NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte 2017 Results: Ryan Blaney Earns 1st 2017 Win
Ryan Blaney captured the checkered flag in the NASCAR Xfinity Series' Hisense 4K TV 300 on Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
It's the fifth career Xfinity victory for Blaney and his first of the 2017 season. He survived a crash-filled race that included 12 cautions and 12 lead changes with seven different leaders.
Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five in the 10th race of the campaign.
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Post-Race Information (via NASCAR.com)
Justin Allgaier started from the pole position, but it was a short-lived grip on first place. Harvick took over the top spot and never looked back, leading 38 of 45 laps during a herky-jerky opening stage that featured three cautions.
The No. 41 machine benefited from the clean air after the third restart. He pulled away from the field and was on proverbial cruise control for most of the final 20 laps of the first segment.
HMG Sports noted the large gap Harvick created to easily win the stage:
The longtime Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver found out it was a lot tougher working from behind, though. He dropped to fourth after pit stops between segments and could never improve his position despite the speed he'd shown when out in front.
Blaney took over as the race's dominant force after squeezing by Denny Hamlin for the lead early in the second stage. Like Harvick in the first segment, he led each of the last 38 laps during the second portion of the race, though his lead was even more pronounced. He led by 2.6 seconds at the end of the segment.
FS1 highlighted the strong effort from the driver of the No. 12 Ford:
The race unsurprisingly developed into a battle between Harvick and Blaney during the final laps. They fought for the lead multiple times during a series of late restarts.
Blaney got an outstanding run off the final restart with three laps to go and managed to hold off a final surge from his Cup Series rival for the victory.
Xfinity Racing showcased Blaney's celebration:
NASCAR Xfinity passed along a look at his arrival to Victory Lane:
Looking ahead, Saturday's experience should lend plenty of help to the Cup Series drivers who took part. Speed entering the corners and taking some extra risks to move toward the top in the early going for cleaner air are among the key lessons heading into Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 on the same track.
The Xfinity Series will return to action next Saturday, June 3, for the OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.
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