expert picks and predictions.

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The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Sonoma Raceway Sunday for the 2024 Toyota Save Mart 350. Green flag is scheduled to drop shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the 2024 Toyota Save Mart 350 odds, and make our expert NASCAR picks and predictions.

2024 Toyota Save Mart 350: What you need to know

  • Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. posted a victory at Sonoma last season, the 4th of his Cup Series career at the California road course track
  • Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney, who suffered heartbreak at Gateway by running out of gas last week, was fastest in practice Friday at 97.866 mph on the repaved surface at Sonoma
  • Richard Childress Racing’s Will Brown, the Australian Supercar star, makes his NASCAR Cup Series debut. He had a practice speed of 97.617 mph Friday
  • RCR’s Kyle Busch finished 2nd last season, 2.979 seconds behind Truex Jr.
  • RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher was 4th at Sonoma in 2023, and he has a solid 14.1 Average-Finish Position (AFP) in 7 career Cup starts at the road course, leading 8 laps
  • Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott has never won at Sonoma in a Cup car, but he leads all active drivers with a 12.1 AFP in 7 starts while finishing as a runner-up with 5 finishes inside the top 10
  • Penske’s Joey Logano has never won at Sonoma, but he is 2nd among active full-time drivers with a 12.9 AFP and 6 top-10 runs in 14 Cup starts
  • 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick has had a tough time in 3 Cup starts at the Bay Area road course, posting a dismal 29.0 AFP despite a solid 5.7 Average Start spot
  • Reddick’s teammate, Bubba Wallace, has also had issues at Sonoma, managing a poor 24.4 AFP in 5 career starts with 1 DNF and 0 laps led
  • Road course ringer A.J. Allmendinger, driving the No. 16 Chevy for Kaulig Racing, has surprisingly struggled in his Cup career at Sonoma, posting a dismal 22.1 AFP with 3 top-10 finishes and 1 DNF despite a solid 10.9 Average Start position

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2024 Toyota Save Mart 350 – Expert pick

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:34 a.m. ET.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. (+1400) is a good bet for the repeat at Sonoma.

For whatever reason, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is the best active driver at this track. He knows the turns better than anybody, and is crisp, doesn’t lift, and he rarely makes a mistake. The only thing that could potentially derail him is a careless driver collecting him when trying to make a wild pass.

MTJ leads all active drivers with a 98.5 Driver Rating in 17 career Cup starts at Sonoma, posting 4 wins, 6 top-5 finishes and 7 top-10 runs, while also leading everybody with 264 laps led. It’s rather surprising he isn’t the chalk, so take advantage.

2024 Toyota Save Mart 350 – Contenders

RYAN BLANEY (+800) should have a chip on his shoulder after running out of gas late, blowing the win at the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway last weekend. He can take solace in the fact that at least teammate Austin Cindric benefitted, and not another team.

Anyway, Blaney looked to be on a mission in practice Friday, topping the charts in speed. He has a respectable 16.6 AFP in 7 career Cup starts, while posting 4 top-10 finishes, including a best of 3rd.

At this price, Blaney is a value as he is a driver on a mission.

2024 Toyota Save Mart 350 props

Prop odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook

DANIEL SUAREZ (+140) matchbet vs. Michael McDowell

Suarez ended up winning the 2022 Toyota Save Mart 350 for Trackhouse Racing, holding off Buescher and McDowell, a pair of Fords.

McDowell was solid in practice Friday, posting a speed of 97.354 mph, while Suarez tumbled to 27th with a speed of 96.263 mph. But Suarez was a winner here before, and knows how to get the job done. He is a tremendous value at plus-money, regardless.

KYLE BUSCH (+145) matchbet vs. Ty Gibbs

The old dog Busch knows a thing or two about racing at Sonoma, picking up 2 checkered flags with 7 top-5 runs, 9 top-10 finishes and 132 laps led in 18 career Cup starts wit ha solid 14.8 AFP.

Gibbs is a young buck who is still cutting his teeth on the Cup circuit. He was 18th last season in his initial run at Sonoma Raceway. I’ll take tried and true any day of the week, especially at plus-money.

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Blaney leads super fast practice on Sonoma’s new surface

Ryan Blaney jumped to the top of the NASCAR Cup Series leaderboard in the final minutes of practice Friday at Sonoma Raceway. The reigning series champion laid down a lap of 97.866mph (73.202s). Ty Gibbs was second fastest at 97.829mph and Will …

Ryan Blaney jumped to the top of the NASCAR Cup Series leaderboard in the final minutes of practice Friday at Sonoma Raceway.

The reigning series champion laid down a lap of 97.866mph (73.202s). Ty Gibbs was second fastest at 97.829mph and Will Brown was third fastest at 97.617mph.

