This time, there was no disagreeable shock ready for Ryan Blaney close to the end line of a NASCAR Cup Collection race.
Grabbing the lead on crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s two-tire name beneath the ultimate warning of Sunday night time’s Iowa Corn 350, Blaney led the ultimate 88 laps of the inaugural Cup race at 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway.
In entrance of a giant contingent of household and associates, the reigning sequence champion crossed the end line 0.716 seconds forward of runner-up William Byron, who was racing on 4 new tires after a pit cease beneath warning for Chris Buescher’s accident on lap 260.
The victory was Blaney’s first of the season and the eleventh of his profession. He’s now received at Iowa Speedway in all three NASCAR nationwide sequence, having triumphed within the CRAFTSMAN Truck Collection in 2012 and the Xfinity Collection in 2015.
All informed, the race winner led 4 instances for 201 of 350 laps on a observe that was repaved within the backside two lanes within the corners.
“What a cool method to win right here. This place means rather a lot to me and means rather a lot to my mother (Lisa, from Chariton, Iowa),” mentioned Blaney, who was main June 2 at World Extensive Expertise Raceway at Gateway exterior St. Louis earlier than operating out of gas on the white-flag lap.
“We had lots of people right here tonight cheering us on, in order that they willed us to that one. Total, I actually admire the entire . I imply, our automotive was actually quick all night time and we received just a little bit higher by way of the night time, and two tires was name there.
“I didn’t understand how nicely I used to be going to carry on. I began to wrestle just a little bit on the finish however had sufficient to hold on. I’m tremendous happy with the hassle.”
Byron wasn’t stunned Blaney received the race on two contemporary tires, given the standard of the Staff Penske driver’s No. 12 Ford.
“No, he had a very good automotive, so he was up entrance and contending rather a lot, and him and the No. 5 (pole winner Kyle Larson) have been actually good,” Byron mentioned. “We have been only a step off of that, you recognize?
“I really feel like I simply wanted to show the middle only a hair higher and nonetheless form of preserve the long term. Pleased with the hassle. It was a very good night time, and I really feel like we will be taught from this and construct from it to be just a little bit higher.”
Noah saved driving that factor!
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— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 17, 2024
In a race that featured eight cautions for 49 laps, Chase Elliott completed third, adopted by Christopher Bell, who began from the rear of the sector in a backup automotive after blowing a proper entrance tire and crashing in Friday’s observe.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got here dwelling fifth, with Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski finishing the highest 10.
The restart after the second stage break modified your complete dynamic of the race. Larson had simply taken the inexperienced/checkered flag to assert his eighth stage victory of the season, however on lap 220, one circuit after the ultimate stage went inexperienced for the primary time, contact from Suarez’s Chevrolet despatched Larson’s Camaro spinning into the surface wall on the frontstretch, pinching Denny Hamlin’s Toyota into the barrier within the course of.
Hendrick’s No. 5 crew finally repaired the wounded machine, however not till the 2021 champion had misplaced 31 laps within the storage. Larson completed thirty fourth, 36 laps down and misplaced the sequence result in Elliott, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.
Larson, who led 80 laps on Sunday earlier than the accident that waylaid him, trails Elliott by eight factors with 9 races left within the common season. Subsequent up for the Cup Collection is the June 23 USA In the present day 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
