On to round three in playoffs
Blaney’s NASCAR victory ensures advancement
Ryan Blaney edged Ryan Newman by a nose in a wild Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race Monday at Talladega Superspeedway.
In the sixth-closest finish in Cup history, Blaney nipped Newman by 0.007 seconds to secure his spot in the Round of 8 in the playoffs as a crash broke out behind the field, though the race finished under green.
Blaney entered the 1000bulbs.com 500 in nearly a must-win scenario after a 35th-place finish last weekend at Dover International Speedway when his suspension broke.
“It was an amazing effort the last two days, to be honest with you,” Blaney said. “We spun out early yesterday and missed some big ones today. We were able to weave our way through.
“This was a huge, huge race for us. I’m pumped up. I don’t know what to say. We’re moving on!”
Crashes marred the race, which took place over two days after it was redflagged Sunday by rain following the first stage. The race picked up Monday with the beginning of Stage 2, and wrecks soon followed.
Three separate major multiple-car crashes hit the field, with the first coming at the end of Stage 2, which ended the day for three Chevrolets, including the playoff cars of Alex Bowman and
Kyle Larson. After two more major wrecks in the third stage, nearly all of the playoff drivers – save Blaney – had suffered some damage.
Blaney took the lead following a red flag for a multiple-car crash in the closing laps and held off a hard charge from Newman and Denny Hamlin to seal the victory. Aric Almirola finished fourth, Michael McDowell fifth, Austin Dillon sixth, Corey LaJoie seventh, Chase Elliott eighth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ninth and Ty Dillon 10th.
Big one, part III: With less than 10 laps remaining in the race, Kyle Busch, leading the middle lane, got shoved from behind and slammed hard into Brad Keselowski, who was leading the outside lane.
That set off a multiple-car collision, which sent Brendan Gaughan’s No. 62 airborne, where it flipped upside down before landing on its tires and into Kurt Busch. Kevin Harvick, Chris Buescher, Matt DiBenedetto, David Ragan, Daniel Hemric and Stenhouse were also collected in the huge crash.
Big one, part II: William Byron, running near the front of the inside lane, got a push from Kurt Busch, which sent him spinning into Joey Logano and started a chain reaction. Daniel Suarez, Ryan Preece, Erik Jones, Matt Crafton and Joey Gase were also involved in the wreck.
Byron and Jones suffered race-ending damage, while Logano’s No. 22 needed major repairs on pit road to get him back on the track.
Stage 2: Following the massive multiple-car crash in the closing laps, the second segment ended under caution. Clint Bowyer earned the stage victory and a playoff point. Logano finished second for the second consecutive stage. He was followed by Penske teammate Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Suarez, Blaney, Buescher, Kurt Busch, Byron and Kyle Busch.
Big one strikes: Bowman, who was leading the race, got a huge shove from Joey Logano on lap 108, which sent him into a spin that collected a number of cars, including two of Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates (Jimmie Johnson and Elliott).
Larson, who had clinched a berth in the Round of 8 with his victory at Dover, had his car totaled. Martin Truex Jr., Hamlin, Harvick and Preece were also involved, but Bowman, Johnson and Larson suffered the worst of the damage and were eliminated from the race.