Blaney takes lead on final restart, holds on in Michigan

BROOKLYN, MICH. — Ryan Blaney took the lead from William Byron on a late restart and bobbed and weaved his way across the final seven laps to win at Michigan International Speedway.

Blaney edged Byron by 0.077 seconds — the closest finish on the two-mile track since electronic scoring began. He has two victories this season and six overall.

Kyle Busch gave Blaney the push he needed to drive past Byron with eight laps left, and Kyle Larson couldn’t get close enough to help his Hendricks Motorsports teammate, Byron, keep the lead.

Larson finished third, Busch fourth and Denny Hamlin fifth.

Blaney gave Team Penske a weekend sweep of NASCAR and Indycar races and ended Kevin Harvick’s reign as the Michigan champ.

Harvick won the last three races and four of five at the track. The consolation prize was wrapping up the 15th spot in the 16-car playoff that begins in two weeks.

Chase Elliott beat his teammate, points leader Larson, to the finish line at the end of the first stage. Austin Dillon added some badly needed stage points in third. Dillon started the day in 17th, the wrong side of the cut line.

But Dillon’s day ended with the No. 3 Chevrolet slamming into the outside wall and into the air while racing side by side with Brad Keselowski at the end of the second stage.busch finished ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell to win the second stage, with Larson third.

Talking it out: Denny Hamlin said he’s moved on from last week’s tangle with Chase Briscoe at Indianapolis. Briscoe spun out the No. 11 Toyota with less than two laps left — and after Briscoe’s team had been told he would be penalized for cutting off the second turn by driving through the grass.

They first spoke on pit road then engaged in a Twitter spat when Briscoe’s radio transmissions were broadcast. It appeared to show the team was aware of the penalty before the contact. Briscoe then urged Hamlin to call him.

“We talked,” Hamlin said. “We talked on pit road and we talked after that, so yeah, I’m good. He can’t go back and change it. Would we do things differently next time? Probably. It was a bummer for me, yeah. I had as much at stake as he did.”

Hamlin hasn’t won yet this season but has clinched a playoff spot.

CARLOS OSORIO/ASSOCIATED PRESS Ryan Blaney celebrates his squeaker of a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday in Brooklyn, Mich.