by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief

Ryan Blaney picked up the 7th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s 75th Annual Cook Out Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway when his #12 Menards / Richmond Water Heaters Ford was involved in a two-car accident after he completed 2 of 367 laps.

The finish, which came in Blaney’s 332nd series start, was his second of the year and first since this year’s spring Darlington race, 13 races ago. As the first repeat last-place finisher of the 2024 Cup Series season, Blaney ends a streak of 25 consecutive different last-place finishers this season and takes the lead in the LASTCAR Driver’s Championship standings from Christopher Bell.

In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 33rd for the #12, the 673rd from a crash, and the 749th for Ford. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 51st for the #12, the 1,048th for Ford, and the 1,391st from a crash.

Since his last rough outing in Darlington, Blaney has since scored a pair of victories. He first dominated the inaugural event at Iowa, where the broadcast made frequent mention of the 80 family members he had in the stands. Another win came at Pocono, site of his first career Cup win for the Wood Brothers in 2017. Just last week in Daytona, Harrison Burton drove the team to its first win since that day. He very nearly scored a third in the return of the Brickyard 400, only for a controversial restart to all but hand victory to Kyle Larson. This put Blaney well in position for a title defense, and what should have been a stress-free final race of the regular season in the Southern 500.

Of the 37 entrants in Darlington, Blaney began the weekend just 33rd in practice, then jumped to 4th-fastest in Qualifying Round 1B with a lap of 29.375 seconds (167.408mph). This advanced him to the second round, where he secured 7th on the grid with a lap of 29.617 seconds (166.040mph).

Taking the 37th and final starting spot was Timmy Hill, driving the lone “open” entry for Motorsports Business Management. Carrying sponsorship from “W” brand deodorant on the #66 Ford, Hill wouldn’t be joined by any drivers for pre-race penalties. This included 37th-place starter Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., the only driver unable to complete a timed lap in qualifying. Stenhouse earned the 3rd-fastest lap in practice, but late in the session spun his #47 Kroger / Drumstick Chevrolet into the inside wall. The crew managed to complete repairs to the car’s nose. Daniel Suarez also retained his 32nd-place starting spot after his #99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet stalled on pit road after the command to start engines, forcing an extra pace lap.

When the green flag dropped, Hill remained last across the stripe, 3.54 seconds back of the lead to Stenhouse’s 3.334. At the end of Lap 1, Hill still held the spot, showing 4.945 seconds back of the lead and 0.691 back of Kaz Grala, back in Rick Ware Racing’s #15 Meat ‘n Bone Ford. Coming back around to start Lap 3, Hill now trailed the leader by 6.888 seconds, and was 0.315 behind new 36th-place runner Shane van Gisbergen in the #16 Acceptance Insurance Chevrolet. But, heading into Turns 1 and 2, there was trouble amongst the leaders.

As the leaders worked their way through the corners, Martin Truex, Jr. was racing to the left of William Byron for the 7th spot when Truex lost control of his #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota. Truex nudged the left-rear of Byron’s #24 Liberty University Chevrolet, skated sideways, then appeared to catch it. Closing fast from behind was Blaney, who held the high line. But just as Blaney caught Truex, the #19 snapped right. Truex locked the brakes, but hooked himself across the left-front of Blaney’s Ford, putting both cars into the outside wall. The impact sent Blaney hard into the fence, causing him to slow to a stop on the apron exiting Turn 2. Blaney radioed that he’d been hurt in the incident, and appeared to favor his right arm as he climbed from the car and walked to the ambulance. But by Lap 14, he’d been checked and released from the care center, saying his arm hurt, but that he expected to race next week in Atlanta.

Truex made it to pit road after the incident, but by Lap 5, the crew chief said they were done for the night. At the time, the right-rear wheel was removed from the car, and the suspension behind appeared bent with the hub pointed downward. A tow truck arrived, hooked up the car from the rear, and towed it behind the wall by Lap 8. NASCAR relayed that Blaney and Truex were out on Lap 15, the message sent twice due to static on the first transmission. By Lap 55, Truex’s car was loaded on the hauler with Blaney’s soon to follow. Truex took the blame for the incident.

Hill finished in 35th, pulling behind the wall under green with a steering issue after 278 laps, the first retiree since Blaney and Truex wrecked. Taking 34th was Kaz Grala, who on Lap 156 pulled into the garage for extensive adjustments. The crew sent him back out on Lap 167, now 28 laps down, and planned to park if the adjustments didn’t work. They did, and Grala finished the race in 34th, 35 laps behind. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Carson Hocevar, who qualified a surprising outside-pole in the #77 Bon Secours / Swamp Rabbits Chevrolet – the first time Spire Motorsports ever qualified better than 19th at Darlington. But after dropping back in the order early, he spun on Lap 315, then struck the Turn 4 wall on Lap 337, destroying the right-front suspension.

Briscoe wins as LaJoie earns first non-superspeedway Top Ten

Sunday’s race saw Chase Briscoe re-enact his dramatic battle with Kyle Busch for the win at Darlington’s XFINITY Series race in 2020, ending a losing streak of over two years dating back to March 13, 2022 at Phoenix. It had also been two years since Stewart-Haas Racing went to victory lane, this 70th win coming in the team’s final year before their impending closure at the end of this season. During his career as a driver, team co-owner Tony Stewart never won at Darlington in 24 attempts. It was one of only three tracks where Stewart competed in Cup, but never won, joined by Kentucky and Rockingham.

Finishing 9th was Corey LaJoie in the #7 Chili’s Catch-a-Rita Chevrolet, his first top-ten finish on a non-superspeedway in his 262nd series start. His best career finish remains 4th, which he’s earned on three occasions – one each on the superspeedways in Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta.

LASTCAR STATISTICS

*This marked the first time a driver swept both races at Darlington in the same season since 1976, when Darrell Bryant in the #50 Hot Rod Barns Chevrolet crashed after 23 laps of the Rebel 500 on April 11th, then lost the engine after 3 laps of the Southern 500 on September 6th. Both wins were also swept by the driver as David Pearson took the checkered flag in each, driving the Wood Brothers’ Purolator Mercury.

*This was the first last-place finish for the #12 in the Southern 500 since September 1, 1952 – 72 years to the day – when Jim Paschal’s #12 1952 Oldsmobile lost the engine after 18 laps of the third annual Southern 500.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

37) #12-Ryan Blaney / 2 laps / crash

36) #19-Martin Truex, Jr. / 2 laps / crash

35) #66-Timmy Hill / 278 laps / steering

34) #15-Kaz Grala / 332 laps / running

33) #77-Carson Hocevar / 335 laps / crash

2024 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Joe Gibbs Racing, Kaulig Racing, Motorsports Business Management, Penske Racing, Spire Motorsports, Stewart-Haas Racing (3)

2nd) Front Row Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, Legacy Motor Club, RFK Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Trackhouse Racing (1)

2024 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP

1st) Ford (12)

2nd) Chevrolet (9)

3rd) Toyota (4)

2024 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP