“I’m ready to go celebrate,” Blaney said.

The 2023 Cup champ had been racing well with five top-five finishes over the first half of this season. He finally got to victory lane for his 14th career victory and first since Martinsville in November after leading a race-high 139 laps.

“I never gave up hope that’s for sure,” Blaney said. “We’ve had great speed all year. It just hasn’t really been the best year for us as far as good fortune. But (No.) 12 boys are awesome. They stick with it no matter how it goes.”

He became the ninth different winner this season and the fifth driver to win in as many races at Nashville. He also gave Team Penske a second straight Cup win at Nashville’s 1.33-mile concrete track.

Blaney, who started 15th, quickly drove his way to the front as he won the second stage. He easily held off Carson Hocevar by 2.83 seconds. Hocevar matched his career-best finish at Atlanta in February after complaining during the race that his No. 77 Chevrolet was undriveable.

“Either I’m really dramatic or they’re really good on adjustments,” Hocevar said. “Probably a little bit of both, but, yeah, proud of this group proud of this car. A place that is really, really difficult to pass, we’re able to go 26th to second.”

Denny Hamlin finished third in his 700th career Cup Series race, matching the third-place finish by Jeff Gordon at Darlington in 2013 for the best finish in a driver’s 700th race. Joey Logano, who won here last year, was fourth and William Byron fifth.

Hamlin was hoping for one more caution that never came after seven cautions for 35 laps.

“Just couldn’t run with the 12 (Blaney) there in the super long run,” Hamlin said. “After 40 laps, I could maintain with him. But then after that, he just pulled away and stretched it on us.”

There was a sprint to the finish under green forcing teams and drivers to pick and choose went to pit. Blaney had led 107 laps when he went to the pits under green flag on lap 248. Hamlin took the lead before going to pit road on lap 256.

Crew chief Jonathan Hassler said they decided on Blaney’s fifth and final pit stop trying to make sure he could get back out into the cleanest air possible.

“It was really nice just to finish off a race,” Hassler said.

Brad Keselowski had the lead when he went to the pits on lap 269. Blaney took the lead for the final 31 laps.

Waiting on a call

Hamlin raced Sunday night hoping to take advantage of his starting spot spot beside pole-sitter Chase Briscoe. Whether Hamlin would chase his third win this season had been in question with his third child, a boy, due the same day.

Hamlin practiced and qualified well, so he drove his No. 11 Toyota even as Joe Gibbs Racing had Ryan Truex on standby in case Hamlin got the call that his fiancee was in labor. Hamlin won the first stage and survived the final stretch without water or fresh air.

Tyler Reddick beat his boss Hamlin, a co-owner of his 23XI Racing team, to new parent status, which Reddick announced on social media earlier Sunday.

His family welcomed their second son at 2:20 a.m. on May 25, then Reddick followed up hours later by finishing 26th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

Early night

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn’t finish his first race this year. He was the first out when Hocevar tapped his No. 47 Chevrolet, spinning Stenhouse into the wall between Turns 3 and 4 for the second caution of the race on lap 106.

Punishment and more penalties possible?

AJ Allmendinger started at the back of the field and served a stop-and-go penalty after the green flag for an unapproved adjustment to the splitter during Saturday’s practice. His No. 16 Chevrolet was sent back to the garage and then the scanning station before practice and qualifying.

The No. 66 Ford of Chad Finchum failed inspection twice leading to engineer Austin Webb’s ejection. The Garage 66 team also lost pit stall selection.

Up next

NASCAR heads to Michigan International Speedway for the Cup Series on June 8.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Some of the biggest NASCAR news this season came out this past week when executives suggested there could be an increase in horsepower later this season. While the potential increase would only be under specific circumstances, Hendrick Motorsports is highlighting the possibility for even more.

During an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports vice president of powertrain Scott Maxim shed light on the feasibility for engine manufacturers to increase horsepower. Manufacturers already ‘have a pretty good understanding’ of what changes need to be made to get to 750 horsepower. If NASCAR wants to open the door for even more, it would require significantly more changes, but could be done.

Advertisement

Related: NASCAR execs suggest horsepower increase might come later this season

“If we were to have a higher target than [750] then that would require some more extensive changes, which we could do.”

