Ryan Blaney advanced to the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 on Sunday as he edged Kevin Harvick across the finish line at Talladega Superspeedway as several cars wrecked behind them.
The unofficial results said Blaney won the race by 0.012 seconds. It would have been one of the closest finishes of the season but Harvick was disqualified from the race after failing a post-race inspection.
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Ryan Blaney crosses the finish line ahead of Kevin Harvick to win the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 1, 2023, in Talladega, Alabama. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
“I’ve won it by more than I have the last couple years. That one might have been by 4 feet, the others were by 2c, but you just don’t know,” Blaney said afterward. “You just kind of drag race a line and hope you get help.”
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Blaney joined William Byron as the only two drivers locked into the Round of 8. Blaney’s team owner, Roger Penske, praised the strategy the driver used to win the race.
“For Harvick, who it was his last race here, working like he did with Ryan, it was amazing to see that,” Penske said. “The Hendrick freight train was coming, and we all stayed together, that was the call that Ford had earlier in the day when we talked. It was just perfect execution.”
Harvick was disqualified due to his windshield fasteners being unsecured. He was moved to the back of the field after crossing the start-finish line in second. It was likely Harvick’s last race as a full-time driver at Talladega. He’s set to retire at the end of the 2023 season.
Ryan Blaney celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, in Talladega, Alabama. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett)
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NASCAR said Harvick violated Sections 14.5.6.2.F and 14.1.E and P of the rule book. The “windshield fasteners must remain secure for the entire Event” and the last part of the violation pertained to “Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules.”
The Charlotte Roval next week is the last race before the field shrinks to eight.
Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski round out the rest of the top eight drivers.
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Ryan Blaney leads the pack to the finish line to win the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 1, 2023. (Douglas DeFelice-USA Today Sports)
Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch are on the bubble.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
