On a day the place destiny did every part in its energy to maintain Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Workforce Penske staff out of victory lane, Blaney took the lead from Ty Gibbs late in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Collection Straight Speak Wi-fi 500 at Phoenix Raceway and held off Christopher Bell to attain his first win of 2026 and the 18th of his Cup Collection profession.
Gibbs led Kyle Larson after the ultimate warning flag got here out with 19 laps to go, however Blaney handed Gibbs and held off a hard-charging Bell within the closing laps regardless of Bell’s tire benefit.
Bell swept the phases on Sunday however got here up one spot shy of a 3rd straight win within the Phoenix spring race.
Blaney had two free wheels, a number of sluggish pit stops and a number of poor restarts all through Sunday’s race, however handed a complete of 49 vehicles and overcame all adversity to say the checkered flag.
“Simply perseverance,” Blaney advised Fox Sports activities. “All people on the 12 group persevered all day. We had a pair errors that we realized from and obtained higher. Got here from the again a few occasions. Actually, the 20 was the most effective automobile. [Crew chief] Jonathan [Hassler] made an ideal name.”
Notable outcomes
Bell, Larson, Gibbs and Denny Hamlin rounded out the highest 5, with Bubba Wallace, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Michael McDowell and Erik Jones finishing the highest 10.
Different notable finishers embrace Shane van Gisbergen in eleventh, Brad Keselowski in fifteenth, Kyle Busch in seventeenth, Carson Hocevar in twentieth and Chase Elliott in twenty third.
Polesitter Joey Logano completed thirty first after a late crash.
