AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney accomplished a hard-earned Staff Penske sweep on the famed Phoenix Raceway in Sunday’s Straight Speak Wi-fi 500 – recovering from a number of early race setbacks to assert his first NASAR Cup Collection trophy of the season and reply his Penske workforce’s Saturday IndyCar win on the observe with a spectacular and fashionable inventory automotive victory a day later.
A pair of pit-stop points – together with a penalty for pitting outdoors his field – put Blaney on the rear of the sector twice early within the race however the 2023 collection champion was to not be denied – rallying again in his No. 12 Staff Penske Ford and taking the lead for good with 10 laps remaining.
Blaney’s workforce took tire tires on a closing cease on a warning with 12 laps remaining and made his approach ahead after restarting on the second row.
He received round then race chief Ty Gibbs with 10 to go after which held off Gibbs’ Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell who led essentially the most laps — 176 of 312 — however confronted an enormous activity transferring up from an eighth-place place on the ultimate restart as the primary automotive to take 4 tires. With the contemporary Goodyear rubber, Bell a minimum of saved Blaney trustworthy, chopping into the lead with every lap, however finally coming .399 seconds quick.
“Simply perseverance,” Blaney conceded of his afternoon. “I imply, all people on the 12-group persevered all day. We had a pair errors that we discovered from, received higher, needed to come from the again a pair occasions.
“Clearly the 20 [Bell] was one of the best automotive. However [Blaney’s crew chief] Jonathan [Hassler] made an ideal name to take two [on last stop]. We had been in a position to get the lead. Maintain them off. I don’t know what number of extra laps I may have held them off.
“Actually happy with all people at Staff Penske. We swept the weekend with [Josef] Newgarden successful yesterday, us successful at the moment. Can’t wait to see [team owner] Roger [Penske]. … Can’t say sufficient in regards to the 12 guys for holding their head down and doing what they do and Jonathan once more for making an excellent name on the finish.”
Vibrant solar and temperatures close to 90 levels welcomed an enormous crowd for the Sunday’s second half of the well-received racing doubleheader weekend with each IndyCar and NASCAR marquee occasions. Lots of the open-wheel racers stayed at observe and located spots atop workforce pit stands to observe the inventory automobiles compete.
And the Penske workforce definitely made the a lot of the distinctive doubleheader alternative.
It marks the 32-year-old Blaney’s 18th profession victory and second at Phoenix and vaults him to second place within the championship standings – now 60 factors behind 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who noticed his historic three-race successful streak to begin the season finish with an eighth-place exhibiting Sunday.
Reddick ran among the many top-10 all through the race however by no means actually challenged for the victory.
“We form of simply hovered round fifth all day,” conceded Reddick, whose 23XI Racing workforce co-owner Michael Jordan was once more trackside in assist of the group’s record-setting 2026 season begin.
“Wanting on the board over right here, scored the fourth most quantity of factors on the day,” he added. “That’s form of what we have to hold doing all yr to maintain the lead that we’ve got and try to hold on to it. Stable day. If we’re not going to win, these are the form of days we have to have. Glad to get out of right here with some factors.”
Bell, the defending race winner, whose personal three-race successful streak final season included this Phoenix race, was understandably dissatisfied to complete runner-up after main essentially the most laps. The upside, nevertheless, is that his No. 20 JGR workforce dramatically moved up from 18th within the championship standings earlier than the race to now sixth place heading to Las Vegas subsequent week. He and Blaney every gained a stage Sunday.
“In the end, if we had extra inexperienced flag laps, I feel we may have made a run at him,” Bell mentioned. “I don’t know. You win some, you lose some. This one stings, however on the constructive facet I’m actually happy with our total workforce. It’s one thing to construct on. It was a day that we would have liked. We received plenty of stage factors, completed second – simply bummed at any time when they get away like that.”
Past Blaney and Bell, reigning collection champion, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson completed third adopted by Bell’s JGR teammates Gibbs — who now has back-to-back fourth-place finishes on the season — and Denny Hamlin.
Reddick’s teammate Bubba Wallace was sixth, adopted by Hendrick’s William Byron, Reddick, Spire Motorsports Michael McDowell and Legacy Motor Membership’s Erik Jones. Common driver Shane Van Gisbergen – the collection street racing ace – rallied to an Eleventh-place exhibiting even after being concerned in a number of incidents on the day.
The race’s 12 cautions tied the observe document for yellow flags. There have been eight leaders and 23 lead adjustments.
Anthony Alfredo, who was subbing for Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman, completed thirty third within the No. 48 Chevrolet, collected in a multi-car crash with simply lower than 100 laps remaining.
Outcomes
(5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 312.
(12) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 312.
(2) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 312.
(14) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 312.
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 312.
(28) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 312.
(9) William Byron, Chevrolet, 312.
(8) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 312.
(16) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 312.
(32) Erik Jones, Toyota, 312.
(18) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 312.
(30) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 312.
(13) Ryan Preece, Ford, 312.
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 312.
(37) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 312.
(25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 312.
(29) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 312.
(22) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 312.
(23) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 312.
(7) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 312.
(27) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 312.
(21) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 312.
(26) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 312.
(34) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 312.
(15) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 312.
(33) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 311.
(24) Zane Smith, Ford, Accident, 294.
(6) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 286.
(19) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, Suspension, 281.
(4) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, Accident, 254.
(1) Joey Logano, Ford, Accident, 253.
(10) Josh Berry, Ford, Accident, 253.
(31) Anthony Alfredo(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 217.
(3) Austin Cindric, Ford, Accident, 216.
(36) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, Radiator, 159.
(35) Noah Gragson, Ford, Accident, 155.
(20) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, Accident, 131.
