Blaney faced a challenge from Penske-aligned driver Josh Berry and the Wood Brothers team in the final 40 laps. With 39 to go, Blaney blasted past Berry on the outside of turn four, but Berry, who restarted on older tires, remained in lock step with Blaney's No. 12 Ford.

“[Berry] struggled getting going a little bit, and I was able to clear him,” Blaney said. “Then he gained a few car lengths over the course of two or three laps.”

With 12 laps remaining, Berry closed to within one car length of Blaney before his car shot out of the groove. Both drivers fought a tight racecar, and it bit Berry first, costing him a half-second.

“That was the first time we did two all day,” Blaney said in reference to his tires. “It definitely changed my car to where it wasn’t before.”

Blaney held serve in the final 10 laps and claimed the New Hampshire trophy, a highly sought-after 18-22 pound lobster. “That’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid,” Blaney said.

“I’ve been wanting to hold that thing up from victory lane just because I saw guys doing it when I was growing up,” Blaney said. “It was just the coolest thing ever.”

Blaney won the first stage and led 116 laps, his most since Nashville. This victory is emblematic of his 2023 championship run, where Blaney came alive late, winning two of the final six races.

Berry picked up a much-needed top-five finish, his first since scoring the victory at Las Vegas in March. It snapped a streak of three last-place results, which eliminated Berry from the Playoffs.

“It was definitely an awesome day,” Berry said, despite getting spun out by Shane Van Gisbergen on lap 83. Berry understood what was at stake for Blaney, but wanted to race him hard but clean.

“I was a little worried when he got around me as quickly as he did, but it seemed like it leveled out, and I was able to keep him honest,” Berry said post-race. “Just a shame to finish second.”

The Team Penske fleet dominated the day, leading 273 of 301 laps. Stage 2 winner Joey Logano led the most laps at 147 but got caught up wrestling with Chase Elliott late and finished fourth.

Racing got tense in Stage 2 for Playoff driver Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs. As the two tussled for position, Hamlin tagged and spun Gibbs out going into turn one. 

Frustrations between drivers boiled over the team radio, with Gibbs declining to comment on the wreck. “I was trying to get by him, that was a task in itself,” Hamlin said to reporters afterward.

“It’s always the drivers that have to handle that,” Joe Gibbs said to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports regarding the incident. “Those guys will get together on their own and figure it out,” Gibbs said. 

William Byron nabbed his first career top-10 at New Hampshire, leading the Playoff trio at Hendrick Motorsports in third. Elliott crossed the line in fifth, and Kyle Larson was seventh.

Elliott is seventh on the Playoff grid with a 14-point advantage to the elimination line, while Chase Briscoe is up by 12. Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric each find themselves in the bottom positions.

A sour day for 23XI Racing leaves both Playoff drivers outside the cutoff going into the next two races. Tyler Reddick was 21st after brake issues and Bubba Wallace 26th with an ill-handling car.

Kansas Speedway is the next stop on the 2025 NASCAR Playoff circuit. The 1.5-mile oval hosts 267 laps of action to mark halfway in the post-season on Sunday, September 28, at 3 p.m. ET.