Hendrick Motorsports VP of Powertrain Scott Maxim on increasing NASCAR horsepower in the Cup Series

NASCAR started reducing horsepower in 2015, with a vision of creating a more even playing field between teams. There was a progressive decline from over 800 horsepower (2014) to 750 horsepower (2015) followed by a steep reduction to 550 horsepower and then a slight increase to 670 horsepower in 2022 with the introduction of the Next Gen car.

The sport’s executives got what they wanted, with the field of cars running closer together to create the visual of closer races. However, the quality of races has decreased considerably in recent seasons, with the Next Gen car largely only performing well at mile-and-a-half tracks.

Also Read: Reporter shares when Corey Heim could become a full-time Cup Series driver

Teams, drivers and fans have been calling for a horsepower increase ever since. While NASCAR’s original idea created a more even playing field, teams like Hendrick Motorsports eventually found other advantages. So, while the top teams are winning more consistently, the quality of the races still hasn’t improved and passing remains down.

Advertisement

For the time being, NASCAR officials are only leaving the door open to raising horsepower to 750 on short-track courses. It’s viewed as a starting point by drivers and fans, hopefully the beginning of further increases across all tracks in 2026 and beyond.

Related: NASCAR standings for Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series

If NASCAR horsepower increases to 750 this season, it should lead to more passing and would be a good test run to see if the change should be approved for all tracks. From there, teams and NASCAR officials can have discussions this offseason about long-term changes.

At the very least, between discussions of increasing horsepower and NASCAR proposing that teams can make limited alterations to the cars for the All-Star Race, it’s clear there’s at least a chance at meaningful change. It might not mean immediate improvements, but it’s a step in the right direction after fans and drivers felt years of frustration were effectively ignored.

Advertisement

Also Read: Insider reveals Denny Hamlin’s future with Joe Gibbs Racing

Related Headlines

Ryan Blaney was dominant throughout the night at Nashville, leading 139 of 300 laps on his to collecting the checkered flag in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

“I never gave up hope, that’s for sure,” said Blaney. “We’ve had great speed all year, just hasn’t been the best year for us as far as good fortune. The 12 boys are awesome; they stick with it no matter how it goes, and it was great to finish one out tonight.”

Advertisement

Blaney praised crew chief Jonathan Hassler as he reflected further on his race, saying, “We drove up to seventh there in the first stage, and I thought two tires were great. I thought my car was really good, and that really set us up for the rest of the race, so great job by him, as always, all the 12 boys, appreciate what they do pit crew was great.”

Carson Hocevar matched his career-best finish, placing second, with Stage 1 winner Denny Hamlin taking third. Joey Logano, who won at Nashville last year, finished fourth while William Byron finished fifth.

Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell filled out the remainder of the top ten.

Ross Chastain, who won last week’s Coke 600, fell out of the top ten in the closing laps and placed 11th.

Difficult to pass

Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Advertisement

The race saw Joe Gibbs Racing firmly in control early, with polesitter Chase Briscoe and later Hamlin in an incident-free opening stage. Blaney was able to gain a lot of track position after running long in the first run of the race, opting to take just two tires in the stage break.

Stage 2 was a very different story as the aggression picked up. Drivers realized how difficult it was to pass and were desperately trying to make up ground on the restarts. Ricky Stenhouse recorded his first DNF of the year after contact from Carson Hocevar sent him into the wall. He expressed his frustration after, and hinted at possible payback in the future.

Alex Bowman was the next driver to go around, slamming the wall and taking Noah Gragson with him. Christopher Bell also went for a spin, and the rash of yellows ended with Truck Series Corey Heim crashing out of the race after trying to clear up in front of Brad Keselowski.

The final stage was much cleaner with a single-car spin by Ryan Preece being the only spin. After that, Blaney went unchallenged as the field approached green-flag pit stops.

Advertisement

Jones began the cycle with just over 65 laps to go, with Blaney following a few laps later. Hamlin waited a bit longer, making his final pit stop with 44 laps to go. But it was Hocevar who jumped from sixth to second, undercutting several cars after he chose to pit early.

Hocevar cut into Blaney’s lead as he struggled in lapped traffic, but Hocevar stalled out after catching the same group of cars.

For Blaney, this is his 14th career win as he becomes the ninth different winner of the 2025 season.

