NASCAR: Ryan Blaney wins Xfinity Series race at Dover
By Alex Herbst
Ryan Blaney earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win at the Monster Mile on Saturday, his sixth in his career now with Team Penske.
With the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs now in full swing, a win now means more than ever for the series regulars. Not only is it a feather in the cap to beat the best in NASCAR’s second division as well as a smattering of Cup Series regulars, but it will guarantee them a spot in the next round of the playoffs. Unfortunately for the twelve playoff drivers, though, none of them ended the day in victory lane.
Ryan Blaney, driving the #22 Ford for Team Penske, dominated the Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200 at the Monster Mile on Saturday, leading 136 of the 200 laps en route to victory. It was Blaney’s first career win at Dover International Speedway in the Xfinity Series, giving him a six-pack of wins in the division for his career so far. He was one of five Cup Series regulars who raced in the Saturday afternoon show.
Justin Allgaier came home in second behind Blaney, padding his points cushion ahead of the playoff elimination race at Charlotte next weekend. Allgaier and teammate William Byron, who finished third at Dover, now sit 1-2 in the Xfinity Series playoff standings. While their positions appear solid to advance into the Round of 8, none of the 12 drivers are guaranteed to advance or be eliminated based on the current points totals.
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Rounding out the top five behind Blaney, Allgaier, and Byron was Daniel Hemric in fourth and Brennan Poole in fifth. Matt Tifft, Daniel Suarez, Cole Custer, Elliott Sadler, and Brendan Gaughan finished off the top ten.
Here are the full race results for the Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway (playoff drivers in italics):
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Team Penske
- Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- William Byron, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Matt Tifft, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Cole Custer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Michael Annett, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
- Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, JGL Racing
- Ryan Reed, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- JJ Yeley, Toyota, TriStar Motorsports
- Casey Mears, Ford, Biagi-Den Beste Racing
- Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet, SS-Green Light Racing
- Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Jeremy Clements Racing
- Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
- Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, King Autosport
- Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- B.J. McLeod, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
- Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Jimmy Means Racing
- Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
- Mike Harmon, Dodge, Harmon Racing
- Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Shepherd Racing Ventures
- Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, MBM Racing
- Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- Chad Finchum, Chevrolet, MBM Racing
- Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
- David Starr, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
- Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Jeff Green, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
Next: Martin Truex Jr. on Pole for Cup Elimination Race at Dover
The next race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be the last race in the playoffs Round of 12. Who will advance to the Round of 8 to fight for the title? Tune in to the Race for the Cure 300 next weekend from Charlotte Motor Speedway live on NBCSN on Saturday, October 7.