HAMPTON, Ga. — Two months in the past – after claiming a spectacular 5 wins within the opening two months of the NASCAR Cup Collection season; together with a season-opening Daytona 500 trophy – it seemed like 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick might nicely simply run off with the highest seed in The Chase.
After which, his group co-owner Denny Hamlin made his personal run, methodically reducing into Reddick’s once-dominant 100-plus factors lead.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver and perennial championship favourite, Hamlin, has now hoisted 4 trophies himself and took over the driving force standings lead from Reddick a number of scorching summer time weeks in the past altering the tenor of the title run to a reputable two-man race.
And now, Staff Penske’s Ryan Blaney has boldly issued a “not so quick” effort to the 2 season frontrunners. Blaney’s win within the early Monday morning hours at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway has additionally positioned him in a spot to make a reputable run on the high seed in The Chase.
Reddick’s eighth-place end at Atlanta and Hamlin’s Twelfth-place run, allowed Reddick to primarily lower Hamlin’s benefit in half – to solely 24 factors.
And Blaney’s completely dominant win from pole place – and stage sweep – pulls him now inside 65 factors of Hamlin after being greater than 100 factors off the title lead for the overwhelming majority of the season.
Out of the blue, what seemed like a sure-bet for Reddick has now develop into an sincere three-driver battle amongst Reddick, Hamlin and Blaney with six common season races remaining to set the 16-driver subject for the championship Chase.
Blaney was genuinely shocked when instructed Monday morning how a lot floor he had made up within the factors standings.
“Simply bought to maintain doing what we’re doing,” the 2024 sequence champion mentioned with a smile. “We’ve carried out an amazing job of managing the summer time right here, making an attempt to get higher on the intermediate tracks, simply making respectable days out of them, the place perhaps we haven’t been in a position to contend for a high 4 or 5. We grind it out and scrounge out a high 10 out of it, simply get our automobile higher via the night time.
“I talked earlier what this group actually does nicely, and that’s it. After we don’t have a automobile that perhaps can contend for a win, perhaps off a bit bit, we proceed to work on it and work out methods to get it higher.”
“I don’t assume it’s out of the query,” the driving force of the No. 12 Staff Penske Ford mentioned of creating a run for the common season high spot. “We simply need to hold doing what we’re doing. That surprises me we’re that shut. I feel earlier than San Diego I used to be like 160 out. It reveals you ways fast issues can sort of ebb and move. Acquired to maintain doing what we’re doing. By no means know after we can get there or not.”
Not solely was Atlanta’s high-speed 1.5-mile drafting observe impactful atop the standings, however Monday’s outcomes impacted the opposite finish of The Chase outlook as nicely.
Legacy Motor Membership’s Erik Jones and Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen completed fifth and sixth, respectively, to solidify their positions above the switch cutline. Austin Cindric, who completed 14th within the race moved as much as that very same place within the standings with Van Gisbergen in fifteenth and Jones holding regular in that all-important sixteenth place.
One other encouraging exhibiting at Atlanta additionally impacts the standings considerably. Staff Penske’s Joey Logano earned his sixth top-10 in an in any other case irritating season for the three-time sequence champion – and it was adequate to maneuver him into the seventeenth place, now solely a slight, eight factors behind Jones for that last spot.
“I’m glad to make it via clear and have a good factors day and keep on this hunt for the Chase,” mentioned Jones, who drives the No. 43 Legacy Motor Membership Toyota. “It’s nonetheless tremendous tight, I want it was not as shut as it’s, however we bought room right here to maintain working at it and a few extra conventional tracks so we are going to see the place it goes.”
