The Round of 12 is officially underway, and Team Penske has quickly asserted themselves as true title threats once again. Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney combined to lead over 90% of the laps run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The race also featured some drama between teammates and the team owner’s grandson at Joe Gibbs Racing, while 23XI Racing failed to get anything positive out of the race weekend.
Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from NHMS:
WINNER: Ryan Blaney punches his ticket to the Round of 8
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Here we go again. Team Penske has won every title so far in the Next Gen era, and they already have a car guaranteed to go into the Round of 8. Blaney led 116 of 301 laps, and the only cars that could truly challenge him after he got going were those that came from the same race shop. And with tracks like Talladega and Martinsville in the next round, there is a real path for the No. 12 to go all the way this year.
LOSER: 23XI Racing stumbles in ‘terrible’ Round of 12 opener
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota; Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing Toyota
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
All of the playoff drivers managed to reach the checkered flag at NHMS, which was bad news for 23XI because they were the slowest of the 12 contenders. Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace were the only playoff drivers to finish outside of the top 20, placing 21st and 26th, respectively. They just seemed lost, and now they are in a major points deficit. The good news is that they now head to Kansas, where 23XI has won several races in the past.
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
HMS did not look like themselves in the first round, and while they weren’t the best team at NHMS, they are finally heading in the right direction. All three of their remaining playoff drivers finished inside the top ten, and Chase Elliott drove from 27th on the grid to score a top five. Last week, he felt like they didn’t even deserve to advance into this round, so it was a much-needed improvement for Team Hendrick, especially at a flat track where they don’t have a great record.
LOSER: Ty Gibbs as things get ugly between JGR teammates
Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Oh boy … Gibbs, one week removed from a bitter loss at Bristol, was racing his championship-contending teammates very hard at NHMS. That’s fine, but at one point, he started to slam doors with teammate Christopher Bell multiple times. Directly behind this was Denny Hamlin, who was aggravated with the recklessness of Gibbs. When he tried to pass the No. 54 soon after, he showed no mercy, quickly spinning out the boss’s grandson in an explosive moment for the organization. Hamlin openly wondered on the radio if the team are ‘scared’ of talking to Ty.
WINNER: Josh Berry for nearly winning the race after early spin
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford, Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Berry finished last in all three races that made up the Round of 16, and it looked like bad luck continued to follow him this weekend. He got spun out early, but in an impressive comeback, he charged back through the field and nearly won the race. Berry held the lead on the restart, and even with older tires, he held on to finish a close second to Blaney.
LOSER: SVG as his best run yet on ovals ends in a wreck
Shane van Gisbergen crash, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Getty Images
Shane van Gisbergen is another driver who decided to have one of their strongest runs of the year one week after being eliminated from title contention. SVG had four wins in 2025 — all on road courses, but this was one of the more impressive outings for him on an oval. He qualified 10th, drove up inside the top five, and scored stage points on an oval for the first. Unfortunately, it all came to an end when Brad Keselowski attempted to make it five-wide on a restart, wrecking SVG and several others.
WINNER: Joey Logano goes from below the cutline to +24 at his home track
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Photo by: Getty Images
Logano didn’t get the win, but he was another Penske driver who made big gains on Sunday. After securing pole position, he led 147 laps and finished fourth. That was enough to take Logano from below the cutline by two points to 24 above it. Once again, the three-time champion is positioning himself well for a deep playoff run.
LOSER: Ross Chastain loses ground despite a top ten finish
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Chastain scored his first top ten of the playoffs on Sunday, which sounds like a good thing, but the points say otherwise. He already entered the race below the cutline, and the combination of no playoff drivers ahead of him stumbling and the No. 1 failing to score any stage points meant that he actually lost ground. The good news is that he’s still within striking distance, 12 points adrift of Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
WINNER: Christopher Bell leads the way for Team Toyota
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Bell entered this race as the defending winner, but he quickly had to adjust his expectations as the Toyotas seemed to fall behind their rivals. And while it was a quiet day for the No. 20, it was exactly what he needed. He made the most of it, and used a four-tire call at the end to surge up to sixth in the final running order. Because of that, he’s 29 points above the cutline.
LOSER: Cody Ware wrecks himself in payback gone wrong
Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing Ford
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Ware got spun out early in the race due to contact from Austin Dillon. While it seemed like an innocent mistake, and the No. 51 continued without damage, the Rick Ware Racing driver did not let it go. Later in the race, it appeared that he tried to wreck Dillon in retaliation while the No. 3 was lapping him. Actually, he just wrecked himself and slammed the outside wall, causing the final caution flag of the race. That was a bit awkward, and Dillon called him an ‘idiot’ on the radio after the apparent attempt at payback.
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