Ryan Blaney broke through for his first victory of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season in Sunday night’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, leading 139 laps and securing a spot in the playoffs. The win marked a major turnaround for the defending champion after a rollercoaster first half of the year.
Blaney’s victory came at the end of a grueling 103-lap green-flag run, with the No. 12 Team Penske Ford pulling away from the field to win by 2.830 seconds over Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar. It was a night of strategy, patience, and endurance — a race that saw 18 lead changes among nine drivers and set the full 39-car finishing order with major playoff implications.
Ryan Blaney Takes the Win with a Late-Race Surge
Ryan Blaney finally got his first victory of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway. Driving the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, the defending Cup Series champion led 139 of 300 laps and pulled away late in a 102-lap green-flag run to win the Cracker Barrel 400 by 2.830 seconds over Carson Hocevar.
It wasn’t just a big win for Blaney — it locked him into the 2025 playoffs and gave Team Penske a clean sweep with all three of its drivers now playoff-bound.
“I never gave up hope, that’s for sure,” Blaney said after the race. “This year hasn’t been easy, but my team sticks with it. The 12 boys are awesome.”
Blaney celebrated with emotion, climbing atop his car before sprinting into the front grandstands to hand the checkered flag to a young fan — a gesture that showed how much this win meant after several close calls earlier this season.
The final stage of the race was all about tire management and clean air, and Blaney mastered both. Behind him, Hocevar tied his career-best finish, and Denny Hamlin brought home third after winning Stage 1 and leading 79 laps despite battling helmet hose and hydration issues.
Recapping the Full Field: Top 10 to Tough Breaks
Behind the top three, Blaney’s Penske teammate Joey Logano finished fourth, while points leader William Byron rounded out the top five. Byron stayed strong during the long green-flag run but didn’t have the speed to catch Blaney in the final laps.
23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace was sixth, showing strong pace late in the race. Erik Jones gave Legacy Motor Club a solid run in seventh, and Kyle Larson worked his way up to eighth after starting 28th and surviving a Lap 115 incident. Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell completed the top 10.
Notable names further back included Brad Keselowski in 23rd — just barely claiming the final spot in the upcoming NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket over Shane Van Gisbergen, who finished 25th.
Post-Race Storylines and Stage Winners
There were 18 lead changes among nine drivers throughout the night, with Hamlin winning Stage 1 and Blaney taking Stage 2. While the first half of the race saw a mix of strategies and short runs, the long green-flag run to the finish allowed teams to showcase their endurance and pit strategy.
Among those who didn’t finish the race: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Lap 110), Noah Gragson (Lap 112), and Corey Heim (Lap 130). Alex Bowman also had a disappointing night, retiring after 188 laps.
| POS. | No | Driver |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney |
| 2 | 77 | Carson Hocevar |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 5 | 24 | William Byron |
| 6 | 23 | Bubba Wallace |
| 7 | 43 | Erik Jones |
| 8 | 5 | Kyle Larson |
| 9 | 45 | Tyler Reddick |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell |
| 11 | 1 | Ross Chastain |
| 12 | 8 | Kyle Busch |
| 13 | 38 | Zane Smith |
| 14 | 17 | Chris Buescher |
| 15 | 9 | Chase Elliott |
| 16 | 99 | Daniel Suarez |
| 17 | 19 | Chase Briscoe |
| 18 | 2 | Austin Cindric |
| 19 | 41 | Cole Custer |
| 20 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 21 | 71 | Michael McDowell |
| 22 | 34 | Todd Gilliland |
| 23 | 6 | Brad Keselowski |
| 24 | 35 | Riley Herbst |
| 25 | 88 | Shane Van Gisbergen |
| 26 | 10 | Ty Dillon |
| 27 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 28 | 60 | Ryan Preece |
| 29 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 30 | 21 | Josh Berry |
| 31 | 54 | Ty Gibbs |
| 32 | 7 | Justin Haley |
| 33 | 51 | Cody Ware |
| 34 | 44 | JJ Yeley |
| 35 | 66 | Chad Finchum |
| 36 | 48 | Alex Bowman |
| 37 | 67 | Corey Heim |
| 38 | 4 | Noah Gragson |
| 39 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
This race also played a key role in setting the 32-driver field for the new NASCAR In-Season Challenge, a five-race bracket tournament airing during TNT’s summer stretch. The seeding for that event will be based on the best result from the next three races — Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono.
Championship-wise, William Byron continues to lead the standings by 48 points over Kyle Larson. Despite finishing 15th, Chase Elliott remains the highest-ranked driver without a win this season, currently fifth in points.
News in Brief: Full Results from the Cracker Barrel 400
Ryan Blaney’s Nashville win could not have come at a better time. It gives the No. 12 team playoff security and crucial confidence heading into a busy summer stretch. For rising names like Hocevar, and veterans like Hamlin and Logano, the Cracker Barrel 400 was a reminder that speed and consistency will matter just as much as winning over the next few weeks.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns next Sunday at Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET on Prime Video). With the in-season tournament and playoff race heating up, every position will matter more than ever.
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