The NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural race at Iowa Speedway witnessed a dramatic climax. Kyle Larson, the Sonoma race winner last weekend, looked primed to break the season’s lead for most wins. After an insightful Goodyear tire test and good past finishes at Iowa, the Hendrick driver was confident. But Ryan Blaney proved to be a thorn in his side and persisted till the end.

Kyle Larson washed up against an unexpected debacle in the final stage. That sealed his fate, and his Iowa rival soared toward eventual glory.

Ryan Blaney snaps an 8-month winless streak

The Team Penske No. 12 car fell behind Hendrick Motorsports‘ No. 5 car by only 0.025 seconds at the qualifying race. But Ryan Blaney used his prior two winning experiences at the 0.875-mile short track to the fullest extent, offering Larson a solid fight and snatching the first-stage win. Then, as Larson came back for second-stage glory again, he had heartbreak awaiting him.

Daniel Suarez hooked into Larson’s left side, sending the No. 5 car spinning into the wall and collecting Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 in the process. This incident cleared the way for Ryan Blaney to dominate the race. Despite William Byron and Chase Elliott putting up a strong fight, Blaney maintained a firm grip on the lead. Leading a career-high 201 laps, he capitalized on Kyle Larson’s misfortune to secure his first Cup victory of 2024.

What a win for the Team Penske driver on home ground! Blaney’s mother grew up close to Iowa, and over 80 family members came to watch the No. 12 driver race, all dressed up in gray t-shirts to support him, cheering for their stud as he drove into Victory Lane. Blaney’s 11th career Cup victory is a fantastic gift for Dave Blaney on Father’s Day.

The cheering family must have given Blaney a boost, as the driver commented prior to the race. “It’s nice to have a track to where part of your family is from and they come out and support. They did the same thing 10 years ago when we raced Xfinity here and it’s nice that they all came back out and hanging out all weekend.”

“It’s definitely a very special weekend for me just from that side of it and hopefully we can capitalize. It would be fun to celebrate, I don’t know how we’re gonna get 80 of them across the racetrack if we win the race, but we’ll try to figure it out.”

And as the superb race turned out, the Blaney family indeed got the chance to celebrate. Ryan Blaney has locked himself into the playoffs for this season, potentially placing himself for a consecutive championship run this year as well. His win also debunked panic button theories for the Ford bandwagon

Finally burns the rubber and waves the Ford flag

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After a slow start to 2024, only Chevrolet and Toyota had tasted victory in NASCAR’s Victory Lane. Denny Hamlin and William Byron led the charge for their respective teams, racking up wins for the Chevy and Toyota camps. Then Kyle Larson bolstered Chevrolet’s dominance with his own victories.

Ford, however, had been on the brink of victory multiple times. Ryan Blaney came close at Atlanta, narrowly missing out. It was Brad Keselowski who finally broke the dry spell for RFK Racing with a win at Darlington, marking Ford’s first victory of the season.

Joey Logano continued the momentum with a win at the All-Star Race, cruising to victory in his No. 22 Ford at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Despite the triumph, since it was a non-points event, Team Penske knew there was more work ahead. Austin Cindric then added to Ford’s tally by snatching the Illinois trophy, a poignant moment as Blaney faltered with an empty tank.

But it was Ryan Blaney, the defending champion who finally roared back at Iowa, seizing the checkered flag and solidifying Ford’s resurgence. With these victories under their belt, Ford looks poised to regain its winning form.

Ryan Blaney professed his patience back in March, as Ford faced a long slump ahead. “I don’t really get into panic mode too easily. Just understand it is a long year.” He kept true to his promise and clinched the win at the inaugural Cup race at Iowa.