NASHVILLE — Ryan Blaney claimed his first victory of the 2025 season Sunday night time within the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Collection champion led a commanding, race-best 139 of the 300 laps to lastly safe that all-important Playoff place.
Blaney has come so shut this season to hoisting a trophy solely to have random racing dangerous luck break his coronary heart and problem his resolve. However Sunday, the game’s fashionable 31-year-old, third-generation racer finally drove his No. 12 Group Penske Ford to a 2.830-second win over 22-year-old Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar in a 103-lap inexperienced flag run that closed out the race.
Blaney was so thrilled to take the win, he climbed on prime of his Ford, raised his arms in triumph after which jumped off the automobile and ran up and into the monitor’s entrance grandstands to assert the checkered flag earlier than handing it off to an excited younger fan.
“I by no means gave up hope that’s for certain,’’ mentioned Blaney, whose victory places all three drivers of the reigning champion Penske staff into the 2025 Playoffs.
“We’ve had adversity, and this hasn’t actually been an excellent yr for us by way of success, however the 12-boys are superior. They keep it up irrespective of the way it goes.”
Hocevar’s runner-up end ties a career-best effort turned in at Atlanta in February.
“It simply proves how robust this group is to go from the frustration final week,” mentioned Hocevar, who appeared robust and led laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway final Sunday solely to retire early with mechanical issues. “Sticking to it and having a shot, simply pleased with this group.
“We had been one spot quick once more, however hopefully this can be a step in the precise course,’’ he added.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who gained the opening stage and led 79 laps, completed third regardless of his helmet hose and hydration system points. Blaney’s Penske teammate Joey Logano completed fourth with present NASCAR Cup Collection championship chief, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron rounding out the top-five.
“Simply couldn’t run with the 12 there within the tremendous long term, after 40 laps I might preserve with him, however after that he’d simply draw back and stretch it on us,’’ mentioned Hamlin, whose fiancé Jordan is anticipating to ship the couple’s third little one at any time.
Logano, the defending race winner additionally led laps however finally wasn’t capable of problem on the finish giving up positions to Hocevar and Hamlin.
“The 12 was simply lights out which gave them an enormous lead and we simply weren’t capable of maintain onto second, the 11 [Hamlin] acquired by me,’’ Logano mentioned, including, “Good execution and pleased with Group Penske. All our automobiles have a win now and that’s fairly spectacular to have all people with a win. All of the groups are actually robust.’’
23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Legacy Motor Membership’s Erik Jones, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and JGR’s Christopher Bell rounded out the top-10. The trouble marked a very important comeback for Larson, who began twenty eighth on the grid and was concerned in an incident on lap 115.
There have been 18 lead adjustments in all amongst 9 drivers with Hamlin (stage one) and Blaney (stage two) claiming the stage wins.
New this yr, the Nashville race units the 32-car subject for the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Problem – a bracket-style match going down through the TNT broadcast’s five-race stretch this summer time. The match begins June 28 at Atlanta adopted by the races at Chicago, Sonoma, Dover, and Indianapolis with the winner receiving a $1 million prize.
Now, the following three races – Michigan, Mexico Metropolis’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez and Pocono – will decide the bracket seeding primarily based on a driver’s greatest end out of these races.
Former collection champion Brad Keselowski claimed the thirty second place for the competitors by solely 21 factors over Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen.
Byron continues to guide the NASCAR Cup Collection championship standings, now 48 factors up on Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson with 12 common season races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff subject. Their teammate Chase Elliott, who completed fifteenth Sunday, is the highest-ranked driver (fifth) and not using a win.
