Mobil 1 301 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H. - September 21, 2025
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 AUTOTRADER FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 22ND
STAGE 1: 18TH
STAGE 2: 17TH
FINISH: 17TH
POINTS: 10TH (-19)
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse team worked through a steady day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, notching a 17th-place finish in Sunday's Mobil 1 301. Rolling off from the 22nd position, Cindric began making up ground in the early laps and was inside the top 20 by Lap 5. He reported that he was "pretty happy" with the balance of his Ford Mustang during the opening run, and the No. 2 team went on to finish Stage 1 in the 18th position. Through the middle portion of the race, Cindric battled a tight-handling condition and picked up minor nose damage in a stack-up following a restart on Lap 118. The team eventually made repairs and adjustments during multiple pit stops, keeping the Autotrader Ford in the mix around the top 20, and he finished Stage 2 17th. Despite the challenges, Cindric restarted Stage 3 from the second row after a two-tire call, running briefly inside the top five before settling into the top 10 for a bit. As the final segment unfolded, the No. 2 team continued to cycle through pit strategy, including a two-tire stop with just over 40 laps remaining that positioned Cindric just outside the top 10. He ultimately crossed the finish line in 17th place. Cindric sits 10th in the standings, 19 points below the elimination line with two races left in the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "It's probably what our average was throughout the day. I think between screwing up qualifying on my end, I thought we had a great long run car with our Autotrader Ford Mustang, just weren't able to capitalize on it. I felt like I really struggled to get going, so not enough positives to outweigh the negatives. It's obviously a great day for the team with the 12 and the 22, but the saving grace is I think a lot of the guys I'm racing didn't get stage points either and probably had a smaller loss than what we could have. You've got to expect to want to run in the top 10 and get stage points to advance out of this round, so not everything we needed, but we're still in the game."
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/LIBMAN FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 2ND
STAGE 1: 1ST
STAGE 2: 4TH
FINISH: 1ST
POINTS: 1ST (ADV)
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang Dark Horse team led 116 laps en route to their third win of the 2025 season Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to become the first team to secure a spot in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The victory marks the 16th of Blaney's career - and first at Loudon - as the 2023 Cup Series champion advances to the Round of 8 for the fifth-consecutive season. Blaney has now won three races in a season for the third-straight year, becoming one of three drivers with at least three wins in each of the last three seasons (Hamlin, Larson). With Sunday's win, the No. 12 team has finished eighth or better in nine of the last 10 races and led a total of 295 laps over the course of that stretch.
Blaney started on the front row Sunday and fought his way to the lead for the first time on lap 53 as the long run speed of the Menards/Libman Ford proved to be the class of the field early on, resulting in Blaney's eighth stage win of the season to begin the Round of 12 opener. Three cautions at the start of Stage 2 saw Blaney drop to fifth in the running order, but he continued his charge back to the front to get back to second by the time the caution flag flew yet again on lap 148. The 12 team opted for four tires under caution while a mix of the leaders took right sides only as Blaney took the ensuing restart from 11th and battled his way to fourth over the final 32 laps of Stage 2. Another four tire stop under caution prior to the start of the final segment saw Blaney take the green flag from the inside of row three as he once again drove to the front by lap 228, allowing crew chief Jonathan Hassler to start the green flag pit cycle four laps later as Blaney regained the lead once the cycle was complete with 58 laps to go. A caution on lap 254 set up one last trip to pit road with Hassler making the call for right side tires only to win the race off the pit lane. The Nos. 21 and 9 opted to stay out under yellow to move up to the front row as Blaney took the restart from the outside of row two with 42 laps remaining and wasted no time getting to the point, taking the lead from the No. 21 with 39 laps to go and holding him off the rest of the way to take the checkered flag and secure the first spot in the Round of 8.
BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "Yeah, that was probably the hardest 20 laps that I drove. I was trying to kind of bide my stuff and kind of pull Josh [Berry] a little bit. Then he really started coming, and I started to get super free. It was all I could do to hold him off, trying new lanes. Massive props to all of Team Penske, Wood Brothers. We did a great job leading up to this race and preparing, through the weekend, practice, qualifying, and in the race. Our cars are really fast. As a whole, like as a whole company. That's something they should really be proud of. Appreciate Menards, Libman, Ford, Roush Yates Engines, DEX Imaging, BODYARMOR, Wabash, the Wurth Group, Advance Auto Parts, everybody who makes this possible."
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 1ST
STAGE 1: 2ND
STAGE 2: 1ST
FINISH: 4TH
POINTS: 6TH (+24)
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano led a race-high 147 laps and picked up his third stage win of the season in a fourth-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday as the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse team netted the second-highest point total in the Round of 12 opener. Logano opened the weekend in Loudon by earning his 33rd-career Cup Series pole award to lead the field to green on Sunday and led the first 52 laps before conceding the spot to teammate Ryan Blaney. A caution with eight laps remaining in the first stage set up a one-lap shootout as Logano was able to carry the momentum in the outside lane to pick up a second-place finish in Stage 1. Logano continued to maintain his pace at the front of the field to begin the second segment before eventually regaining the lead on lap 138 prior to a caution just 10 laps later in the run. As the field made its way down pit road, crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for right side tires only to align with a majority of the leaders, allowing the Shell-Pennzoil Ford to win the race off pit road and maintain track position. Logano went on to lead the final 32 laps of Stage 2 to pick up his third stage win of the season and add another playoff point to the 22 team's total. Logano continued to pace the field following the ensuing restart before Wolfe called him to pit road on lap 238 during the green flag cycle for a four tire stop. Once the cycle completed, Logano was scored second in the running order and began to cut into the deficit before the caution flag flew on lap 254, prompting one last round of stops for the day. Following another stop for right tires, Logano lined up to take the green from the inside of row two with 42 laps to go and ultimately came away with a fourth-place finish. Logano's third-consecutive top-five result moves the No. 22 team to sixth in the playoff standings and 24 points above the elimination line heading into the second race of the Round of 12 at Kansas.
LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "The 12 was wicked fast in practice and he showed that again in the race. Our only chance was beating him on pit road and on details, but they were able to make up their track position when they put four [tires] on. Over time they got back up there. That last restart, I could have restarted behind him and probably finished third in the race, but I wanted a chance to win and if I was behind the 12, I wasn't going to win. I went for it and it cost us a spot, but, overall, I'm proud of the execution. We obviously got a ton of points today. I think we got a second and a first in the first two stages and a top four finish, so we did what we needed to do. We're plus on the cut line. I'd rather win. That's just the greed in me, especially when it's at home."
The NASCAR Cup Series makes its return to Kansas Speedway for the second race of the Round of 12 on Sunday, September 28. Coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.