LONG POND, Pa. (AP) – Ryan Blaney held off Kevin Harvick down the stretch and won his first career NASCAR Cup race Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
The 23-year-old Blaney, a third generation driver, won for the first time in 68 career starts and made it to victory lane for the second straight day. He was a reporter for Fox during the Xfinity race and was stationed in victory lane.
Blaney got there this time in the No. 21 Ford and without a working team radio. Blaney drives for the Wood Brothers, one of the most storied teams in all of NASCAR. The Wood Brothers have won at least one race in each of the last seven decades, but none since Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011.
Now they can add Blaney to the list.
Blaney is part of a bumper crop of blossoming young talent that his hit NASCAR over the last couple of years. Two of those drivers were in the top 10: rookie Erik Jones was third and Chase Elliott was eighth.
Darrell Wallace Jr. finished a lap down in 26th in the first start by a black driver in the Cup series since 2006.