Ryan Blaney Wins at Phoenix, Shifting NASCAR Cup Series Standings
Phoenix, AZ – Ryan Blaney secured his first win of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, taking the checkered flag in the Straight Talk Wireless 500. The victory marks the first for Ford this year and completes a Team Penske sweep in the Desert Double, following Josef Newgarden’s INDYCAR win on Saturday [1].
How Blaney Took the Win
Blaney, starting fifth, strategically took just two tires during a late-race caution, allowing him to surge past Ty Gibbs in the closing laps after a restart. He led a total of 28 laps and ultimately held off Christopher Bell for the win [2], [3]. This is Blaney’s 18th career NASCAR Cup Series victory.
Race Recap & Key Moments
Joey Logano secured the pole position, but his race ended prematurely after a collision with AJ Allmendinger with 58 laps remaining [3].
Top 10 Results
- 1. Ryan Blaney
- 2. Christopher Bell
- 3. Kyle Larson
- 4. Ty Gibbs
- 5. Denny Hamlin
- 6. Bubba Wallace
- 7. William Byron
- 8. Tyler Reddick
- 9. Michael McDowell
- 10. Erik Jones
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Standings (After Phoenix)
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | 225 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | -60 |
| 3 | Bubba Wallace | -72 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | -97 |
| 5 | Shane van Gisbergen | -109 |
| 6 | Christopher Bell | -112 |
| 7 | Joey Logano | -112 |
| 8 | Michael McDowell | -114 |
| 9 | Chris Buescher | -114 |
| 10 | Kyle Larson | -116 |
| 11 | William Byron | -117 |
| 12 | Denny Hamlin | -118 |
| 13 | AJ Allmendinger | -121 |
| 14 | Carson Hocevar | -122 |
| 15 | Ty Gibbs | -124 |
| 16 | Brad Keselowski | -125 |
| 17 | Daniel Suarez | -127 |
| 18 | Ryan Preece | -133 |
| 19 | Zane Smith | -140 |
| 20 | Kyle Busch | -144 |
| 21 | Ty Dillon | -149 |
| 22 | John Hunter Nemechek | -150 |
| 23 | Ross Chastain | -151 |
| 24 | Riley Herbst | -153 |
| 25 | Noah Gragson | -159 |
| 26 | Todd Gilliland | -160 |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | -161 |
| 28 | Erik Jones | -166 |
| 29 | Austin Dillon | -169 |
| 30 | Austin Cindric | -173 |
| 31 | Josh Berry | -175 |
| 32 | Cody Ware | -175 |
| 33 | Chase Briscoe | -178 |
| 34 | Connor Zilisch | -180 |
| 35 | Cole Custer | -183 |
| 36 | Alex Bowman | -202 |
What’s Next
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on March 15th at 4 p.m. ET on FS1 [3].