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HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Ryan Blaney has skilled a spread of feelings since final Sunday, from disappointment to aid.
The No. 12 Group Penske driver was disqualified after the opening race of the spherical of eight in NASCAR’s playoffs due to an alleged unlawful entrance shock on his Ford.
However NASCAR reversed the disqualification a day later due to a flawed template used in the course of the postrace inspection, leaving Blaney with a a lot smaller deficit to beat within the playoff subject when the spherical of eight continues Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“Numerous feelings,” Blaney stated Saturday, “however it was good that it ended up, I believe, because it ought to have.”
Solely Kyle Larson has clinched a spot within the championship finale subsequent month — the Hendrick Motorsports driver gained the opening race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However Monday’s reversal restored Blaney’s sixth-place end in that race and lowered his deficit from 56 factors under the playoff cutline to 17.
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“It is nonetheless going to be laborious to make it,” Blaney stated, “however it’s not like a must-win. So it offers you a bit of extra hope.”
Blaney, who’s attempting to make his first Cup Sequence championship finale, was working third in Homestead final 12 months earlier than he spun out. He stated he’d wish to capitalize on his expertise in previous races right here, however something can occur.
“Right here you may have issues. Working the wall you may break some stuff fairly simple,” Blaney stated. “You simply go race and do the perfect you may.”
Larson, final 12 months’s Homestead winner, has little to realize in these subsequent two races main as much as the championship, however that does not change his strategy to Sunday’s race.
“The strain might be loads lower than what different drivers are feeling,” Larson stated, “however I really feel like I wish to win simply as dangerous as anybody else does, too.”
Larson’s teammate William Byron is second within the playoff subject. Teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing spherical out the highest 4.
After Sunday’s race in Homestead, playoff drivers may have yet another shot to achieve the championship finale. The spherical of eight concludes at Martinsville Speedway subsequent weekend.
Harvick’s Homestead farewell
For one final time, Kevin Harvick returns to the monitor the place he gained the NASCAR Dash Cup championship 9 years in the past.
Sunday’s race is known as the 4EVER 400 introduced by Mobil 1 in a nod to Harvick, who will retire from NASCAR on the finish of this season after 60 profession victories, three NASCAR nationwide collection championships and 13 consecutive playoff appearances.
The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver will run the identical paint scheme he gained with on the 2014 championship at Homestead. NASCAR senior adviser Mike Helton, whom Harvick has developed a detailed relationship with over time, might be an honorary starter for the race, and Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief Rodney Childers and his household will function grand marshals.
“What we got down to do was inform the story of the previous 30 years,” Harvick stated Saturday, “and reintroduce the followers that weren’t round to the early a part of my profession. … It has been an important trip.”
Childers described his relationship with Harvick as the simplest one might have. Harvick’s fellow opponents lauded his depth and management.
“For my part, he is a Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart — when he leaves, you are going to discover that he isn’t there anymore,” Hamlin stated. “He is definitely been a pacesetter within the sport. He is form of the final legacy man we have in our sport that used to know the way it was. He is an essential determine.”
Harvick has not gained a race this season.
Truex wins pole
Truex, driver of the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing, gave Toyota its five hundredth pole win in NASCAR competitors with a pole victory Saturday. He’ll lead the sector for Sunday’s race.
Truex turned a lap of 167.441 mph, forward of teammates Bubba Wallace (167.115 mph) and Tyler Reddick (166.955), who certified second and third.
It’s Truex’s twenty second profession Cup collection pole.
“I did not actually count on to get the pole in the present day, actually,” Truex stated. “After follow, I felt like our automotive was fairly good in the long term, and we wanted to make some tweaks to be higher for tomorrow.”
Truex gained the regular-season title however has flamed out within the playoffs as he vies for a second Cup title.
“I felt good coming into this spherical,” he stated. “Coming right here I felt good as a result of it has been monitor for us. We have run up entrance right here loads, and it is only a consolation zone for me at this type of racetrack.”
Larson certified fifth. Byron certified seventh and Blaney at No. 10. Denny Hamlin (eleventh) and Christopher Bell (thirteenth) adopted, and Chris Buescher was the lowest-qualifying playoff driver at seventeenth.
Odds and ends
Larson is the race favourite, in keeping with FanDuel Sportsbook. … Joey Logano, final 12 months’s championship finale winner, crashed in follow Saturday and was unable to make a qualifying lap. … Grammy Award-winning artist Pitbull might be an honorary tempo automotive official on Sunday.
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