Blaney wins at Daytona, Reddick earns final playoff berth

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ryan Blaney received for the second consecutive week when the race Saturday night time at Daytona Worldwide Speedway ended underneath warning in additional time with a typical fiery end.

Tyler Reddick took the sixteenth and ultimate spot within the playoffs with a seventh-place end. Reddick wanted solely to beat Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon and hope for a repeat winner to earn his first playoff berth.

Reddick and Dillon have been each in competition to make a determined final gasp push for the win within the two-lap additional time dash to the end. However Blaney, who was second on the restart, cleared site visitors with a push from Corey LaJoie and was nicely forward of the pack when a crash ended the race.

Daniel Suarez, certainly one of 10 drivers within the entrance pack attempting to win the race to earn the automated playoff berth, turned Kevin Harvick to set off the multi-car crash. Suarez gave the impression to be pushed into Harvick from behind by Kurt Busch.

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Blaney, the winner in Michigan final week, heads into subsequent week’s playoff opener at Darlington Raceway with three victories this season in his Staff Penske Ford.

“Yeah, we have good momentum,” Blaney mentioned. “We would prefer to make it three in a row, we’ll see.”

The regular-season finale had pretty low stakes in that 15 of the 16 playoff slots have been claimed earlier than the beginning of the race. It meant solely a first-time race winner might edge Reddick or Dillon for the ultimate spot.

Neither had a easy race: Reddick’s automotive suffered crash harm in an earlier incident and Dillon was first flagged for dashing on pit highway and likewise battled a nasty battery in his Chevrolet.

“I do not know easy methods to smile at this level, it was quite a bit tonight,” Reddick mentioned. “I am excited to be previous it.”

Dillon had nonetheless rallied to fourth on the ultimate restart however was collected within the race-ending crash.

“We gave all of it we might and fought till the tip,” Dillon mentioned. “We’ll end exhausting this yr and construct on subsequent yr.”

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The one different competitors at Daytona was for the regular-season title, which went to Kyle Larson, a five-time winner this season. The race for the regular-season championship and its playoff factors was between Larson and Denny Hamlin, who entered Daytona trailing Larson by 28 factors.

Hamlin held the regular-season lead for 22 weeks till Larson claimed it two races in the past at Indianapolis. Larson overcame a 166-point deficit to Hamlin to earn the title.

“What an superior yr he is had,” mentioned workforce proprietor Rick Hendrick, who gave Larson a job this season after Larson missed all however 4 races in 2020 whereas suspended for utilizing a racial slur.

Chris Buescher completed second, one spot in need of incomes the automated berth into the playoffs he was searching for. But it surely was a 1-2 end for Ford.

“To overlook that playoff spot by one spot, that’s a tricky ending to a day,” Buescher mentioned. “I’m positive I’ll play it again and discover one thing else completely different.”

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Bubba Wallace was a season-best third however pissed off he had no assist from any Toyotas on the finish of the race. Hamlin, his workforce proprietor at 23XI Racing, was the closest Toyota driver to Wallace on the end — approach again in 14th.

“I’m a bit of pissed off, I’m the one who will get known as out for not working with teammates and I’m the one which will get left hanging,” Wallace mentioned. “There’s a motive why Ford’s in victory lane, trigger they all the time work collectively.”

MCDOWELL’S MISS

Michael McDowell completed first and final in two superspeedway races at Daytona this season.

The shock Daytona 500 winner blew an engine underneath warning Saturday and was carried out after 23 laps. McDowell clinched a spot within the playoffs along with his Daytona 500 victory so the early exit did not have an effect on his playoff probabilities.

However McDowell has no momentum after ending twentieth or worse for the seventh consecutive race.

McDowell’s night time began within the gap when crew chief Drew Blickensderfer was ejected as a result of his Ford failed failed pre-race inspection. Anthony Alfredo’s crew chief additionally was kicked out for failing inspection.

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OVERDUE OVERTURE

NASCAR introduced Wendell Scott’s family a custom trophy commemorating his historic 1963 victory earlier than the race. Scott is the one Black driver to win a race at NASCAR’s prime degree.

Scott handed Richard Petty with 25 laps remaining at Speedway Park in Jacksonville on Dec. 1, 1963. However Buck Baker, who truly completed second, was declared the winner of the Jacksonville 200 and obtained the trophy in victory lane.

Race officers found hours later that Scott was the precise winner and had lapped the whole area twice. However he was not credited with the victory for one more two years, and his household has lengthy pushed for a correct celebration.

NASCAR obliged on the eve of what would have been Scott’s one hundredth birthday.

OLYMPIC FLARE

Olympic bronze medalist Noah Lyles served because the race’s grand marshal and demanded extra from the gang.

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Lyles, the 200-meter favourite who settled for third in Tokyo, requested followers for a louder response after his first try drew a lackluster effort. “That’s what I’m speaking about,” he mentioned earlier than giving the command for drivers to begin their engines.

Lyles was carrying his medal earlier than the race and mingling with driver Bubba Wallace on the grid. Wallace bought an up-close have a look at the medal.

Lyles made headlines in Japan for his emotional breakdown following the 200-meter ultimate. The American sprinter was in tears after a troublesome yr wherein he went on and off antidepressants and struggled when his brother didn’t make the Olympic workforce with him. Like gymnast Simone Biles and tennis star Naomi Osaka, Lyles was unapologetic as he broached the topic of psychological well being.

UP NEXT

The playoffs start subsequent Sunday at Darlington Raceway, which lately repaved a piece in Flip 2 that would change the best way the observe races. Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner and Martin Truex Jr. received on the South Carolina observe in Could.

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Extra AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP