AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney was one spot wanting accumulating back-to-back NASCAR Cup Collection championships Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
The driving force of the No. 12 Crew Penske Ford was pressured to accept second behind teammate Joey Logano by a mere 0.33 seconds.
Blaney, a three-time winner in 2024, mustered a masterful drive over the ultimate 55-lap run to the checkers. After restarting sixth, Blaney shortly charged to fourth, ultimately working via Hendrick Motorsports Kyle Larson for third and William Byron for second.
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Blaney cleared Byron for the runner-up place with 22 laps remaining and sat 2.1 seconds behind Logano with the ultimate handfuls of laps forward. The 30-year-old quickly erased that deficit and stormed to the again bumper of Logano‘s No. 22 Ford, however Blaney in the end had nothing left to throw at Logano.
Blaney was visibly exhausted upon exiting his Ford, crouching simply to gather his breath after pouring his soul into chasing his second consecutive Cup title.
“I needed to work my ass off to get by the 5, and I needed to work my ass off to get to the 24 and cross him,” Blaney mentioned. “And I labored my tail off to run Joey down from a protracted methods again. In order I’m doing it, I’m considering to myself, like, I feel I’m gonna get there (to Logano), get shut, however I don’t know if I might need something to cross him. However I can’t save as a result of I’m by no means gonna get there if I save.”
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The turning level of the race was the Lap 251 warning that preceded the race-deciding restart. The ultimate stage fired off on Lap 194 with 118 laps remaining, culminating in a fierce battle for the highest spot between Logano and Blaney. As soon as Blaney cleared him on Lap 236, Logano darted to pit street with 77 laps left — with Blaney and Reddick following swimsuit a lap later.
Byron, however, stayed out an additional 12 laps to pit at Lap 248 whereas his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott stayed out even longer. Then got here a shake-up three circuits later when the right-rear brake rotor on Zane Smith‘s No. 71 Chevrolet exploded, sending Smith right into a skid and into the Flip 1 wall.
The yellow flag waved with solely seven vehicles on the lead lap — three of which have been Championship 4 contenders Blaney, Logano and Reddick. Byron stayed out in the course of the warning interval to restart from the lead on his contemporary tires — however any tire benefit they’d was immediately wiped away.
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The opposite of that coin, nonetheless, was the No. 24 Chevrolet lastly had clear air as their competitors had extra visitors to work via.
“I feel the most important setback for us there was simply the way in which that warning fell, permitting the Hendrick guys to sort of do an alternate technique,” Jonathan Hassler, crew chief of Blaney‘s No. 12 workforce, advised NASCAR.com. “And that subsequent restart, we ended up third on the surface (in sixth) behind the 9 and the 5. Actually simply slowed us down. Joey was capable of get previous us there. I feel that was most likely the important thing pivotal second for us. We have been virtually capable of get better and get again.
“I feel the distinction was the 24 was on kind of new tires, acquired to remain out, inherit the lead, and then you definately had two teammates that had ran lengthy sufficient that they might place themselves forward of us after they hadn’t ran in entrance of us all day, and simply sort of get in our means.”
Like Blaney, Byron returned to the Championship 4 for the second straight season. The technique play by crew chief Rudy Fugle positioned Byron atop the scoring pylon, however the Crew Penske energy behind them was too robust to maintain at bay.
“Yeah, if it goes inexperienced to the tip, then I‘d prefer to see how that mixes us up too, proper?” Fugle mentioned. “I assumed that they pitted too early for what I may abdomen, so then you definately simply run longer. After which the warning labored out. I feel both means, it’s what it’s. We simply didn’t have a quick sufficient automotive. However yeah, typically you have got a tire benefit. Generally you possibly can luck into one thing. However yeah, that’s all it was.”
Whereas the Hendrick vehicles have been capable of fend off expenses from Blaney, Logano allowed no time to relaxation. One lap after the restart, his No. 22 Ford stormed to the underside of the observe exiting Flip 4 and ripped previous Byron and Bell in a daring three-wide transfer. Byron was virtually caught off guard by the dramatic cost.
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“Pretty much as good as they acquired via 1 and a pair of, it was similar to, man, now they’re proper on me,” Byron mentioned. “I feel going into the restart, I assumed I had sufficient of a buffer and I didn’t actually really feel like one lap on tires that was that massive a deal. I don’t suppose it was.
“I simply suppose that they have been quick on the brief run all weekend, and that was sort of our battle. Like we have been first rate all through the run, however couldn’t actually take off with a ton of velocity. It wasn’t an enormous shock, however they have been on me somewhat bit faster than I assumed they’d be.”
Tyler Reddick‘s inaugural Championship 4 Sunday was quieter than his fellow members of the title quartet. The No. 45 Toyota from 23XI Racing was mired close to the again of the highest 10 via a lot of the 312-lap affair whereas Logano, Blaney and Byron have been nestled inside the highest 5.
On the last stage break, Reddick was capable of launch himself into the highest 5 and keep inside hanging distance of his title foes, however that arrival was short-lived.
“I really feel like Stage 2 after we broke out and acquired proper behind the 24, 22 and 12, I assumed, OK, let’s see the place this goes,” Reddick mentioned. “Over time, they sort of acquired away. I used to be inside vary of William and tried to make a transfer, and it didn’t work out. After which settled again in, and yeah, they steadily pulled away over time. That’s what sort of occurred in Stage 3, as effectively.
“We‘ve acquired to search out somewhat bit extra velocity, however we made the automotive higher all through the day. We maintained on pit street. We did all that we may, I feel, with it. However actually, it’s robust after they simply get additional and additional away over time.”
Crew chief Billy Scott was pleased with what he noticed from each his driver and his workforce at massive, representing a corporation that solely simply accomplished its fourth season within the Cup Collection.
“Some days, you get beat,” Scott advised NASCAR.com. “This sport is hard. You actually lose much more than you win. These Penske vehicles have been robust right here for some time, and that’s what occurred immediately. We simply acquired beat, however it was not for lack of preparation or lack of effort.”