Photos from Nashville – Race

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Austin Cindric, Team Penske Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Garrett Smithley, Power Source Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Corey Heim, Toyota

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Fans

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

James Gilbert / Getty Images

General view

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Advertisement

Read Also:

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. frustrated with Carson Hocevar after Nashville wreck

Brad Keselowski compares NASCAR rule book to “IRS tax code” after RFK failures

NASCAR responding to Cup drivers and teams: More horsepower “on the table”

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

DETROIT (WISH) — Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood picked up his second win of the NTT IndyCar Series season on Sunday.

Kirkwood won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of downtown Detroit.

He previously won the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach back in April.

“That’s now four (career) wins for me, and they all came from street courses,” Kirkwood said. “It means I need to start winning at some other places if I’m being honest.”

Kirkwood spoke with News 8 Sports’ Andrew Chernoff on SportsLocker Sunday following his victory.

Kirkwood led a race-high 48 laps in the victory. He won the race despite suffering some damage to his front wing with under 25 laps to go after he made contact with Kyffin Simpson as Kirkwood passed the Chip Ganassi Racing driver for position.

“The front wing damage that I had really didn’t do much to our car, surprisingly enough,” Kirkwood said. “I think it’s just the nature of the circuit. Everything is so, so slow here that downforce isn’t really that big of a deal. It’s more mechanical grip related. So actually losing a portion of the front wing, or it not working as efficiently enough, just allowed us to continue on and keep moving.”

Kirkwood’s victory comes a week after his Andretti Global team was penalized for technical violations following the Indy 500. His sixth place finish in the Indy 500 was changed to a 32nd place finish. Kirkwood said having a good result on Sunday following the penalties this past week was important.

“It’s an exclamation point on everything that’s happened,” Kirkwood said. “The team builds race-winning and championship-caliber race cars. And we showed it here once again, even after the drama. So, it was important that we got that win here today. It puts us in the right mindset going forward.”

With the win, Kirkwood is now third in the IndyCar standings, 102 points behind points leader Alex Palou.

“The way I look at it now is we got to average – this is obvious – average 12 points ahead of him every, single race from here on out,” Kirkwood said.

A.J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci and Andretti Global’s Colton Herta finished second and third respectively.

It was the first all U.S.-born podium for an IndyCar race since 2020.

The next IndyCar race of the season will be on Sunday, June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

LEBANON, Tenn. — A look at the winners and losers from Sunday night’s Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway.

WINNERS

Ryan Blaney — He led 139 laps, including the final 32, to score his first Cup victory of the season. It marks the eighth time in the last nine seasons that he’s scored at least one Cup victory. “It was nice to finally get in Victory Lane tonight after a rocky start to the year,” said Blaney, who has failed to finish five races this year.

The Team Penske driver took control on a long green-flag run to end the race after winning Stage 2.

Team Penske — Becomes the first organization to have all of its drivers win a race this season. Team Penske has won three of the last five points races — Austin Cindric at Talladega, Joey Logano at Texas and Ryan Blaney at Nashville. Also, the Wood Brothers are aligned with Team Penske and won at Las Vegas with Josh Berry earlier this season.

The Team Penske driver becomes the ninth driver to win in the 2025 season.

Carson Hocevar — Tied his career-best finish by placing second at Nashville.

Carson Hocevar tied his career-best finish by placing second at Nashville.

Denny Hamlin — Placed third at Nashville. It’s his fifth top-five finish in the last nine races.

Erik Jones — His seventh-place result is his second top-10 in the last four races. Not a bad way to head to Michigan, his home track, this weekend.

LOSERS

Justin Haley — His 32nd-place finish marks the third consecutive race he’s finished 30th or worse.

Ty Gibbs — He finished 31st at Nashville. That marks the fourth race in a row he’s placed 23rd or worse.

AJ Allmendinger — NASCAR caught the team making an adjustment to the car after it had gone through inspection Saturday. He had to perform a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag in Sunday’s race. He lost a lap. With the first stage run without a caution, he got stuck a lap behind and was mired deep in the pack. He eventually got his lap back and finished 20th. The day could have been better had they not had the penalty.

NASCAR discovered that AJ Allmendinger’s team made an unapproved adjustment before Saturday’s practice and qualifying.

Another said: “Give him a chance at HMS, he definitely deserves it,” while another added: “Carson in a Hendrick Car would be absolutely wild!!”. 

During the Coca-Cola 600, Jeff Gordon said of Hocevar: “Oh man, he’s fast, right. And that’s what you always look for first, can you drive the car with the speed? 

“Obviously this is a team that’s growing fast. He’s young and learning, and I think he’s got a bright future.”