Ryan Blaney ended his NASCAR 59-race winless streak on Monday by winning the Coca-Cola 600, which was postponed due to rain and was filled with crashes.
“I might shed a tear. This has been a cool weekend,” he said. “Obviously Memorial Day weekend means a lot, growing up here watching Dad (former driver Dave Blaney) run this race for a long time. It’s so cool just to be a part of it, let alone win it.”
The Team Penske driver has won eight times in his career. William Byron, who held the pole, came in second and was.663 seconds behind. Third place went to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr.
“The car was great tonight. Just not quite good enough,” Byron said. “Really proud of the effort. Pit crew was phenomenal on pit road.”
There were 16 alerts and 31 lead changes in the 600-mile race, one of the royal gems on the NASCAR plan.
Prior to Monday, Blaney won in August 2021 at Daytona International Speedway.
The 14th Cup Series race and the longest NASCAR race of the season will be held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Practice and qualifying meetings on Saturday were likewise dropped because of the downpour, so the beginning arrangement for the race was set “per the standard book” – a measurement in light of execution at the Darlington Raceway fourteen days prior.
Alex Bowman placed 12th after returning to competition a month after sustaining a vertebral fracture in a sprint car accident.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson began in last spot, 37th, and completed there, 285 laps behind the victor.
Team Penske had a fantastic weekend, which culminated in Blaney’s victory; Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 on Sunday.
In the final lap, the American driver passed Marcus Ericsson, the winner from the previous year. During the course of the race, 14 drivers changed 52 positions in the lead after three crashes with red flags led to a dramatic finish.
Team Penske drivers won both major races that year for the first time.
