Blaney wins his first career NASCAR Cup race at Pocono
LONG POND, Pa. — Ryan Blaney held off Kevin Harvick down the stretch in a thrilling finish and won his first career NASCAR Cup race Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
The 23-year-old Blaney, a third generation driver, won for the first time in 68 career starts and made it to victory lane for the second straight day. He was a reporter for Fox during the Xfinity race and was stationed in victory lane.
Blaney got there this time in the No. 21 Ford and without a working team radio. Blaney drives for the Wood Brothers, one of the most storied teams in NASCAR. The Wood Brothers have won at least one race in each of the last six decades, but none since Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011.
The Wood Brothers won for the 99th time.
Now they can add Blaney to the list. He’s the 18th driver to win a Cup race with the Wood Brothers.
“It figures the one race we don’t have radio communication, we end up winning it,” Blaney said. “Maybe we should turn the radio off more often.”
Blaney is part of a bumper crop of blossoming young talent that his hit NASCAR over the last couple of years. Two of those drivers were in the top 10: rookie Erik Jones was third and Chase Elliott was eighth.
Darrell Wallace Jr. finished a lap down in 26th in the first start by a black driver in the Cup series since 2006. He felt ill after the race and needed to go to the medical centre. Wallace said he was embarrassed, but fine.
“It was really cool, a really fun day,” he said.
Blaney interviewed Xfinity winner Brad Keselowski in victory lane on Saturday as part of an all-driver broadcast by Fox. Keselowski finished fifth on Sunday and returned the favour by sticking around victory lane and interviewed Blaney.
“What was going through your mind? You’re in victory lane, man!” Keselowski said.
Blaney was exhilarated following a frenetic final 10 laps when he needed to pass a blocking Kyle Busch with about nine laps left. Then he held off a hard-charging Harvick to take the checkered flag.