Ryan Blaney Books Ticket To The NASCAR Playoffs With Nashville Win

And then there were three … Team Penske cars in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Ryan Blaney scored a commanding victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Race at Nashville, securing a spot in the postseason alongside teammates Joey Logano and Austin Cindric, who have both been to victory lane this year.

Blaney started 15th, but a two-tire stop during the first stage helped get him to seventh by the end of it. He won staget two and then took the lead on lap 199 of the 300 lap race and held onto it after the stage three pit cycle.

“It’s nice that it’s finally happening, so I’m ready to go celebrate,” Blaney said in his post-race interview on Prime Video.

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Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar looked like he might challenge Blaney in the closing laps, but faded and focused on holding off a charging Denny Hamlin for a second place finish, his best since moving up to the Cup Series last year.

The night wasn’t all good for Hocevar, however, as he made a bad move and ran into the back of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. early in the race, ending the Hyak Motorsports driver’s night. Hamlin was followed across the line by Logano and William Byron.

Byron jumped ahead of Kyle Larson to first in the season points standings after Larson slipped up early in the race and had to drive back from 36th to an eighth place result.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Hocevar’s home state race at Michigan International Speedway next on June 8.