NASCAR takeaways: Ryan Blaney adopts another lobster at New Hampshire
· Yahoo Sports
Ryan Blaney climbed out of his No. 12 Ford following his second straight win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and immediately turned his attention to the trophy.
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“It’s cool to win here two in a row,” Blaney said on the USA Sports broadcast. “I look forward to getting another lobster.”
Yes, Blaney already has plans for “Loudon the Lobster,” one of the rewards for claiming NASCAR'sDollar Tree 301.
“Hang it right up next to the first one,” he said.
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His 2026 victory looked similar to his 2025 triumph. After leading 116 laps a year ago, he paced the pack for 115 circuits on Aug. 23, holding off Bubba Wallace and Josh Berry in the closing moments.
Here are three takeaways.
1. Ryan Blaney continues Team Penske heater
With another Blaney win, Team Penske has now captured four of the last six races.
Blaney himself started the run at Atlanta on July 12. Joey Logano followed suit the next week at North Wilkesboro. He also sped into Victory Lane at Richmond last week, setting the stage for Blaney’s reappearance there at New Hampshire.
Even the third driver on the Penske roster, Austin Cindric, has tasted success recently. Cindric finished a season-best third last week.
“Props to everybody at Team Penske who’s keeping their head down and working hard,” Blaney said.
He now owns 20 career Cup Series victories, including three this season. He sits second in the standings.
2. Josh Berry auditions for other NASCAR teams
In June, Wood Brothers Racing announced Berry will not drive the No. 21 Ford next season, instead being replaced by O’Reilly Auto Parts Series up-and-comer Jesse Love.
Two months later, Berry remains without a ride for 2027.
But if he keeps performing like he has for the last month, that drought should end soon.
With a third-place finish at New Hampshire, his best of the year, Berry became the first Wood Brothers wheelman to rattle off four consecutive top-10s since Morgan Shepherd in 1994.
“That was everything I had and everything I could do today,” said Berry, who led 73 laps.
He ranked seventh at Indianapolis, fourth at Iowa and eighth at Richmond.
Berry is eliminated from Chase contention. He jumped from 30th to 29th in points at New Hampshire, though.
3. NASCAR schedule circles back to Daytona
The stage is set.
For the first time since February, NASCAR will return to the World Center of Racing, Daytona International Speedway. It will wrap up the Cup Series regular season with the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
No longer is the 160-lap event an automatic win-and-in chance for drivers outside the playoff bubble. But it will serve as the clincher for the final spots based on points and solidify the Chase order.
The green flag will fly shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 29. The race will air on NBC.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR takeaways: Ryan Blaney adopts another lobster at New Hampshire
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