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NASCAR Monday Mash-Up: Ryan Blaney lands a lobster
Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The NASCAR Playoffs have entered the Round of 12, and New Hampshire shook things up in a big way with Ryan Blaney winning. Team Penske has shown their cards once again, and it has everyone else nervous.

Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano dominated the race all day long. Josh Berry might have had the best car on the track. It was all Penske from start to finish.

Let’s get into the weekend and what happened. A couple of injury updates, lawsuit news, and more before we head into Kansas.

Stewart Friesen gives update on recovery, timeline

An update from Stewart Friesen this weekend as he made his first trip to the track since his injury. Friesen is still recovering, but did provide a rough timeline for his return.

We aren’t going to see him in NASCAR the rest of the season, but he wants to get into a dirt car in a couple of months. But the real takeaway is that he is shooting for Daytona 2026.

Legacy Motor Club, Rick Ware Racing settle lawsuit

One major NASCAR lawsuit has been settled. Legacy Motor Club and Rick Ware Racing have come to an agreement.

It looks like Legacy is going to get that charter. However, they likely don’t have time to expand to a third car by the time 2026 gets here.

Frankie Muniz provides injury update, return to NASCAR

Another Truck Series driver out of the seat due to injury this season. Frankie Muniz is optimistic that he will return very soon.

According to Muniz, he is going to be back by the Roval in two weeks. If not, then he will definitely be back for Talladega.

Corey Heim wins No. 9, ties Greg Biffle NASCAR record

What more do we have to say about Corey Heim? He has now won his ninth race of the season and appears to be untouchable at the moment.

Going to the Roval, Heim is likely going to win and break Greg Biffle’s single-season wins record in the Truck Series. Another NASCAR accolade for Heim this season.

Chandler Smith gets eliminated in Round of 10

A tough NASCAR season for Chandler Smith. The team was put together at the last minute, and while they had success, it feels like the 38 Front Row group didn’t reach their full potential.

If Smith returns to FRM in 2026, I’d expect him to be a championship favorite. He still has a chance to win another race or two this year.

Joey Logano gets cheers from NASCAR fans at Loudon

In a strange turn of events, Joey Logano received applause and cheers from NASCAR fans. Logano won the pole for the Cup Series race and made a statement by doing so.

Logano now appears to be on his way to another deep playoff run. Let’s see how it all turns out for Logano as he continues to make his haters angry with each top-five finish.

Denny Hamlin gets tired of Ty Gibbs, sends him to wall

During the race, Ty Gibbs was giving Denny Hamlin a hard time. Then Hamlin gave Gibbs a really hard time. It all ended with Gibbs in the wall and eventually, out of the race.

Now, Hamlin and Gibbs have to fix that while continuing to race weekly as teammates. Is this the thing that bites him in the butt and ends up preventing Hamlin from winning the championship?

Cody Ware broke the first rule of NASCAR racing

Early in the race, Austin Dillon and Cody Ware got into each other. So, later in the race, Ware decided to try to do something about it.

At least, it appeared that Ware tried to do something. At any rate, it ended up wrecking Ware with less than 50 laps to go in the race.

Ryan Blaney wins, sends warning shot to NASCAR field

A big win for Ryan Blaney in the NASCAR Playoffs? Say it ain’t so! Blaney has now put the rest of the field on notice.

We have seen Blaney win the fall Martinsville race two years in a row now. Can he do it again? He has weeks to prepare for it, that’s for sure.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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