Blaney Wins at Daytona: Drama and Playoff Defined in NASCAR

In an exciting race at the Daytona International Speedway, Ryan Blaney took the victory in the last competition of the NASCAR regular season. This triumph, which was defined in an exciting four-way final, secured a place in the playoffs for Alex Bowman and frustrated the aspirations of other drivers seeking a place in the postseason. Blaney, despite being in 13th position with only two laps to go, demonstrated his skill behind the wheel of his Team Penske Ford, managing to advance to first position and cross the finish line in first place. He beat Daniel Suárez by a minimal margin of 0.031 seconds, followed by Justin Haley and Cole Custer, who were just seconds behind the leader. Erik Jones and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five. Blaney’s victory prevented any of the drivers behind him, who were seeking their first win of the season, from securing the last available playoff spot.

Ryan Blaney celebrates his victory at Daytona.

Blaney’s victory, who was already qualified for the playoffs, guaranteed Bowman’s participation in the fight for the championship. Bowman, who suffered an accident at the beginning of the race, had to wait more than three hours to know if he would be in the postseason. The first 19 cars to cross the finish line were separated by less than half a second from Blaney, who ultimately placed second in the regular season standings. William Byron, winner of the Daytona 500, had already secured the regular season title.

“What wild last laps,” commented Blaney, who waited until the end to move aggressively in traffic. “Definitely not the traditional way we like to race, we like to lead laps and things like that. We just couldn’t get there until the last second.”

Ryan Blaney

Suárez, who will be replaced at Trackhouse Racing at the end of the season, expressed his disappointment at not being able to participate in the playoffs.

“Overall, a good car. It just wasn’t enough and it was a bit late,” said Suárez.

Daniel Suárez

Haley, who could also be replaced at Spire Motorsports at the end of the year, also showed frustration. Haley and Spire’s only Cup Series victory was in this same race in 2019, when the competition was shortened by rain while Haley was leading.

“It hurts, especially because of the year the number 7 car has had. Obviously, we had a difficult season,” Haley said. “You’re counting down the minutes and trying to make everything go right. It hurts, but it’s still a good night.”

Justin Haley

Buescher, for his part, regretted not having qualified for the playoffs.

“I’m not trying to pout, I’m proud of this team,” he continued. “It was a great night. We certainly had a shot and we had speed again, so I want to be excited about that, and I am, but man, it’s just another one of those where we had the ability to win this race, we had the speed, we had the handling, and there’s no champagne to celebrate.”

Chris Buescher

Blaney’s victory was a reflection of the success of Team Penske, which has won the last three Cup Series championships. Joey Logano in 2022, Blaney in 2023, and Logano again last year. Blaney’s victory ended an 11-race winless streak for Penske and Ford. Regarding the last two playoff spots, Tyler Reddick, despite suffering an accident at the beginning of the race, secured his place. The situation was defined when Bowman was also involved in an accident, which automatically secured Reddick’s position in the group of 16 drivers. Reddick and Bowman began the race competing for the last two playoff spots. Reddick, champion of the previous year’s regular season, had a 29-point lead over Bowman. However, after the accident, his participation in the championship was at risk. Reddick’s situation changed on lap 27, when Bowman suffered an accident that ended his race.

“There’s nothing you can do, welcome to super speed racing,” Bowman said about the accident. “We felt like it was out of our control and it is what it is.”

Alex Bowman

Before the race, Team Penske mourned the death of Karl Kainhofer, the first employee hired by Roger Penske in 1966. Kainhofer was part of 10 of Penske’s 20 Indianapolis 500 victories. The playoffs will begin on August 31st at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. The race was the regular season finale in 2024 and was won by Chase Briscoe, who used the victory to secure the final playoff spot.