Ryan Blaney Holds Off Byron and Larson for Michigan Win

LAP 1: The Hendrick Motorsports teammates of Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott started side-by-side on the front row and led the field to the green flag. Larson jumped to the top spot while Elliott slipped back to 4th place.

LAP 7: After starting 5th, the #19 of Martin Truex Jr fell back to 31st, having sustained left-rear damage from a small collision with his teammate, Kyle Busch. 

CAUTION – LAP 20: The yellow flag waves for the competition caution so teams could check tire wear and make adjustments. All cars pitted and Denny Hamlin won the race off pit road by only taking fuel while the rest of the field got fresh tires as well.

CAUTION – LAP 32: While exiting Turn 2, the right-front tire on the #15 of Joey Gase blew out, causing Gase to hit the wall and spin down the track. Gase was uninjured, but was out of the race. On the restart, Chase Elliott got past Hamlin to take the lead. 

STAGE 1 END – LAP 60: Despite being heavily challenged by Hamlin, Larson, and Austin Dillon throughout the stage, Elliott was able to hang on and win the segment, earning a playoff point for his efforts. Behind him, Larson, Dillon, Hamlin, and William Byron completed the Top 5.

LAP 111: Chase Elliott surrendered the lead to make a pitstop along with Larson and Byron. Once the green-flag stops cycled through, Kyle Busch inherited the lead. 

STAGE 2 END – LAP 120: Kyle Busch picked up the Stage victory and the playoff point. Behind Busch, Christopher Bell, Larson, Elliott, and Hamlin rounded out the Top 5. After crossing the finish line, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski made contact that sent Dillon hard into the wall. Dillon was uninjured personally, but his #3 Chevrolet was totaled and his race was over. 

CAUTION – LAP 181: The yellow flag was waved as drivers started to report precipitation on their windshields. The field ran pace laps until the brief pop-up shower passed. The track did not get fully wet, which allowed the race to continue.

CAUTION – LAP 188: On the restart, several cars lost speed in Turn 2, which led to Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano stacking up and slipping back through the field. Logano was eventually hit from behind and spun. The wreck collected Ryan Newman, Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, and Martin Truex Jr. On the restart, 

CHECKERED FLAG – LAP 200: Ryan Blaney held off both William Byron and Kyle Larson who both made several attemps to pass during the 8-lap shootout to the checkered flag. Blaney crossed the line 0.07 seconds ahead of Byron to capture his 2nd victory of the season. 

RESULTS:

1. Ryan Blaney
2. William Byron
3. Kyle Larson
4. Kurt Busch 
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Matt DiBenedetto
7. Kyle Busch
8. Chase Elliott
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Martin Truex Jr
11. Chase Briscoe
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
13. Christopher Bell
14. Kevin Harvick
15. Chris Buescher
16. Alex Bowman
17. Aric Almirola
18. Erik Jones
19. Bubba Wallace
20. Michael McDowell
21. Ryan Preece
22. Daniel Suarez
23. Cole Custer
24. Ryan Newman
25. Justin Haley
26. Josh Berry
27. Cody Ware
28. BJ McLeod
29. Tyler Reddick
30. Quin Houff
31. Josh Bilicki
32. Garrett Smithley
33. Joey Logano
34. Anthony Alfredo
35. Ross Chastain
36. Austin Dillon
37. Joey Gase