Ryan Blaney used a two-tire final stop and held off Bubba Wallace by 0.586 seconds in the Dollar Tree 301. Josh Berry finished third after leading 73 laps.
Race Summary
Ryan Blaney gained the track position he needed with two tires on the final pit stop, then protected it through the closing run. The No. 12 Team Penske Ford held off Bubba Wallace by 0.586 seconds to win the Dollar Tree 301, giving Blaney his third victory of 2026 and a second consecutive win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Blaney started eighth, won Stage 2 and led a race-high 115 laps. A left-front issue had dropped him to 14th earlier in the race, but the No. 12 returned to contention before the final strategy decision. Wallace took four tires on the last stop and charged from 23rd to second. He closed within half a second before locking the brakes entering Turn 3 with five laps remaining.
Josh Berry finished third after leading 73 laps and placing in the top five in both stages. Christopher Bell was fourth, followed by Kyle Larson, who won Stage 1 and led 18 laps. Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson completed the top 10.
Reddick recovered to eighth after spinning on wet-condition tires on Lap 1. Shane van Gisbergen led 30 laps during the early tire crossover, while William Byron led 26 before a late crash left him 30th. Riley Herbst's hard crash on Lap 225 and Byron's accident with 69 laps remaining shaped the final sequence of stops.
Carson Hocevar finished 19th, one lap down, but recorded the race's fastest complete green-flag lap at 29.812 seconds on Lap 143. NASCAR confirmed the full 36-car order and completed post-race inspection.
Final Top 10
| Pos | Car | Driver | Start | Laps Led | FJ Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | 8 | 115 | 71.5 |
| 2 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 22 | 51.2 |
| 3 | 21 | Josh Berry | 2 | 73 | 62.3 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | 6 | 0 | 49.0 |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 9 | 18 | 55.8 |
| 6 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | 7 | 0 | 43.0 |
| 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 4 | 0 | 37.0 |
| 8 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 1 | 0 | 34.0 |
| 9 | 60 | Ryan Preece | 18 | 17 | 44.7 |
| 10 | 4 | Noah Gragson | 19 | 0 | 32.0 |
Key Takeaways
Two tires gave Blaney the decisive track position
Blaney was one of five drivers to take two tires on the final stop. The shorter service put the No. 12 ahead of Wallace's four-tire strategy, and Blaney carried enough speed through the closing laps to stay there. His 115 laps led were the most in the field.
Wallace turned a deep start into a winning threat
Wallace gained 21 positions and led 22 laps. Four fresh tires gave him the faster closing car, but the brake lockup with five laps left cost the momentum needed for one more sustained challenge. Second place was still a major recovery from the 23rd starting spot.
Berry combined long-run strength with stage points
Berry led 73 laps, finished fifth in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2 before taking third at the finish. Those points produced a 62.3-point FantasyJolt score, second only to Blaney, and made Berry essential to the perfect lineup.
Hocevar supplied the fastest-lap bonus
Hocevar's third-place Stage 1 finish helped offset his 19th-place race result. His 29.812-second Lap 143 was the fastest verified complete green-flag lap in the official chart and added the one-point fastest-lap bonus.
Fantasy Recap
Blaney led the slate with 71.5 base points at $14. Berry followed with 62.3 at $11, while Larson scored 55.8 after winning Stage 1. Wallace returned 51.2 points at $10, and Bell completed the top five with 49 points.
Preece was the strongest mid-tier value with 44.7 points at $9. Gragson's 32 points at $4 made the lower tier work, while Brad Keselowski scored 35 at $10 and Zane Smith returned 28 at $6. Those values let the perfect lineup use only $48 of the $50 cap.
The saved projection was too high on Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano. Gragson, Keselowski, Wallace and Preece were the largest underranked values, each beating the saved FantasyJolt rank by at least 11 places.
The saved projection lineup scored 219.25 points, capturing 52.6% of the 416.71-point perfect score. It used Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, van Gisbergen and Michael McDowell, leaving Blaney, Berry and Wallace outside the optimized five.
FantasyJolt Perfect Lineup
| Group | Driver | Salary | Base Points | Multiplied Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Ryan Blaney | $14 | 71.5 | 143.00 |
| B | Josh Berry | $11 | 62.3 | 109.03 |
| C | Bubba Wallace | $10 | 51.2 | 76.80 |
| D | Ryan Preece | $9 | 44.7 | 55.88 |
| E | Noah Gragson | $4 | 32.0 | 32.00 |
The lineup used $48 of the $50 cap and scored 416.71 points.
Looking Ahead
The Cup Series moves to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Blaney leaves New Hampshire with three victories in 2026 and consecutive wins at the track.
By the Numbers
- 115 laps led: Blaney's race-high total on the way to the victory.
- 73 laps led: Berry's total before his third-place finish.
- 0.586 seconds: The winning margin over Wallace.
- 15 lead changes: Shared among seven drivers.
- Nine cautions: Covering 51 laps.
- 21 positions gained: Wallace's move from 23rd to second.
- 29.812 seconds: Hocevar's verified fastest green-flag lap on Lap 143.
- 71.5 FantasyJolt points: Blaney's race-leading base score.