2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400 outcomes: Ryan Blaney wins with last-lap cross at Daytona in thrilling four-wide end

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In a end that places even among the best final laps ever at Daytona to disgrace, Ryan Blaney received the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in unbelievable style, surging forward on the final lap to beat Daniel Suarez, Justin Haley and Cole Custer because the 4 leaders crossed the end line almost utterly 4 abreast. Blaney, who simply nosed forward as the sphere entered the trioval for the ultimate time, wound out successful out over Suarez by .031 seconds.

Blaney’s win is his second of the 2025 season, his second in Daytona’s summertime race after additionally successful in 2021, and it wound up preserving the established order of the NASCAR playoffs grid. With Blaney’s victory within the regular-season finale denying a possible new winner entry into the playoffs, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman have been capable of safe the ultimate two seeds in NASCAR’s 16-driver race for the championship.

Blaney had been working thirteenth with two laps to go when the pack break up Ryan Preece and compelled him into the center, making a sortie that led to an enormous quantity of momentum for the highest groove led by Cole Custer with Blaney pushing. Blaney was capable of push Custer to the lead, then capitalized when Custer dove to the within of Justin Haley taking place the backstretch on the ultimate lap, creating a possibility for Blaney to cross each on the highest groove with a push from Daniel Suarez. Blaney then sidedrafted Custer whereas additionally protecting Suarez up high and Haley within the center, permitting him to get again to the end line forward of all three.

Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry and Chase Elliott would make up the remainder of the highest 10.

“What a wild final couple laps, actually,” Blaney informed NBC Sports activities. “I used to be with Cole, I sort of requested him on the restart, ‘when you go to the highest I am going with you.’ We sort of simply waited and waited after which the chance got here and he made a superb transfer to get to the highest, and we have been capable of actually get good reveals.

“A pair good guys behind us after which it sort of cleared the way in which for us when the 7 and 41 obtained racing, and I used to be capable of clear on the highest and simply barely maintain out for the win. … It is cool to win right here once more. I received right here just a few years in the past, and good to be again.”

Each Reddick and Bowman confronted main adversity of their pursuit of playoff spots, with each being concerned in crashes early. Catastrophe appeared to strike early for Reddick, as he suffered intensive entrance finish harm when he nosed into the within wall after sliding up into Todd Gilliland and sending each automobiles spinning on the exit of Flip 4. However Bowman’s issues can be far worse: Coming to Lap 28, The Huge One struck when Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch all made contact getting into the trioval, triggering a multi-car pileup that collected Bowman, ending his night time and leaving him helpless as he may solely watch to see if a brand new winner would knock him out of the playoffs.

The vary of potential situations fluctuated wildly all through the race, with everybody from regular-season champion William Byron to Cody Ware at thirty sixth within the standings hung out main laps (Ware, the truth is, led a career-high 4 instances for 23 laps). However with Blaney taking the checkered flag, the main focus turned from the drama on the lower line to what’s now at hand over the ultimate 10 races of the season.

Kyle Larson and William Byron will now start the Spherical of 16 tied for the highest spot within the playoff standings at 26 factors above the lower line, adopted by Denny Hamlin (+23), Ryan Blaney (+20), Christopher Bell (+17), Shane van Gisbergen (+16), Chase Elliott (+7), Chase Briscoe (+4), Bubba Wallace (+2), Austin Cindric (+2), Ross Chastain (+1) and Joey Logano (+1) above the lower line. Beneath the lower line to start the Spherical of 16 shall be Josh Berry (-1), Tyler Reddick (-1), Austin Dillon (-2) and Alex Bowman (-5).

The playoffs start subsequent week with the Southern 500 at Darlington, with World Vast Expertise Raceway and the Bristol Night time Race making up the remaining races within the opening spherical of the playoffs.