New Delhi, July 13 -- HAMPTON, Ga. - They sat in the dark for three hours and nine minutes while lightning lit the sky over EchoPark Speedway. When the rain cleared and the field returned to the 1.54-mile oval, Ryan Blaney got back in the car that had already led 171 laps and picked up where he left off.

With 29 laps remaining, he brushed the wall. The vibration came through the steering wheel immediately. From the pit box, crew chief Jonathan Hassler pulled up photos of the right side of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford. The damage was there, but it was not catastrophic. Stay out, Hassler decided.

Blaney won the 2026 Quaker State 400 in overtime, crossing the finish line first at 1:45 a.m. Monday in a three-wide sprint that turned the concl...