August 25, 2025

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney had one of the fastest and most dominant cars of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. Blaney began the race at the front in first and dominated most of the first stage, leading a majority of the laps despite several challengers. However, on the final lap of the first stage, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain both passed Blaney, leaving Blaney in third at the end of the stage. In the second stage, Blaney went to pit road early as the stage began, setting him further back in the field until he stayed off of pit road during a late caution on lap 83. This allowed Blaney to return to the top 10 and finish the second stage in the seventh position. In the final stage, Blaney went through multiple pit stops in order to make sure he had enough fuel and tires for the end of the race. He continued to ride towards the middle and back of the pack until late into the race. By the time it became two laps to go, Blaney, who was running 14th, decided to push Cole Custer to the front as other drivers were being shuffled back. This plan worked out well for Blaney and Custer as they both soared to the front by the final lap. As Custer tried blocking other drivers, Blaney passed him for the lead and barely held off the field in a photo finish, collecting the victory at Daytona. Blaney's win was his second of the season as well as the second of his Cup career at Daytona.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com