Brown is in a third entry for Richard Childress Racing and making his Cup Series debut. He is the current point leader in the Australian Supercars championship.

Alex Bowman was fourth fastest at 97.576mph and teammate Chase Elliott completed the top five at 97.477mph. Michael McDowell was sixth at 97.354mph, Noah Gragson, seventh at 97.333mph, Zane Smith, eighth at 97.307mph, Ross Chastain, ninth at 07.297mph and Martin Truex Jr., 10th at 07.217mph.

Sonoma is the second road course race of the season after the stop at Circuit of The Americas in late March.

This time, though, Friday practice was extended due to the 1.99-mile course having recently been repaved.

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Sonoma’s new surface proved as fast as expected. The entire Cup Series field posted speeds faster than pole from a year ago (92.178mph).

There were several spins but none with significant consequences.

Josh Berry spun off Turn 2 early in practice but did not hit anything. He ended up 12th fastest.

Cam Waters, driving a third entry for RFK Racing, went for a long slide down the frontstretch toward the hill in Turn 1 and looped his Ford Mustang off the course. He also avoided any contact and was 35th fastest.

Daniel Hemric hopped the curb in Turn 2 and spun off course in his Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. Hemric, like those before him, continued undamaged.

Erik Jones was the fourth minor incident, in his case at Turn 10.

There are 38 teams entered in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

NEXT: Cup Series qualifying 6 p.m. ET Saturday.

Ryan Blaney expresses desire to attempt ‘The Double’ in 2025

Ryan Blaney expresses his desire to attempt “The Double” in 2025. What did Blaney say about attempting the Indianapolis 500 next year?

The NASCAR world was buzzing in late May as Kyle Larson attempted “The Double” on May 26. Larson was supposed to compete in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and fly to Concord, North Carolina, for the Coca-Cola 600. Unfortunately, the day was ruined by the weather, and the Hendrick Motorsports driver wasn’t able to compete in the Coca-Cola 600.

During the weekend, [autotag]Ryan Blaney[/autotag] was asked about his interest in attempting “The Double” sometime in the future. Blaney has been on record expressing his interest in the past but revealed an exciting idea about attempting the Indianapolis 500.

“There’s always interest there,” Blaney said. “I think racers are always curious about other series. You want to see what the similarities and the differences are between different cars and IndyCar is obviously something I grew up really enjoy watching, as well as the NASCAR scene obviously.”

“I think it’s really special if you get to do The Double…There’s rumors of Kyle Busch doing it here soon. I think it’s really great. I’m trying to start a petition, I don’t know if say this or not, but me and [Scott McLaughlin] doing The Double. I don’t think that’s ever been done.”

Larson, Blaney, and Scott McLaughlin attempting “The Double” in 2025 would set the racing world on fire. All three drivers have the talent to win one of the races, and McLaughlin’s NASCAR debut would be special. Team Penske would have to enter two additional entries overall; however, it would be worth seeing Blaney and McLaughlin attempt “The Double” next year.

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Ryan Blaney talks about heartbreaking loss at Gateway in 2024

Ryan Blaney talks about his heartbreaking loss at Gateway in 2024. Find out what Blaney said about losing the lead on the final lap!

[autotag]Ryan Blaney[/autotag] didn’t appear to have enough to hold off Christopher Bell in the final laps of the NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway, but the No. 20 car suddenly dropped in pace with engine issues. Then, Blaney seemed to be on his way to his first Cup Series win of 2024, but the No. 12 car abruptly ran out of gas on the final lap.

The Team Penske driver climbed out of his car with a 24th-place finish after being on the verge of a victory and was consoled by former teammate Brad Keselowski on pit road. Blaney was asked if he knew about his fuel situation and whether he was near the limit of making it to the finish.

“No, I didn’t think so,” Blaney said, “So, yeah, never thought in my mind we were short. One of those things. Gosh, proud of the No. 12 boys. We were fast. Had my work cut out for me holding out of [Christopher Bell]. That was a fun battle. I don’t know what happened to him. Yeah, one lap short, which just stinks. Congrats to the No. 2 team. They did a good job all day. Props to them. [Austin Cindric]. Proud for Team Penske and Ford.”

“Really happy with our showing today. I don’t know what I got to do to get some luck on our side. Gosh, wrecked the last two points races. Thought we had a great shot to win today. Ended up bad. Just appreciate the effort. Got to keep sticking with it.”

Blaney went from being locked into the 2024 NASCAR playoff to 47 points ahead of the cut line at Gateway. It was a very disappointing finish for the 2023 Cup Series champion, but the speed was a positive for the No. 12 team. Blaney and Team Penske haven’t displayed the same speed as 2023, so hopefully, this is a sign of things to come.

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