In just seven weeks, Team Penske has increased its lead in the NASCAR Cup Series from one winless race to four wins among the organization’s three full-time competitors.
Ryan Blaney, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, claimed his 12th victory in NASCAR’s top class on Sunday at The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.
The 30-year-old driver didn’t play a major role in the first two-thirds of the race, but crew chief Jonathan Hassler gave the No. 12 Wabash Ford Mustang Dark Horse the track position it needed to secure the win.
Hassler opted for a two-tire strategy with 44 laps to go, which catapulted him into second place behind Kyle Larson, who was later caught for speeding on pit road.
Blaney then managed to keep both Denny Hamlin and Alex Bowman at bay in the final laps of Sunday’s 160-lap race, defending against the Chicago Street Course winner on four different restarts over the final 40 laps.
“I think we’re just rolling like clockwork. I think we’ve got it up to a great level speed-wise – especially in the last two months. I think we’ve honestly missed a couple of races where we had a good chance to win,” Blaney said. “So it was nice to just stick to the plan today and our plan was to have a good position on the track at the end knowing our car was fast enough. I’m super proud of Jonathan (Hassler) and all the guys in the No. 12.”
“It’s so cool to win here again. Seven years ago I got my first win here (in the NASCAR Cup Series). It’s so great to be back. The crowd, you guys are amazing. Thank you for being here all weekend,” he added.
Denny Hamlin finished second behind Blaney after the Joe Gibbs Racing driver made an incredible comeback over the final five laps to halve a nearly three-second gap, crossing the start-finish line 1.312 seconds behind Blaney.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman and William Byron finished third and fourth, respectively, while Joey Logano, a teammate of Ryan Blaney in the Team Penske stable, rounded out the top five.
Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex, Jr., Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace completed the top 10 finishers for the 21st NASCAR Cup Series event in 2024.
