Blaney win overshadowed by championship

Ryan Blaney scored a thrilling victory at Phoenix Raceway although it wasn't what most people remember about Sunday's race. While Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup Series championship with a third-place finish, Blaney edged fellow Ford driver Brad Keselowski for the race win. Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, entered as the pre-race favorite, although it was clearly Denny Hamlin's to win until a caution with four laps to go. Taking two tires on a pit stop before the final restart, Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, passed Keselowski right before the finish line. It was his fourth win of the season and the 17th of his career. "It's just cool to end it on a good note," Blaney said. "It was a really good call for two (tires) and keeping track position. I got a decent restart and I was able to kind of roll the bottom in turns 3 and 4 and eek the 6 out at the line. I'm just really proud of the whole group and cool to end it in victory lane." Blaney was left wondering what if things had worked out differently the week before. He was passed by William Byron with 44 laps to go at Martinsville. If Blaney would've won that race, he would have been a part of the Championship 4 at a track where the Penske group has dominated the fall race. Throughout Sunday's 319 laps, Blaney tried to be courteous dealing with the championship contenders. He battled Byron late in the race for second-place, but was careful making the pass. "I tried to race those guys really good all day, and gave them respect and tried to let them race it out at times," Blaney said. "You don't want to be the storyline to mess up a guy's championship, so it was good that we were able to just run our race and run it clean to the end." Keselowski, the 2012 series champion, had no fresh tires on his No. 6 Ford at the end. Larson's team gambled with two tires, which paid off with the championship. Hamlin, who was leading before the final caution, lost the race after the decision to take on four tires. Keselowski, who was trying to break a winless streak dating back to May 2024 at Darlington, had already used his allotted number of tires. "We didn't have any tires, so it was a no-brainer for us," Keselowski said. "We're just needing a little bit of speed. We were in position as well as we could, I just wasn't quite fast enough." VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY An announcement about a major racing series coming to Volunteer Speedway next March is expected to be made later this week. While that is big news at the 4/10-mile dirt oval, track promoters are even more excited about "The Gauntlet at The Gap," four nights of racing from April 14-18. Tuesday is highlighted by a $7,500-to-win Super Late Model feature. The purse bumps up to $10,000-to-win on Wednesday. Racers take the night off Thursday before coming back with a $20,000-to-win race on Friday, April 17. It culminates with a $30,000-to-win feature on April 18 with a $100,000 bonus to any driver who can win all four nights. HOT SUMMER NIGHTS The Hot Summer Nights Supercross Series wrapped up its season Saturday at Muddy Creek Raceway. Tianna Holsclaw from Johnson City finished off a strong season with wins in both the Women's and Girls races. Keiralynn Deal from Kingsport was second in the Women's race. Faera Remington from Bluff City posted the runner-up in the Girls' race in addition to her winning the 65cc Beginner race. Tim Calhoun from Fall Branch also posted two wins in 50+ and Veteran Warrior. Andrew Weems from Jonesborough was a winner in 450 D race and second in the 250D class. Gabriel Lane from Telford finished second in two classes. Jason Thompson from Johnson City (35+), Andrew Weems from Jonesborough (250 D), Aiden Dyer from Kingsport (65cc, 7-9), Aidan Blevins from Hampton (51cc, 7-8) also had runner-up runs. UPCOMING WEEKEND For the first time, Kingsport Speedway will be attempting a Figure 8 race on Saturday. It's part of the "Rumble at the Jungle," with another unique event the "Bump to Pass Race." The "Bump to Pass" is scheduled for 25 laps or "last man standing." The rules are one must spin the driver in front of him or him to pass them. Spectator gates open at noon with the event to start at 1 p.m. Cherokee Race Park has bracket racing scheduled this week. Gates open at 10 a.m. Saturday at the 1/8-mile Rogersville drag strip. Time trials begin at noon, followed by eliminations.