Ryan Blaney received a sensational time beyond regulation end at EchoPark Speedway in a NASCAR Cup race that didn’t finish till practically 2am native time.
Blaney and Carson Hocevar have been battling side-by-side for the race win, whereas Bubba Wallace threw it beneath them to make it three-wide within the struggle for the checkered flag.
Exiting Flip 4, Blaney had the push from Christopher Bell and surged forward of each Hocevar and Wallace on the end line.
That is Blaney’s second victory of the 2026 season, and the nineteenth of his Cup profession. He additionally received the race from pole place.
Sadly for Wallace, he didn’t get to maintain the runner-up spot. NASCAR penalized Wallace after ruling that he superior his place by going under the yellow line through the three-wide struggle for the win. In consequence, he was dropped from second all the best way all the way down to twenty ninth — the ultimate automobile on the lead lap.
Watch: Blaney prevails with EchoPark win in wild OT
Bell can be credited with second, Hocevar third, Ty Gibbs fourth, and Erik Jones fifth.
Shane van Gisbergen completed sixth in one other spectacular oval run for the three-time Supercars champion, with Austin Dillon seventh, Tyler Reddick eighth, Joey Logano ninth, and Chris Buescher tenth.
“It was positively, truthfully, a reasonably superior evening,” stated Blaney, who earned Ford its 750th NASCAR Cup win. “I imply, having a extremely quick automobile and sitting on the pole, successful each levels and main a ton of laps and simply able to win the race. You by no means understand how this stuff are gonna finish, truthfully. There are a few issues I most likely may have carried out higher, however we have been in a position to stick round and simply how the final couple laps performed out we have been in a position to get the lead again and simply barely maintain on. It’s a reasonably cool day when you’ve gotten weekends like that. You possibly can’t ask for a greater weekend – sit on the pole, sweeps the levels, win the race. That’s a dream weekend proper there. These guys are nice. They introduced a rocket ship and it was good that we have been in a position to shut it out.”
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Stage 1
In the beginning of the race, Keselowski brushed the wall and shortly fell by the sphere, finally dropping a lap.
The sphere bought very unfold out as automobiles struggled for grip, with the Penske trio firmly in management.
Reddick, Larson, and Hocevar all tried to interrupt up the Penske get together, and Larson finally did as he took benefit of Reddick battling Cindric to move them each.
He shortly dispatched Logano as properly, and practically cleared Blaney for the lead. Blaney held agency, and because the stage progressed, it was instantly Reddick threatening him for the lead after beginning approach again in thirty first.
In lapped site visitors, Reddick made one final run at Blaney on the finish of the stage, however the No. 12 remained in command.
Blaney received Stage 1 over Reddick, Larson, Logano, Cindric, Hocevar, A. Dillon, Briscoe, Elliott, and Wallace.
The free move went to Preece, placing him again on the lead lap.
Stage 2
Reddick and Larson received the race off pit street over Blaney, and these three continued to battle for the lead as soon as the inexperienced flag flew.
Drivers have been getting much more aggressive, main a number of to the touch the wall. Hocevar, Larson, and Herbst have been amongst those that had a detailed encounter with the surface wall early within the run.
Undeterred, Hocevar charged ahead, and took over the race lead for a bit. Nevertheless, Blaney prevailed on the longer run and reclaimed management of the race.
Sadly, storms arrived after 108 of 260 laps of racing, forcing a right away crimson flag with lightning seen simply exterior the monitor. This yellow additionally put Chastain again on the lead lap through the free move.
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The stoppage lasted over three hours, and the inexperienced flag didn’t wave once more till midnight, native time. Drivers additionally opted to pit, with a number of completely different methods unfolding. Blaney and Logano went fuel-only, whereas Wallace and Reddick led one other group with two-tire calls, after which Jones main the remainder on 4 contemporary tires from tenth on again.
There was fixed motion, however as soon as once more, Penske held onto the entrance of the sphere with Blaney and Logano.
Late within the stage, Hocevar abruptly slowed with a difficulty. On the ultimate lap of the stage, Wallace was inside the highest 5 when he spun off the nostril of Gibbs proper because the green-and-white checkered flag.
Blaney went on to win Stage 2, forward of Reddick, Logano, Cindric, Suarez, Gibbs, Bell, Jones, Hamlin, and Van Gisbergen.
Keselowski bought the free move through the stage break.
Stage 3
Gibbs and Cindric received the race off pit street, and instantly it was a really completely different look to the entrance of the sphere as Blaney (and others) needed to wait on gasoline.
The JGR automobiles have been instantly those setting the tempo now, with Gibbs main Bell regardless of nonstop motion proper behind them.
Proper on the sting of the gasoline window, Allmendinger slid into the door of McDowell and spun sideways, inflicting a warning. Smith secured the free move beneath this warning interval.
Bell then received the race off pit street with a two-tire name, restarting side-by-side with larson. Larson.
What adopted was nonstop battling for the race lead. The primary gamers have been Wallace, Blaney, Larson, Reddick, and Bell. There have been a number of sketchy moments all through the pack, together with when Chastain made a four-wide move, and the automobiles above him narrowly held onto their twitching automobiles — together with his teammate, Van Gisbergen.
With 30 laps to go, Blaney truly bought into the wall after Wallace blocked him within the battle for the race lead. On the identical time, the warning flew for Allmendinger, who blew a tire and slammed the wall. Blaney was not pleased and drove up alongside his good friend within the No. 23 beneath warning to point out his displeasure.
Chastain in eighth was one of many first to pit for tires, with plenty of automobiles behind him following him down into pit lane.
Blaney took the lead on the restart, regardless of complaining a few vibration. Hocevar moved as much as second, as Larson spun sideways from inside the highest 10 on account of a stack-up forward of him.
On the restart, it was extra of the identical as Hocevar, Blaney, and Wallace traded the lead continually.
With six laps to go, Larson squeezed up into Hamlin on the exit of Flip 2, sending Larson crashing into each the inside and outside partitions. Briscoe spun in avoidance, crashing as properly whereas amassing each Hill and Herbst. Bowman and T. Dillon bought a small piece of it as properly.
Hocevar was within the lead for an time beyond regulation restart, and began reciting ‘(I Simply) Died in Your Arms Tonight’ by Reducing Crew over the radio forward of the crucial restart.
Whereas Blaney initially bought clear with a push from Wallace, Hocevar fought again, and had an honest lead on the white flag. Van Gisbergen made a late cost and was three-wide for second, but it surely was Blaney who had the momentum for the ultimate 1.5 miles.
As Blaney and Hocevar raced side-by-side, Wallace made it three-wide on the underside as Smith wrecked within the again.
Hocevar had zero drafting assist exiting Flip 4, and bought swallowed up as Blaney pulled forward and took the win for Staff Penske.
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