Ryan Blaney emerges from rain-soaked Georgia race with OT win

Ryan Blaney rebounded from late harm to his Ford and received a three-wide battle on the line in additional time, taking the checkers in Sunday evening’s wild, rain-delayed Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Ga.

The Crew Penske driver led a race-high 171 laps however acquired a shove from Christopher Bell’s No. 20 coming to the stripe to report his second win this season and nineteenth of his profession within the Cup sequence.

Bell, Carson Hocevar, Ty Gibbs and Erik Jones rounded out the highest 5 after Bubba Wallace, who initially completed runner-up, was penalized for passing under the yellow line and dropped to twenty ninth.

With rain approaching the monitor south of Atlanta, drivers had been suggested by their crew chiefs that they is perhaps racing for an hour earlier than the storm arrived, in order that they set a quick tempo to begin 60-lap Stage 1 led by polesitter Blaney’s No. 12 Ford.

Stage 1 continued to run inexperienced with out pit stops till the section break. The warning flew with Blaney main each circuit and profitable the highest bonus factors, and Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric adopted as Crew Penske claimed three of the highest 5 positions.

Reddick was first off pit highway, however Blaney regained the purpose in 100-lap Stage 2, which couldn’t be run with out a pit cease. Nonetheless, the 23XI Racing Toyotas of Wallace and Reddick had been shut behind on the midway level of the stage.

The second warning flew on Lap 108 for lightning with Blaney main Wallace, Reddick, Bell and Chase Elliott. The vehicles had been parked, and the drivers acquired out for a red-flag situation that started close to 8:30 p.m. ET.

After a three-hour-plus delay, drivers returned to their vehicles and followers to the stands, and Blaney picked up the place he left off with numerous grip and good dealing with. Logano and Wallace had been in sizzling pursuit after the midnight restart.

The 2023 sequence champion took the checkers within the second stage, too, holding off Reddick, Logano, Cindric and Daniel Suarez, whereas Wallace spun off the nostril of Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

With 85 laps left, Gibbs, Bell and Denny Hamlin created a 1-2-3 for JGR, and Gibbs held the highest spot till AJ Allmendinger spun down the frontstretch on Lap 194 for the fourth warning.

The entire area pitted on various methods, and the massive movers had been Blaney and Wallace, who every gridded inside the highest 10 after gaining eight spots apiece.

The fifth warning flew with 29 circuits left when Wallace blocked Blaney and the Penske Ford smacked the wall.

Larson, winless by way of 44 straight races, introduced out the ultimate two cautions contained in the final 20 laps to arrange the end.

–Subject Stage Media