Blaney Wins Epic Daytona Race; Bowman Makes NASCAR Playoffs

In an exciting race at the Daytona International Speedway, Ryan Blaney took the victory in the NASCAR regular season finale, securing a playoff spot for Alex Bowman and frustrating the aspirations of other competitors.

Blaney Wins at Daytona

Blaney, aboard his Team Penske Ford, staged a spectacular comeback, moving from 13th place to victory in the final laps. He beat Daniel Suárez by a narrow margin of 0.031 seconds, followed by Justin Haley and Cole Custer. Blaney’s victory, already qualified for the playoffs, prevented another driver from obtaining a win that would give him access to the postseason. The result ensured that Bowman, who suffered an early accident in the race, could compete for the championship.

Ryan Blaney celebrates after coming back to win the NASCAR regular season finale at Daytona on Saturday night.The race was marked by high competitiveness, with the first 19 cars crossing the finish line within half a second of Blaney, who finished second in the regular season standings. William Byron, winner of the Daytona 500, had already secured the regular season title.

“What a couple of wild last laps,” said Blaney, who waited until the end to move aggressively through traffic. “Definitely not as traditional a way as we like to run, we like to lead laps and things like that. We just couldn’t get there until the last second.”

Ryan Blaney

Both Suárez and Haley expressed their disappointment at not being able to access the playoffs. Buescher, for his part, regretted the missed opportunity. Blaney’s victory continues Team Penske’s winning streak, which has won the last three Cup championships. This triumph also ended an 11-race winless streak for Penske and Ford.

Definition of Playoffs

Tyler Reddick, despite suffering an early accident, managed to secure his place in the playoffs. The situation was defined when Bowman was also involved in an accident, which automatically qualified Reddick. Reddick and Bowman were competing for the last two playoff spots. Luck favored Reddick, who finally achieved his goal.

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

Alex Bowman

Team Penske in Duel

Before the race, Team Penske mourned the passing of Karl Kainhofer, the first employee hired by Roger Penske in 1966. Kainhofer was key in 10 of Penske’s 20 Indianapolis 500 victories.

“Karl Kainhofer’s contributions to Team Penske are immeasurable,” Penske said.

Roger Penske

Upcoming Events

The playoffs will begin on August 31st at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. The final race of the 2024 regular season was won by Chase Briscoe, who secured the last spot in the playoffs.