NASCAR: Ryan Blaney grabs another photo finish Talladega win

Ryan Blaney secured his first victory of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season in another photo finish at Talladega Superspeedway.

Last October, in a Monday playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway that was suspended from Sunday due to rain, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney secured his first victory of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season ahead of Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman.

Today, in a Monday race at the same venue that was postponed from Sunday due to rain, Blaney secured his first victory of the 2020 season ahead of JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

In both races, he was victorious in a photo finish by just 0.007 seconds, tying the closest Cup Series finish since Jimmie Johnson beat Clint Bowyer by 0.002 seconds to the finish line at the same track in April of 2011.

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Blaney led more laps of this 191-lap race around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked oval in Lincoln, Alabama than anybody else in the field after starting in 12th place in his #12 Ford, as he led 63 laps.

This race, the first with the new superspeedway aero modifications made after Newman’s horrific last-lap Daytona 500 crash in mid-February, featured 56 lead changes, the highest single-race total since the race at Talladega Superspeedway in October of 2011 featured 72.

The top 14 drivers all finished within 0.583 seconds. The third place finisher, Aric Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing, crossed the finish line backwards in his #10 Ford, just 0.025 seconds behind Blaney.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin overcame falling off the lead lap after contact with the wall to finish in fourth place in his #11 Toyota ahead of teammate Erik Jones, who had a run on Blaney coming to the checkered flag but lost it when he and Blaney made contact. Jones ended up in fifth in his #20 Toyota.

Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher finished in sixth place in his #17 Ford ahead of Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in seventh in his #88 Chevrolet. Front Row Motorsports rookie John Hunter Nemechek also had a run on Blaney coming to the checkered flag, but he fell back to eighth, still a career-high, in his #38 Ford after contact with Jones.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch finished in ninth place in his #1 Chevrolet and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick, who led ahead of Buescher in second when the white flag was flown, fell back to 10th in his #4 Ford.

This race featured eight caution flag periods, including three which were planned. Of the three planned caution flag periods, one was a competition caution and two were the cautions to end the race’s first two stages. The caution flag to end stage one actually began due to rain and became a red flag before the cars were re-fired and completed stage one about an hour later.

While there were several incidents throughout the final stage of the race, most notably knocking Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson out of contention, the race did not see the “Big One” until the final lap, when a wreck broke out toward the back of the pack.

The caution flag did not fly due to this wreck, since the leaders had already passed the incident en route to the checkered flag.

Of the 40 drivers who competed in the race, 35 finished, an astounding total for a race at Talladega Superspeedway. Of those 35 drivers, 24 finished on the lead lap.

Nearly half of the drivers who competed in this race led it, as 19 drivers spent time at the front of the field.

Only six drivers led more than five laps, with the five aside from Blaney being Team Penske’s Joey Logano, Richard Childress Racing rookie Tyler Reddick, Hamlin, Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., who started the race from the pole position, led only four laps.

The race’s other 12 leaders were Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, Stenhouse, Buescher, Leavine Family Racing rookie Christopher Bell, JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ryan Preece, Elliott, Harvick, Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto, Newman, Johnson, Premium Motorsports’ Brennan Poole and Richard Petty Motorsports’ Bubba Wallace. Reddick won stage one and Stenhouse won stage two.

Here are the full race results of the 2020 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Race results
1st – Ryan Blaney
2nd – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3rd – Aric Almirola
4th – Denny Hamlin
5th – Erik Jones
6th – Chris Buescher
7th – Alex Bowman
8th – John Hunter Nemechek
9th – Kurt Busch
10th – Kevin Harvick
11th – William Byron
12th – Ty Dillon
13th – Jimmie Johnson
14th – Bubba Wallace
15th – Ryan Preece
16th – Joey Logano
17th – Corey LaJoie
18th – Michael McDowell
19th – Brad Keselowski
20th – Tyler Reddick
21st – Brendan Gaughan
22nd – Cole Custer
23rd – Ryan Newman
24th – Martin Truex Jr.
25th – Clint Bowyer
26th – Matt DiBenedetto
27th – Quin Houff
28th – Daniel Suarez
29th – Christopher Bell
30th – Gray Gaulding
31st – B.J. McLeod
32nd – Kyle Busch
33rd – Timmy Hill
34th – Garrett Smithley
35th – Brennan Poole
36th – J.J. Yeley
37th – Joey Gase
38th – Chase Elliott
39th – Austin Dillon
40th – Matt Kenseth

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The next race on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Pocono Organics 325, which is scheduled to take place at Pocono Raceway this Saturday, June 27. This race is the first of two races at the Tricky Triangle this weekend, with the second being the Pocono 350, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 28.

The first of these two races is set to be broadcast live from the three-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) triangle in Long Pond, Pennsylvania on Fox beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET while the second is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET.

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