‘The Magic Mile’ belonged to Team Penske as Ryan Blaney slammed the door on the field with a statement win. Penske affiliate Josh Berry chased him home and second, and hometown hero Joey Logano, leading a race high 147 laps, settled for fourth, an emphatic display that left no doubt about who owned Loudon’s 1-mile stage. As the dust settles in New Hampshire, talk of Penske’s title hopes has picked up — and Ryan Blaney is here to drop the hammer on it.

Blaney fulfilled his childhood dream as he lifted the lobster that afternoon. The 2023 Cup champion seized control of the race by leading 116 laps, including the final 39 on Loudon’s tricky oval. With clean pit stops and sharp restarts, Blaney kept his rivals at bay and crossed the line with breathing room, earning his third victory of the season. The win not only locked him into the Round of 8 but also underscored his growing reputation for peeking when the stakes are highest, cementing Penske’s stranglehold on the track.

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Blaney didn’t completely rule out Team Penske’s chances. The 31-year-old driver said, “Every team that’s in this deal is really talented. Every driver is incredibly talented. You know, so you never know who is gonna come on strong at what time. You know, this sport is a week-to-week sport, and you can be on top of the world one week and then you can be struggling to find your own way the next week. So the best thing that I figured out, you know, that we can just do is just focus on this group and how do we continue to get better and better each week.” 

Before Penske’s dominance at New Hampshire, Toyota was king. The Round of 16 sweep proves that, with Chase Briscoe winning at Darlington, followed by Denny Hamlin’s Gateway win, and the last round, Bristol, dominated by Christopher Bell. Beyond the victories, Joe Gibbs Racing’s dominance was evident in their performance metrics; the team led 870 of the 1,107 laps across the three races, accounting for 78.6% of the total laps led in the Round of 16. This level of control not only highlighted JGR’s strategic prowess but also underscored Toyota’s strength in the playoffs. But Hendrick Motorsports pulled through as well.

The Hendrick Motorsports camp delivered one of its strongest collective performances at New Hampshire amid its early playoff struggles, with all three of its playoff drivers finishing inside the top 10. William Byron led the charge, finishing third after scoring points in two stages and snapping a five-race skid outside the top 10. Chase Elliott staged an impressive recovery from 27th to finish fifth, marking his third career top five at the track, while Kyle Larson secured seventh with a steady pace throughout the day. Though they couldn’t quite match the front-running speed of Team Penske, the trio’s consistency reflected clear gains for Hendrick and flat tracks, offering a timely boost in the middle of the playoffs.

Ryan Blaney admitted and tipped his cap to the rivals, saying, “But yeah, I mean, the Gibbs camp is strong. Our camp is strong. Hendrick’s strong as always. You know, you kind of know your competition, but you never know how good or off they can be week in and week out. So, I’m just proud of all of Team Penske right now. And we’ll face the challenges as they come.” However, Joe Gibbs Racing had a rough outing at New Hampshire. Denny Hamlin started in ninth but slipped back to 12th. While Christopher Bell clawed his way from 19th to a respectable sixth, Chase Briscoe also made ground, turning his 18th-place start into a top 10 finish. The hardest hit came for Ty Gibbs, whose race ended in 35th after contact with teammate Hamlin forced him out.

Not one JGR entry broke into the top five, a sharp contrast to the dominance shown by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano. The teammate love was on full display at Loudon as Ryan Blaney backed up Logano’s chance at another title. With Chevrolet, Toyota, and now Ford in the picture, questions about Blaney’s surge have become the hot topic.

NASCAR insiders decide Ryan Blaney’s future wins in the upcoming rounds

On the Teardown Podcast, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic raised the question: Will Ryan Blaney add another win to his season? Blaney, fresh off his victory at New Hampshire, now has three wins in 2025, matching his total from each of the past two seasons. What is more, he has 17 top-10s, 13 top-5s with 2 poles and 647 laps led across 30 races. Gluck noted the consistency and turned to Bianchi for his take on whether Blaney has more wins in him this year.

Jordan Bianchi, without any hesitation, said, “Yes, because I have him in Phoenix, and I think he probably wins Martinsville.” Moreover, Jeff Gluck agreed, backing plane to capture Martinsville as well. Bianchi then reflected on how far Blaney has come.

He added, “It’s interesting to watch the evolution of Ryan Blaney. There wasn’t many years ago where it was like he’d win one race, and that would be it for his career, and you’re looking at it now. How many times did we talk about come the playoffs, where he would make a mistake, and it was like, man, what are you doing?” Now, Blaney looks more confident and more consistent, and very much in the hunt.