Ryan Blaney delivered an impressive performance Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway during the rain-delayed Autotrader 400, climbing from 31st on the grid to finish eighth. The challenges began when Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions were canceled due to rain, forcing Blaney to start deep in the field. Despite the setback, Blaney and his No. 12 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang Dark Horse team steadily advanced through the pack in the 400-mile event, ultimately securing their ninth top-10 finish of the 2025 season in front of an anxious crowd at Dover.
Blaney worked his way into the top 20 in the opening 60 laps and crossed the Stage 1 finish line in 16th. He maintained momentum through the second segment, climbing into the top 10 by lap 184 during green flag pit stops and ultimately placing ninth at the Stage 2 conclusion. His consistent pace and strategic pit calls kept him competitive even as rain threatened late in the race.
A key moment came on Lap 327 when crew chief Jonathan Hassler called Blaney to pit road with the leaders, anticipating a final stop. Moments after, a caution for rain put most of the field a lap down, and Blaney had to take the wave around to regain the lead lap. A heavy rainstorm then paused the race with a 56-minute red flag with only 14 laps remaining. When the race resumed under yellow, Blaney quickly pitted for right-side tires, gaining an advantage on fresher tires.
Despite a difficult restart lane choice that cost track position, Blaney remained aggressive, navigating two late-race incidents and multiple restarts to finish eighth, further solidifying his and the No. 12 team’s strong 2025 campaign.
“It was a fun day. I thought on long runs we were really good. I would have personally liked to have seen it go to the end before the rain caution came out because we had a really good long run car and I thought I might have been able to get up to fifth. We came in and got two tires, and I didn’t pick a good lane on the restart and gave a lot of track position away, but, overall, it was a good day from where we started.”
— Ryan Blaney, Driver
Austin Cindric Navigates Adverse Conditions to Finish Sixteenth at Dover
Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse team showcased resilience in the rain-affected race at Dover, overcoming a tough starting spot to finish 16th. After Saturday’s qualification was canceled, Cindric started 26th according to NASCAR’s rulebook. Early in the race, he found a rhythm and steadily moved up through the pack.
During the competition caution on Lap 35, Cindric pitted for tires, fuel, and air pressure adjustments, restarting 23rd and advancing into the top 20 before the end of Stage 1, where he finished 19th. In the second stage, Cindric continued to hold a position inside the top 20, crossing the Stage 2 line in 16th. His race remained a balancing act, as he informed the team that the car’s handling did not improve as expected after adjustments.
Late in the race, as weather conditions worsened, Cindric made a green-flag pit stop just before rain forced a caution on Lap 338, which led to a lengthy red flag. Once racing resumed with just eight laps left, he capitalized on the chaotic restarts to gain several spots and safely brought home a solid 16th-place finish.
“With where we had to start I’m definitely proud of the effort from everybody here on this No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang. We kind of just clawed our way up and we had one restart where the field got split up under green flag cycles and I got parked and pretty much lost all of the progress I had made throughout the entirety of the day. We clawed back a few there on those late restarts, but, overall, I’m happy to finish one of these a little better than we have the last few weeks, but we definitely want more.”
— Austin Cindric, Driver
Joey Logano Celebrates 600 NASCAR Cup Series Starts Amid Challenging Dover Race
Joey Logano marked a significant career milestone Sunday by making his 600th NASCAR Cup Series start at Dover Motor Speedway, becoming the youngest driver to reach this landmark at 35 years and one month old. The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver joined an elite group as the 34th driver all-time to hit 600 Cup starts, breaking a 52-year-old record previously held by racing legend Richard Petty.
With qualifying canceled due to rain, Logano started eighth on the grid and quickly moved up to sixth before the competition caution on Lap 35. He encountered some struggles with rear grip but managed to maintain a top-10 pace and finished Stage 1 in ninth. A timely four-tire stop during the stage break helped Logano improve his track position to seventh for the restart.
Throughout the second stage, Logano’s handling issues persisted, and he slipped back to 13th by the end of Stage 2. On a subsequent run, Logano briefly returned to the top 10 but suffered a costly speeding penalty on pit road late in the race, resulting in a pass-through penalty and dropping him two laps down.
The rain then brought an extended red flag period. Logano managed to take the wave-around off the caution to return to the lead lap before the final restart with eight laps remaining. Capitalizing on fresher tires and multiple late-race cautions, Logano fought back through the field to secure 14th place at the finish, a respectable result on a difficult day.
“It was a cool weekend reaching 600 Cup starts, just wish we had a better showing for it. We had pretty good pace throughout the day and kept working on it but that speeding penalty halted the momentum we had going. Still proud of our guys for staying with it and getting us to a decent finish at the end.”
— Joey Logano, Driver
Looking Ahead: Next Stop at Indianapolis for Brickyard 400
Following the intense and rain-interrupted Autotrader 400, the NASCAR Cup Series will shift focus to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the highly anticipated Brickyard 400 presented by PPG on Sunday, July 27. Fans can look forward to comprehensive race coverage beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on TNT, IMS Radio Network, and the Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. This transition to Indianapolis highlights the continued momentum drivers like Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and Joey Logano will carry as the season progresses through key events at iconic venues.
