Ryan Blaney wins rain-hit Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire

NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 24, 2026

Ryan Blaney wins

Ryan Blaney won the Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and locked up his second straight Cup victory at the Loudon track. He beat Bubba Wallace by 0.586 seconds after a late two-tire pit call put him back in front and set up a strong finish. The result gave Blaney his third victory of the 2026 season and the 20th Cup win of his career, a milestone that fits a race he controlled for much of the afternoon. He led a race-high 115 of the 301 laps and held the lead for the final 74. Blaney also won Stage 2, giving him another key chunk of points in a race that demanded clean work on pit road and steady pace on the track. Josh Berry finished third, Christopher Bell finished fourth and Kyle Larson took fifth, a top five that reflected a race with a clear front-running group but several shifts in position during the closing stretch.

Wet-weather start shapes

Rain delayed the start and pushed the race onto wet-weather tires, which changed the rhythm from the opening laps. The field had to manage grip right away, and Larson seized Stage 1 before Blaney answered in Stage 2. That split highlighted how the race moved through different phases, with track conditions and pit strategy carrying as much weight as outright speed. Blaney’s path to the front also came with a setback. A lug nut fell off his left-front tire during a caution pit stop, and the mistake cost him track position. He recovered with a two-tire call late in the race, a move that put him back in control when it mattered most. From there, he protected the lead and kept Wallace behind him to the checkered flag. The win also came in the penultimate race of the regular season, with the 10-race Chase approaching in two weeks, so the outcome carried extra value for the drivers chasing position and momentum.

Denny Hamlin clinches

Denny Hamlin left New Hampshire with the No. 1 seed for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase after finishing seventh. He entered the postseason with a 25-point cushion over second place and carried the points lead for seven weeks after taking it from Tyler Reddick after Sonoma Raceway in June. That stretch put him in control of the standings before the Chase field was finalized, and his finish at Loudon sealed the top spot. The race also knocked Ross Chastain out of Chase contention after a mechanical failure 41 laps into the event. That early exit reshaped the postseason picture and underscored how quickly one problem can end a title bid in the regular season’s final run. Blaney’s win, Hamlin’s top seeding and Chastain’s elimination gave New Hampshire a broad impact across the standings, with the front of the field and the cutoff line both moving on the same day.