Blaney halts Reddick’s run, securing Penske’s dominance in Phoenix.
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney secured a victory for Team Penske at Phoenix Raceway by winning the Cup Series race on Sunday, preventing Tyler Reddick from achieving a fourth consecutive win to kick off the NASCAR season.
Blaney entered the race as a favorite after his triumph in last November’s season finale on the mile oval, but he faced challenges with at least three tire issues that affected his position on the track. He overtook Ty Gibbs — the 49th competitor he passed on Sunday — to claim the lead with 10 laps to go, marking his 18th career win.
“Just perseverance,” Blaney remarked. “We had a few errors that we learned from, improved, and had to recover from the back a couple of times. It’s great to win, especially after a day like that. I can’t express enough gratitude to the [team] for staying focused and executing their tasks.”
While celebrating on the frontstretch, Blaney’s Ford began to roll away, prompting him to run after it to ensure it was securely parked.
This victory coincided with a weekend commemorating Team Penske’s 60th season in competition and a “desert doubleheader” that featured both IndyCar and NASCAR events at Phoenix. David Malukas secured the IndyCar pole for Penske, followed by Josef Newgarden winning Saturday’s race; Joey Logano earned the pole for the Cup race, and then Blaney completed the team’s success.
“I’m really proud of everyone at Team Penske,” Blaney stated. “We swept the weekend, with Newgarden winning yesterday and us winning today. I’m looking forward to seeing Roger.”
This win marked the first of the season for Ford, as Reddick, driving a Toyota owned by Michael Jordan for 23XI Racing, set a NASCAR record by winning the initial three races of the season.
Christopher Bell finished in second place in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson took third in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and Gibbs fell to fourth.
Denny Hamlin, who lost the championship last November at this venue, secured fifth place as JGR drivers occupied three of the top five spots. Bell dominated the race similarly to how Hamlin did in November but, like Hamlin, lost due to an unfavorable pit strategy.
In November, Hamlin opted for four tires on the final stop and was defeated for the championship by Larson, who took two tires. On Sunday, Blaney chose two tires while Bell and Hamlin each took four.
“You win some, you lose some,” Bell commented, having led 176 of the 312 laps. “This one hurts, but on the bright side, I’m really proud of our entire team. It’s something to build upon. It was a day we needed.”
Bubba Wallace finished sixth for 23XI, William Byron was seventh for Hendrick, and Reddick placed eighth. Toyota drivers claimed six of the top 10 positions.
“It would have been nice to make it four,” Reddick said. “I scored the fourth most points today… a solid day. If we can’t win, these are the types of days we need to have.”
The race was interrupted by a record-tying 12 cautions, primarily due to a series of tire failures.
Alfredo out early
A collision between Joey Logano and Ross Chastain resulted in a multi-car crash with fewer than 100 laps remaining, ending Anthony Alfredo’s season debut.
Alfredo received a call this week from Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 48 Chevrolet after Alex Bowman was sidelined due to vertigo. Over the past four years, Alfredo has dedicated countless hours in a racing simulator conducting test work for Hendrick, and Sunday’s start represented the best opportunity of his career.
Phoenix marked Alfredo’s first Cup start of the season — he qualified for the Daytona 500 driving for the small Beard Motorsports team, but his car was disqualified and removed from the field. Alfredo has 43 career Cup starts with smaller teams. The crash resulted in a 33rd place finish in his inaugural race with NASCAR’s most successful team.
Up Next
The Cup Series will compete at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Josh Berry is the defending race winner, and Denny Hamlin won the previous fall.
Source: espn.com
