Ryan Blaney continues “momentum” in playoffs and competes for second consecutive NASCAR win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With all the possible results that could have happened at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, the NASCAR Cup regular season finale was somewhat predictable.

Ryan Blaney ended up in the winning band for the second week in a row. Kyle Larson, the most dominant driver of the year, took home the regular season award. Tyler Reddick ended up in 16th and final playoffs. And the race ended overtime in a fiery collision involving nearly half of the field.

“It’s Daytona. For me, it was no different than any other race here,” said 2017 series champion Martin Truex Jr., who finished 30th. “I’m glad we’re ready; I’m glad we’re out of here.”

He was barely alone. Drivers tore up the revamped aerodynamics package and deplored the usual aggressive driving that caused three wrecks in the last 20 laps.

Reddick caught the first, but rose to sixth. All he needed to do was beat Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon and hope the new winner deserves his first playoff spot.

Reddick and Dillon were both racing to get a desperate, final sigh of victory in the two-round sequel to the finish line. But Blaney, who was second on reboot, cleared the traffic in part thanks to a Corey LaJoie bump and was clearly ahead of the package when the collision ended the race.

Daniel Suarez, one of ten front-line drivers trying to win the race to get an automatic playoff spot, turned Kevin Harvick into a multi-car melee. Kurt Busch seemed to have pushed Suarez into Harvick from behind.

Blaney, the winner in Michigan last week, will head to next week’s playoff opener at Darlington Raceway and win three wins this season at Team Penske Ford.

“Yeah, we’re on a good pace,” Blaney said. “We’d do it three in a row, we’ll see.”

In the regular season finals, the stakes were quite low as 15 of the 15 playoffs were applied for in advance. That meant only the first time the winner of the race was able to edge Reddick or Dillon to last place.

Neither had a smooth night: Reddick’s car suffered collision damage in a previous accident and Dillon was first marked for speeding on the pit track and also battled voltage problems in his Chevrolet.

“I don’t know how to smile at this point. It was a lot tonight,” Reddick said. “I’m excited to have passed it.”

Dillon had still risen to fourth on the final reboot, but was collected at the end of the race.

“We gave our all and fought to the end,” Dillon said. “We will end this year hard and continue next year.”

The only other race in Daytona was the regular season championship, which was won by Larson, this time a five-time winner. The competition for the regular season championship and its relegation points was held between Larson and Denny Hamlin, who reached 28 points after Daytona after Larson.

Hamlin held the regular season lead for 22 weeks until Larson claimed it two races ago in Indianapolis. Larson won the 166-point deficit to Hamlin to win the championship.

“What a great year he’s had,” said team owner Rick Hendrick, who gave Larson jobs this season after he missed most of 2020 after being suspended for racial insult.

Chris Buescher finished second, from just one place, before he automatically made it to the playoffs he was looking for. But Ford’s score was 1-2.

“If you lose a playoff spot in one spot, it’s a hard end to the day,” Buescher said. “I’ll definitely repeat it and find something else.”

Bubba Wallace was the best third of the season, but frustrated he had no help from any Toyota at the end of the race. Hamlin, the owner of his team at 23XI Racing, was the closest Toyota driver to Wallace at the finish line – back in 14th place.

“I’m a little frustrated, I’m called in that he hasn’t worked with his teammates, and I’m the one who gets the hang of it,” Wallace said. “Ford’s victory has a reason, because they always work together.”

MCDOWELLIN MISS

Michael McDowell finished first and last in two super speed races in Daytona this season.

The surprising Daytona 500 winner blew the engine carefully on Saturday and it was done after 23 laps. McDowell achieved his place in the playoffs with his Daytona 500 win, so his early exit didn’t affect his chances in the playoffs.

But McDowell has no momentum when he finishes 20th or worse in the seventh consecutive race.

SUPPLEMENTARY SYSTEM

NASCAR was introduced A trophy tailored for Wendell Scott’s family, reminiscent of his historic victory in 1963 before the race. Scott is the only black driver to have won a race at the top level of NASCAR.

Scott overtook Richard Petty’s 25 laps left at Speedway Park in Jacksonville on December 1, 1963. But Buck Baker, who actually finished second, was declared the winner of the Jacksonville 200 and won the prize.

The race officials discovered hours later that Scott was a real winner and had hit the entire field twice. But he was not given a profit for another two years, and his family has long demanded a decent feast.

NASCAR ordered Scott on his eve of his 100th birthday.

OLYMPIC FLAIR

Olympic bronze medalist Noah Lyles served as Grand Marshal for the race and demanded more from the audience.

Lyles, a 200-meter favorite who finished third in Tokyo, asked fans for a tougher response after his first attempt was weak. “That’s what I’m talking about,” he said before ordering drivers to start their engines.

Lyles used his medal before the race and mixed with driver Bubba Wallace in the grid. Wallace looked closely at the medal. Lyles made headlines in Japan because of his emotional collapse After the 200-meter final.

NEXT

The playoffs will begin next Sunday at Darlington Raceway, which recently revamped part of Turn 2, which could change the way the track races. Kevin Harvick is the defensive winner of the race and Martin Truex Jr. won the South Carolina track in May.