Ryan Blaney held off Josh Berry to claim victory in Sunday’s Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, securing a direct ticket to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8.
The race reinforced the dominance of Ford-powered cars, with three finishing among the top five at the one-mile New Hampshire track after Toyota’s reign in the opening three rounds of the Playoffs.
At the drop of the green flag, pole sitter Joey Logano seized the lead and aggressively controlled a dominant 147 laps to capture Stage 2 win.
However, it was Logano’s Penske teammate Ryan Blaney who quickly established himself as a formidable challenger. After starting from second, Blaney surged forward and claimed Stage 1 victory before leading 116 laps to capture overall victory.
“Yeah, that was probably the hardest 20 laps that I drove,” said Blaney after claiming his third win of the season and the 16th of his career. “I was trying to kind of bide my stuff and kind of pull Josh a little bit.
“Then he really started coming, and I started to get super free. It was all I could do to hold him off, trying new lanes. That was good racing and clean racing. I appreciate Josh for not throwing me the bumper when he could have.
“What a cool day. What a cool weekend. Super-fast car all weekend. Can’t believe the 12 boys, they’re unbelievable. Really have been strong through the playoffs. It’s great to get a win, first race of this round.”
NASCAR Cup New Hampshire Mobil 1 301 Race Results 2025
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings after New Hampshire
Meanwhile, Josh Berry’s resilience came to the fore as he fought back through the field after Shane van Gisbergen spun him out in Stage 2, to eventually finish an impressive second for Wood Brothers Racing.
Recently crowned 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season champion William Byron maintained a strong finish in third, while Joey Logano finished fourth ahead of Chase Elliott who delivered a remarkable sprint from 27th to round out the top five.
Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson also posted commendable finishes in sixth and seventh, respectively. Michael McDowell and Ross Chastain battled hard for top-10 finishes, claiming eighth and ninth, while Chase Briscoe rounded out the top ten, securing valuable playoff points.
However, some playoff drivers endured a disastrous race, risking elimination With two races remaining in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12.
Bubba Wallace struggled with setup on his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota which saw him fade from the early running and finish 26th, a lap down from the leaders.
Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick battled brake issues that limited his competitiveness, resulting in a 21st place, while Austin Cindric ended up 17th.
Denny Hamlin finished 12th, while Shane Van Gisbergen retired after completing only 250 laps due to issues, trailing several laps behind the leaders.
Justin Haley and John Hunter Nemechek similarly fell back, with Haley completing 207 laps and Nemechek retiring after 146 laps. Ty Gibbs and Daniel Suarez also did not finish the race, which added unpredictability in the lower midfield and backfield positions.
NASCAR Cup Series now heads to the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400.
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