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Loudon certainly flipped the script as far as dominant team dynamics go after Sunday’s race. Who would’ve thought that the Penske Fords would come out swinging and dominate like they did? Yes, we finally saw some speed from the HMS Chevys. However, this was a surprisingly off race for the JGR Toyotas, and they have some serious issues to address before the Kansas weekend.

Stage 1: The Penske Fords worked together like a team, allowing Ryan Blaney to secure the Stage 1 win.

Stage 2: The teams tried different strategies with their green-flag pit stops, but the pole winner, Joey Logano, snagged the second stage for himself.

Final Stage: The No. 12 car had the long-run speed and eventually reigned supreme over the other Penske Fords.

The easiest way to avoid being in a pressure situation during the playoffs is to start the round with a win. And that is exactly what Ryan Blaney and the #12 team did at the Magic Mile. Speed hasn’t been the issue for Blaney this year, but execution has. However, it appears that his team is on the right path, setting sail for what looks like another title charge.

Blaney led 116 of the 301 laps, including the final 39. While the HMS Chevys and other contenders faded in front of the speed of the #12 Ford, Josh Berry looked like a real threat. Coming out of the same Penske shop, the iconic #21 Ford was lightning-fast and perhaps the fastest car of the day. Wreck, lost position, or untimely caution, nothing held Berry back as he chased Blaney for the win.

It was intense racing, and Berry pushed his race car right to the edge in closing the distance on the race leader. In case you missed out on this cat-and-mouse chase, here is a glimpse of that deciding battle. The pivotal moment came with 13 to go, as Berry almost crashed out of the race after his slingshot move didn’t pan out as he had hoped.

That was it. One small mistake from Berry allowed Blaney the breathing room he needed to register his third win of the season. The next two weeks will be stress-free for the #12 team, allowing them to prepare for the Round of 8 challenge. The same cannot be said for the bottom four drivers, who need to make haste.

At this stage of the season, none of the drivers hovering above the cutline or in the bottom four are truly safe. After the Bristol race, people were questioning Joey Logano’s chances in the Round of 12. But with a pole win and a P4 finish, he now finds himself in a good spot with a buffer of 24 points. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott also made sizeable gains with his top-5 run.

Loudon was a nightmare for the 23XI Racing drivers. Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace looked lost on the racetrack. Forget about the top 10, Wallace finished 26th and is now facing a 27-point deficit. When asked about the chances of the #23 team at Kansas, the driver didn’t mince words in reflecting on the lost opportunity at Loudon.

Wallace acknowledged the gravity of the situation and shared his perspective on upcoming challenges in this post-race interview.

Reddick had a few flashes in terms of speed, but that was all due to tire strategy and not the performance of his race car. It is worth noting that the #45 team is still on the hunt for their first win. But as things stand, his team will be more concerned about cutting the 23-point gap. The surprising element here is that Austin Cindric couldn’t get himself out of the danger zone. It felt like he was driving a non-Penske Ford, as he was nowhere to be seen.

A 17th-place finish for the #2 team means they will have to overcome a 19-point deficit, which again isn’t assured given how tight things are in the standings. Ross Chastain finds himself in a similar situation despite a top-10 run. He does have a small gap of 12 points to overcome, but come Kansas, his team cannot afford any mistakes.

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There was a lot of noise surrounding Alan Gustafson and Chase Elliott heading into Loudon. Just five points above the cutline, questions were being raised about the performance of the team. Even Elliott felt that it was luck, not performance, that saw him through to the Round of 12. He sounded frustrated after the Bristol race.

But at the Magic Mile, he turned a corner for good and bounced back with a top-5 finish. Gustafson did gamble, as he advised his driver to stay out on older tires while others pitted for fresh rubber. And this gamble worked in their favor. Yet, Elliott wasn’t content with just a top-5 result; he wants to be in the hunt for race wins. Here, listen for yourself to what the HMS star had to say after the race.

The only guy who somewhat kept JGR in the battle was Christopher Bell. Given that he had two wins at Loudon in the Gen 7 car, he was expected to be out front, but he was only playing catch-up to those Penske Fords. “We didn’t have the pace to run with top competitors. So, yeah, we walked out of here with a lot of points, so it was a successful day.” Bell certainly made peace with what he got on the day.

Love him or hate him, Joey Logano has got the playoffs figured out. Just when it seemed like the #22 team was under pressure, they delivered solid results, and that was the case at New Hampshire. Had it not been for Blaney and Berry, Logano would’ve bagged another win for the year, but he wasn’t complaining after a solid points day.

“I think we are plus 24 after this week. So that’s great, kinda makes up for some of the playoff point deficit that we have going into the weekend. Overall, you gotta be happy about that and just so close to a win, but proud of the team,” Logano said after the race. Team spirit certainly prevailed over individual goals for the Penske drivers, but the same can’t be said about Joe Gibbs Racing.

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Apart from Blaney’s win, the big talking point from the Mobil 1 301 race at Loudon was Denny Hamlin’s retaliation against his teammate, Ty Gibbs. Usually, teammates work together in sync to get the best possible outcome, but the JGR Toyotas were found trading blows with each other.

The incident happened during Stage 2 when Gibbs didn’t give a free pass to Hamlin, who was growing frustrated inside his race car. He even radioed his team and aired out his anger against his teammate: “Does Ty know we’re going for a championship? What the f***. Are they afraid to talk to him?”

What followed next was perhaps Hamlin’s worst moment of this season. On lap 110, while making the exit, the veteran driver ran Gibbs up the track and finally spun him, sending him hard into the wall. This act of retaliation could’ve easily spoiled the day for the entire JGR group. Bell, who was tailing his two teammates, was able to get clear of the wreck and save his day. Click the post to see the reaction of the drivers after the race.

Things are nervy inside the JGR camp. Ty, being the grandson of team owner Coach Gibbs, makes the situation even trickier. But as far as resolving this beef goes, the veteran team owner feels his involvement isn’t warranted in the conflict between two drivers. Some fans saw the funny side of this story, as Ty’s cold response to the media reminded them of Rowdy Busch.

The competition meeting at Joe Gibbs Racing is going to be an interesting one, to say the least. But going by Hamlin’s radio rant, it is evident that the team chemistry at JGR isn’t ideal, and that is a concern for Coach Gibbs. Funny how things can change in a matter of a race. A week ago, they were the team to beat, but now they are staring at resolving an internal conflict between their drivers.

Continue Reading: Ryan Blaney Explains How Penske Drives Handle Teammate Tensions