Blaney ready to challenge dominant Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR Cup playoffs at New Hampshire
Blaney ready to challenge dominant Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR Cup playoffs at New Hampshire
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is back in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for the first time in eight years, which means Ryan Blaney is back in his happy place.
“I love the area itself, and there’s something about the northeast that I really enjoy,” Blaney said. “You get into September, and the leaves are changing, so I always enjoy the looks of it driving to the racetrack. And the crowd atmosphere there is always fantastic.”
The Team Penske star is hoping the omnipresent foliage around the track nestled in the countryside of Loudon, New Hampshire, might dovetail with a turning of the tide in the 10-race run to the Cup championship.
Joe Gibbs Racing dominated the first round of the playoffs with wins by Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell. In the three-race sweep, JGR’s Toyotas led a combined 757 of 1,107 laps at Darlington Raceway, World Wide Technology Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
“Certainly, we’re feeling good,” Bell said Saturday. “Joe Gibbs Racing has asserted themselves as the powerhouse team in the sport right now, so we’re loving life. We know we’re in a good spot, and we’re just trying to keep the ball rolling.”
New Hampshire is another prime opportunity as the three-race second round begins Sunday at the 1.058-mile oval.
Since the 2022 debut of the Next Gen car, JGR drivers have won every race and stage at the track known as “the Magic Mile.” Toyotas also have led 83% of laps the past three seasons at New Hampshire, which had played host to races from mid-June to early August since its most recent playoff race in September 2017. Bell has won two of the past three at the track, including a June 23, 2024, overtime victory.
“I was definitely excited when the schedule came out, and I saw that Loudon was getting a playoff race,” Bell said. “It made me very optimistic. You need to start the rounds with a positive race, and certainly this is a place that we should lead laps and contend for the win.”
JGR has placed at least one car in the top two of the past 13 races at New Hampshire, the longest streak for a team at any Cup track.
Blaney is winless at New Hampshire but qualified second last year and is confident of his team’s chances.
With consecutive fourth-place finishes, his No. 12 Ford has an average playoff finish of 8.67 that ranks second among the 12 title-eligible drivers. Having dealt with little turnover since winning the Cup title in 2023, Blaney said his team has become a “well-oiled machine” seeking its third consecutive berth in the Championship 4.
“I feel like our group just keeps getting better and better every year,” Blaney said. “Everyone is extremely confident in themselves and their ability. We’ve had the belief that we can do it the last three years, and it’s really fun to be part of a group like that. Everyone is clicking together.”
Blaney has 16 top-10 finishes, tying Bell and Kyle Larson for the series lead. It’s an impressive feat considering Blaney failed to finish seven of the first 20 races because of crashes or engine failures.
“I feel like our speed has been really solid all year,” he said. “The Toyotas are really strong. The last three weeks, they’ve been incredibly fast, and all of the teams have been executing really well, but we’re really close to where we need to be. I have confidence that we can get on that level.”
The Big Three
The championship standings were reset for the second round with nine of the top 10 drivers from three teams: Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske. The trio has combined to capture every Cup title since 2017.
Since 2020, JGR, Hendrick and Penske drivers have claimed 18 of 20 available spots in the Championship 4 season finale. Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing in 2022 and Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing last year are the only other drivers to qualify for the title race.
“The question will always be, ‘How do you beat the Big Three?’” Chastain said this week. “I think it’s just the nature of the sport and the quantity of people and the quantity of dollars. … We don’t have an answer, but we’re trying.”
Trackhouse hired former JGR executive Todd Meredith as president of racing operations while reorganizing its competition department this summer with personnel changes aimed at the 2026 season.
“Some of them are only focused on the offseason and next year,” Chastain said. “We’ve got what we’ve got right now, so let’s start on next year. Raising our next group of leaders and raising the bar for employees is something Todd’s big on. So doing it ourselves and not always looking outside of our walls is something we’re focused on.”
Penalty deferred
Hamlin will feel the urgency for a strong result at New Hampshire because he will lose two key pit crew members for the next two second-round races at Kansas Speedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. The front tire changer and jack man were suspended for two races after the right-front wheel of Hamlin’s No. 11 came loose with 116 laps left at Bristol.
Under a new rule this season, Joe Gibbs Racing elected a one-race deferral of the penalty. A new tire will be introduced Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, likely increasing the frequency and importance of pit stops during the 301-lap race.
Odds and ends
Per BetMGM Sportsbook, Joe Gibbs Racing has the top three favored drivers at New Hampshire: Bell (+325), Hamlin (+425) and Briscoe (+525). Blaney is next at +625, and Larson is +725. … New Hampshire will play host to a Cup playoff race for the 15th time. The track was the playoff opener from 2004-10. … There are five active winners at New Hampshire among the 36 drivers in Sunday’s field. Hamlin and Kyle Busch are tied with a series-best three victories at the track.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
By NATE RYAN
Associated Press
