BLANEY GRITTY DRIVE THROUGH THE FIELD AT DOVER

Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang Dark Horse went from 31st to eighth Sunday afternoon at Dover as Blaney and the 12 team notched their ninth top-10 finish of the 2025 season. After rain washed out practice and qualifying Saturday, Blaney lined up 31st to begin the 400-mile event as he worked his way into the top-20 just 60 laps in before crossing the line 16th at the end of Stage 1. Blaney continued his charge towards the leaders in the second segment before he was brought to pit road on lap 184 during the green flag pit cycle, eventually cracking the top-10 with 32 laps remaining in Stage 2 en route to a ninth-place result. After taking the green flag from ninth with 140 laps remaining, Blaney continued to maintain top-10 pace as the threat of rain began to enter the conversation, prompting crew chief Jonathan Hassler to call Blaney to pit road on lap 327 with the leaders for what was thought to be the final stop of the afternoon. However, a caution for rain moments later trapped all but nine cars at least a lap down, as Blaney was forced to take the wave around prior to the ensuing restart with 57 laps to go. A larger cell of rain hit the track with 14 to go - causing a 56-minute red flag - but once drivers returned to their cars and the race was back under yellow, Blaney was the first of the leaders to hit pit road from eighth in the running order for right side tires only to gain an advantage on those up front prior to the final run. After taking the green flag from 11th, Blaney navigated his way through a pair of incidents on the final two restarts and made up a few positions along the way en route to an eighth-place finish.