Blaney’s tyre durability was a pleasant surprise, especially considering they had failed for numerous drivers during the weekend
Ryan Blaney’s June began in sad fashion when Team Penske gambled on gasoline, causing him to run out on the penultimate lap and lose the race at Gateway. Two weeks later, his team opted to gamble again, taking only two tyres. This time, it paid off as the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion won the series’ maiden race at Iowa Speedway.
When the eighth and final caution came out on Lap 261 for Chris Buescher’s crash, Blaney’s crew chief Jonathan Hassler chose to change only two tyres while his main competitor William Byron pitted for four. It was a hazardous decision, especially given Byron and his Hendrick Motorsports team-mate Kyle Larson had been quick all day; Larson won Stage 2 but a spin took him out of contention.
BIG TROUBLE FOR KYLE LARSON.
📺 : USA Network | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ptwp3jo9vB
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 17, 2024
BIG TROUBLE FOR KYLE LARSON.
📺 : USA NETWORK | #NASCAR PIC.TWITTER.COM/PTWP3JO9VB
— NASCAR on NBC. (@NASCARonNBC) June 17, 2024
“To go out there on two tyre, really not have a lot of guys that are on two tyres, you know at some point those guys are going to be a little bit better than you are,” Hassler observed. “I was just hoping that it was really late in the run.”
The race resumed with 84 laps left. Despite pressure from Byron and Hendrick ally Chase Elliott, Blaney’s Ford was quick enough to keep both of them at away and he led the rest of the race to capture his first win of the season.
“When Jonathan mentioned two, I thought it was probably a decent idea. We didn’t have too many laps on our lefts. Lefts weren’t wearing much. Blaney remarked, “I knew there would be a long run to the end.” “You don’t know who else will take two. Some guys running 15th on back want to take two and gain track position. I believe only a few of us did. I wasn’t sure how they were going to fire and handle. We hadn’t been on two all night until that point.
“Later in the run, I tried my hardest to save early because I knew that when I got into lap traffic, I struggled in stage two.” When I reached lap traffic while leading, the #9 (Elliott) and #5 (Larson) slowed me down since I had depleted my resources too quickly.
General view of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway.
“I attempted to learn it. I tried to maintain a regular gap to the #24 (Byron), not push my gear, so I could have something for the lappers. With ten to go, I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. I had to work harder to maintain my pace. It was difficult to maintain the pace and keep the gap with Byron.
“It was a good decision to get us to clean air. Four tyres, two tyres, I believe we would have had a good chance either way because I felt I was better than Byron. Chase was particularly effective late in a run. He was that way in the second stage. I felt fairly good compared to Byron. We raced him early in the race and thought we were little faster than him.
“Good call getting us in clean air, trying to manage and hold on the last ten laps or so.”
Tyres battled all week.
Blaney’s tyre durability was a nice surprise, especially as they had failed for many drivers during the weekend. During practice on Friday, five drivers—Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Ty Gibbs, and Tyler Reddick—had flat tyres, causing Bell and Chastain to crash and necessitating the use of red flags for cleanup. Chastain’s collision was severe enough to necessitate the use of a second tow vehicle.
Instead of applying a fresh coat to the entire racing surface, Iowa underwent a partial repavement. While small sections were new in Turns and 4, the rest was the same as it was when when the circuit launched in 2006. Elliott compared driving on such an uneven surface to “hitting a big bump on the interstate,” compounded as Cup cars have low ride heights. This paired with a tyre compound that has been up-and-down in 2024 spurred fears of a repetition of Bristol in March.
The suspicions were likely justified in Stage 2 when many of the retirements throughout the stretch occurred due of tyres going down. Buescher, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, and Zane Smith made unplanned pit stops after their tires went flat, while Chastain’s dropped tyre pushed him into the wall. Michael McDowell also had his chances of a top-10 finish shattered by a late flat.
The troubles continue for @KyleBusch.
He's forced to the garage at @iowaspeedway. pic.twitter.com/e5cKy0wCgb
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 17, 2024
THE TROUBLES CONTINUE FOR @KYLEBUSCH.
HE’S FORCED TO THE GARAGE AT @IOWASPEEDWAY. PIC.TWITTER.COM/E5CKY0WCGB
— NASCAR (@NASCAR), June 17, 2024.
Despite this, Blaney and his #12 arrived home safely.
“Tyres weren’t really wearing much,” Hassler explained. “I certainly didn’t think we were in danger of blowing a tyre by completing two. Maybe we left a little speed on the table. I was convinced we would be able to take the lead. That clearly outweighed in terms of speed.”
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