2023 Champion Ryan Blaney gets his groove back in Nashville as he claimed his first victory of the season. The Penske car dominated the later stages of the race after a creative first stage strategy put him in position.
Joe Gibbs Racing locked out the front row, with Chase Briscoe going back to back on pole positions and Denny Hamlin starting to his side. Last week’s runner-up William Byron lined up in third. At the drop of the green, Briscoe launched in front of his teammate and led in the early laps.
Briscoe remained out front until the first round of green flag pit stops. The #19 stopped on Lap 41, handing the lead to Tyler Reddick’s #45 and eventually the #12 of Ryan Blaney, both of whom were running long. At the end of the cycle, Briscoe held the lead.
With 12 laps to go in the stage, the #19 came under fire from the #24 of Byron and the #11. With 8 laps left in the stage, Hamlin cleared the #19 in turn 4 and took the lead. Briscoe fell down to third, with Reddick’s fresher tires allowing him to drive up to second. The #11 crossed the line to take the stage win.
Stage One Results:
- #11 Hamlin
- #45 Reddick
- #19 Briscoe
- #24 Byron
- #20 Bell
- #9 Elliott
- #12 Blaney
- #71 McDowell
- #22 Logano
- #1 Chastain
Thanks to their stage one strategy, the Penske Racing duo of Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric were able to cycle to the lead for stage two.
On Lap 107, the first caution for incident occurred. Ricky Stenhouse JR’s #47 got tagged by Carson Hocevar’s #77 in the entry to Turn 3, sending the #47 into the wall. The HYAK Motorsports driver was in 17th at the time. and was out of the race.
During caution flag pit stops, Hamlin jumped Blaney for the race lead, with the #12 sliding back to fourth place.
One lap after the green flag dropped, another incident occurred, again in Turn 3. The #48 of Alex Bowman overcooked the entry to Turn 3, driving up into the #4 of Noah Gragson who retired from the damage.. The #48 also received heavy damage from the incident and had to go to the garage.
On the restart, the #20 of Christopher Bell attempted to clear the #43 of Erik Jones going into Turn 1, resulting in the #20 being sent backwards into the wall. The JGR driver took minor damage from the hit and was able to continue.
Racing resumed on Lap 124, with Hamlin jumping over Cindric for the race lead. Reddick’s #45 was forced to pit for a flat tire, sending him down a lap and continuing a painful streak for 23XI Racing.
Speaking of 23XI, the fifth caution of the race came out on Lap 131. Corey Heim, making a part-time start in the #67, squeezed the #6 into the wall on the front stretch. The Truck Series sensation retired from the race.
The field calmed down on the fifth restart of stage two, with Hamlin out in front and Blaney in close pursuit. With 20 to go in the stage, Byron swoops from third to first in one lap, but fighting with the #11 allows the #12 to slip back in front. Blaney cruised ahead for the victory in Stage two
Stage Two Results:
- #12 Blaney
- #24 Byron
- #11 Hamlin
- #22 Logano
- #43 Jones
- #2 Cindric
- #77 Hocevar
- #38 Smith
- #21 Berry
- #20 Bell
On pit road, last year’s winner Logano jumped three spots to first over teammate Blaney.
The restart is near immediately halted by another caution. Ryan Preece’s #60 gets loose in Turn 2 and spins into the wall. No damage for the RFK driver.
The field calms down, and Ryan Blaney’s #12 cruises out front as the laps wind down. During the final pit cycle, Blaney maintains a lead over Denny Hamlin and Carson Hocevar. The 2023 Champion cruises away for his first victory of the season in Nashville.
Carson Hocevar brings his #77 home second after a clutch pit strategy in the final stage. Denny Hamlin finishes his 700th start in third place, with Logano and Byron rounding out the top 5.
Trouble for playoff contenders Stenhouse and Bowman drastically changes the cut line picture going into the summer stretch.
Featured Image Credits: SportsonPrime on Twitter/X
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