Written by Sean McKean
To solidify the second Team Penske car, Ryan Blaney won his way into the Championship 4 following his Martinsville victory.
However, the headlines laid behind him. William Byron looked set to make it to the Championship 4 but initially had it taken away after Christopher Bell rode the outside wall. Bell was subsequently penalised.
As it unfolded
From pole, Martin Truex Jr. swiftly held position to lead Lap 1. But, by Lap 42, his car began to fade on the long run, resulting in Chase Elliott taking the lead.
The Joe Gibbs driver’s handling had become so bad that, by Lap 67, Truex went in for a pit stop to fix the issues. However, he received a penalty for speeding on pit road – putting him down a lap.
Luckily, the caution came out shortly thereafter on Lap 75. Christopher Bell – who had started low – made an ambitious dive on Corey Lajoie in Turn 1, sending both into a spin. Both cars continued without damage.
Elliott led on the ensuing restart and held position until stage’s end. William Byron and Chase Briscoe followed behind.
Stage 1 Results:
No. 9 - Chase Elliott [Playoffs]
No. 24 - William Byron [Playoffs]
No. 14 - Chase Briscoe
No. 41 - Ryan Preece
No. 12 - Ryan Blaney [Playoffs]
No. 5 - Kyle Larson [Playoffs]
No. 48 - Alex Bowman
No. 3 - Austin Dillon
No. 22 - Joey Logano [Playoffs]
No. 6 - Brad Keselowski
William Byron led on the Lap 142 restart after most elected to pit, but only three laps later, the caution came back out for a spin by Daniel Suarez.
A few cars came into the pits during this period, none of which were playoff drivers. This group included Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin
Byron again led on Lap 148, but again a caution came out. This time, it was for a spin by Harrison Burton.
More cars elected to pit under this caution, including Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Byron stayed out and led the way on Lap 164. He led for 20 laps until the caution came out again. Polesitter Martin Truex Jr. received a tap from Daniel Hemric, putting him into a spin in Turn 3.
This time, big hitters came into the pits: the top three of Byron, Elliott, and Briscoe and Kyle Larson. However, a slow stop from Elliott allowed Larson to move into net-third.
Since they stopped beforehand, Ryan Blaney led the way on Lap 192, but again the caution came out four laps later. Going into Turn 1, Carson Hocevar went for an overambitious move – sending Daniel Hemric and Todd Gilliland into a spin. They continued undamaged.
The next restart on Lap 204 saw a green flag run begin. Blaney got the jump, but Brad Keselowski managed to take the lead for the first time today one lap later.
Keselowski led mostly unchallenged to take stage victory – his first of the year. Blaney and Denny Hamlin followed suit.
Stage 2 Results:
No. 6 - Brad Keselowski
No. 12 - Ryan Blaney [Playoffs]
No. 11 - Denny Hamlin [Playoffs]
No. 5 - Kyle Larson [Playoffs]
No. 24 - William Byron [Playoffs]
No. 20 - Christopher Bell [Playoffs]
No. 3 - Austin Dillon
No. 48 - Alex Bowman
No. 10 - Noah Gragson
No. 41 - Ryan Preece
Keselowski maintained the lead in pit stops with Larson moving up the order. Notably, Christopher Bell fell out of the top 15 after a slow stop.
The RFK driver led the way and held the lead until Lap 372 when he and most drivers took their final pit stop. However, a slower pit stop allowed William Byron to get by for the net-lead. Furthermore, Chase Elliott pitted 20 laps earlier to gain track position. Subsequently, Elliott held a seven-second lead followed by Byron and Keselowski.
Byron began to run down his Hendrick teammate, but before the pass could be made, the caution came out for a spin by Carson Hocevar in Turn 2.
Only a few notables took to the pits. Elliott – on an alternate strategy – had no choice, Blaney took an offensive choice, and Bell simply needed to undergo damage limitation strategies while one-lap down.
Byron initially led the Lap 407 restart, but in Turn 3 before the green, Kyle Busch’s front-right wheel came loose and rolled onto the race track. Although green flag racing only lasted for two seconds, Kyle Larson managed to snag the lead from his teammate.
Larson led now with only 87 laps remaining.
Within the next ten laps, Elliott hounded in Larson and took the lead. But, Ryan Blaney took the lead and never looked back.
However, the headlines focused on the cut-line, specifically William Byron holding a one-point lead over Christopher Bell. As Blaney crossed the line to win his third race of the season, Bell – in 19th at the time – made a move on Bubba Wallace but washed up into the outside wall. Not wanting to give up, Bell kept the throttle pinned and rode the outside wall.
By gaining the position, Bell provisionally locked his way into the Championship 4.
Provisional Results:
No. 12 - Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) [Playoffs]
No. 9 - Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) [ELIMINATED]
No. 5 - Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) [ELIMINATED]
No. 2 - Austin Cindric (Team Penske)
No. 11 - Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) [ELIMINATED]
No. 24 - William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports) [Playoffs]
No. 3 - Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)
No. 1 - Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)
No. 6 - Brad Keselowski (Roush Fenway-Keselowski Racing)
No. 22 - Joey Logano (Team Penske) [Playoffs]
No. 10 - Noah Gragson (Stewart-Haas Racing)
No. 16 - Shane van Gisbergen (Kaulig Racing)
No. 48 - Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports)
No. 41 - Ryan Preece (Stewart-Haas Racing)
No. 14 - Chase Briscoe (Stewart-Haas Racing)
No. 4 - Josh Berry (Stewart-Haas Racing)
No. 31 - Daniel Hemric (Kaulig Racing)
No. 20 - Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing) [ELIMINATED] +1 lap
No. 23 - Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing) +1 lap
No. 43 - Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club) +1 lap
No. 47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG-Daugherty Racing) +1 lap
No. 71 - Zane Smith (Spire Motorsports) +1 lap
No. 99 - Daniel Suarez (Trackhouse Racing) +2 laps
No. 19 - Martin Truex Jr. (Joe Gibbs Racing) +2 laps
No. 77 - Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports) +2 laps
No. 38 - Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports) +2 laps
No. 15 - Kaz Grala (Rick Ware Racing) +3 laps
No. 8 - Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing) +3 laps
No. 7 - Justin Haley (Spire Motorsports) +3 laps
No. 17 - Chris Buescher (Roush Fenway-Keselowski Racing) +3 laps
No. 42 - John Hunter Nemechek (Legacy Motor Club) +4 laps
No. 54 - Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) +5 laps
No. 34 - Michael McDowell (Front Row Motorsports) +10 laps
No. 45 - Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) [Playoffs] [DNF]
No. 51 - Corey Lajoie (Rick Ware Racing) [DNF]
No. 21 - Harrison Burton (Wood Brothers Racing) [DNF]
No. 66 - Josh Bilicki (MBM Motorsports) [DNF]
After fifteen minutes of deliberation, this is your Championship 4. Bell's move was disallowed:
No. 12 - Ryan Blaney (3 Wins, 15.6 Avg/Fin)
No. 45 - Tyler Reddick (3 Wins, 12.8 Avg/Fin)
No. 22 - Joey Logano (3 Wins, 17.8 Avg/Fin)
No. 24 - William Byron (3 Wins, 13.4 Avg/Fin)
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