NASCAR Cup Series Race Report - Daytona

August 24, 2025

Coke Zero Sugar 400 - Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla. - August 23, 2025

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/MAYTAG FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 5TH  
STAGE 1: 39TH  
STAGE 2: 39TH   
FINISH: 39TH  
POINTS: 10TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric's night at Daytona International Speedway ended early after being swept up in a multi-car incident just before the end of Stage 1 in Saturday night's NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale. With qualifying canceled Friday evening due to continuous lightning in the area, the starting lineup was set per the NASCAR Rulebook, and Cindric rolled off fifth in the No. 2 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang Dark Horse. He quickly settled into the top 10, reporting that the car was "a little on the tighter side, but not bad." After staying out under the first caution, Cindric restarted eighth on Lap 16 but was shuffled out of the lead pack, dropping him outside the top 20. It was on Lap 27 when another caution flew, and in the ensuing chaos, Cindric was collected in a multi-car crash that caused significant damage to the No. 2 car. The team's night was cut short, and Cindric was credited with a 39th-place finish.

CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "I saw a lot of cars wrecking and I hit one of them after I thought we got through the wreck.  It's just a shame for our Maytag/Menards Ford Mustang.  I tried to make the third lane work, maybe a little too early, I lost some track position and felt like the intensity was picking up super early in the race there and I got collected."

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 ADVANCE AUTO PARTS FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 1ST 
STAGE 1: 3RD  
STAGE 2: 6TH  
FINISH: 1ST  
POINTS: 4TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney powered his way from 13th to the front of the field in the final two laps of Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 to send the No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse to victory lane in a thrilling regular season finale at Daytona. Blaney's 15th-career NASCAR Cup Series win - and second at Daytona (August 2021) - marked the first time he has won from the pole and now has three-straight seasons with multiple victories following his win in Nashville in June. Blaney began the night by leading the first 23 laps after starting from the outside of row one and was in position to win the opening stage as the Advance Auto Parts Ford fought to protect runs from the top and bottom lanes in the rearview, but a surge from the outside lane in turns three and four proved to be the difference as Blaney settled for a third-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four tire stop under caution, Blaney lined up to restart 15th but faded to the tail end of the lead pack during the opening laps of the run before getting back in the mix with 15 laps remaining in the second stage. A caution on lap 82 saw varying pit strategies unfold as crew chief Jonathan Hassler kept Blaney on the track in order to take the restart from the inside of row two with eight laps to go, resulting in a strong points return with a sixth-place effort in Stage 2. Blaney and the No. 12 team maintained the same strategy for the final run of the night as they ran towards the back of the main pack to start out prior to the caution on lap 107 to reset the field. After topping off on fuel one final time, Blaney restarted 25th with 45 laps to go and began working the lanes to fight his way forward. The eighth and final caution flag of the night set up a restart with eight laps remaining as Blaney patiently waited to form a third lane on the outside and pushed the No. 41 to the front of the field coming to the white flag. As the field made its way down the backstretch on the final lap, the No. 41 attempted to pass the No. 7 on the inside, prompting the No. 7 to block the move and leaving the top lane open for Blaney to clear them both and take the lead entering turn three before holding off all three lanes behind him to take the checkered flag by 0.031 seconds. The No. 12 team heads into the Cup Series Playoffs with momentum on its side with six-consecutive top-10 finishes entering Darlington.

BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "Yeah, we just started rolling. I was [Cole Custer] if he wanted to go three-wide top I wanted to let him know that under caution, and I was kind of waiting for him to go and knew we were probably gonna have people go with us if we went up top, it was just a matter of who would bite first. We finally went and it kind of checked in the tri-oval and Cole jumped up and we were able to keep a bunch of momentum going and have good pushes from [Daniel] Suarez, things like that, and then I just kind of kept creeping on the top. When [Justin Haley] blocked [Custer] and the next thing I know I'm leading the lane and now I'm clear to the middle and I can play two lanes. I didn't quite know what lane to block, the middle or top at the end. I was like, 'Just try middle. I think we've got enough momentum.' Enough to hold them off. It was a crazy last few laps, that's for sure."

"I think this team is really doing a good job of hitting our stride when we need to. I've been proud of our efforts all year, it's just been can we smooth some things out and have some stuff go our way. It seems to be smoothing out and this team is just performing and finishing where we should. That's what I've been happy with, so it's great to win this one and good momentum for next week."

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 4TH  
STAGE 1: 6TH  
STAGE 2: 3RD  
FINISH: 27TH  
POINTS: 12TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano's 37 laps led tied for the most in the field in Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, but a late-race spin with 13 laps to go relegated the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse to a 27th-place finish. The Shell-Pennzoil Ford was mainstay at the front of the field from the onset of the regular season finale, but Logano's night was nearly put in jeopardy on lap 27 when a three-wide battle in the tri-oval resulted in contact with the Nos. 8 and 23, setting off a multi-car incident. Logano was able to continue on to pick up a sixth-place finish in Stage 1 before the No. 22 team made minor repairs under caution without disrupting the balance of the car. Logano restarted from 30th and made quick work to charge to the front of the field by lap 76, but a caution six laps later saw a mix of pit strategies as crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for fuel only in order to maintain track position heading into the final laps of the segment. Logano was in position to pick up the stage win as the leader of the bottom lane on the final lap but ultimately did not get the push he needed to do so, resulting in a third-place effort in Stage 2. Logano was back inside the top-five when the caution flag flew on lap 107, prompting another fuel only stop to try and make it to the end as he lined up to restart from the inside of row one with 45 laps remaining. Logano maintained his spot at the front of the field as the laps clicked off, blocking runs from the top and bottom lanes, but the Shell-Pennzoil Ford broke loose off of turn four and spun across the track towards the infield to bring out the caution with 13 laps to go. After needing a push to pit road due to flat tires, Logano went a lap down and ultimately settled for a 27th-place finish in an otherwise strong night from the No. 22 team.

LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "Yeah, we were in the right place. It's happened many, many times where we've been in the right place here at Daytona and we don't have anything to show for it. Our team is so good at it. Our cars are fast. Our execution was really good today. [Spotter] Coleman [Pressley] did great. It's just our car was a little free and then where the push came as the track flattens out there it spins the leader right out. It is what it is."

"There are good tracks lined up. There's good momentum. Obviously, Ryan [Blaney] getting a win, that's good momentum as well for the team. This team has done a good job the last seven or eight weeks. A lot of weird things have happened, but we've done a good job controlling what we can, so that's what you've got to do in the playoffs."

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin next weekend as the Round of 16 opens at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, August 31. Coverage of the Cook Out Southern 500 begins at 6:00 p.m. ET Saturday on USA, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.