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Pit Strategy Plays Key Role in First Win of 2025
They say good things come to those who wait, and tonight that rang true for 2023 NASCAR Cup Champion, Ryan Blaney. So far this season, Blaney has had bad luck stand in his way of hoisting a trophy in victory lane more than he would care to admit. In front of a sold-out Nashville Superspeedway crowd, with fireworks and cheers washing over him, Blaney was finally able to celebrate that elusive victory in 2025. A season marred by near misses and hard-luck finishes finally hit a positive note on a beautiful Music City night.
Blaney, driving the No. 12 Menard’s Ford for Penske Racing, gained top position early by making a two-tire stop and went on to win the second stage after surviving a wave of caution flags.
“I thought two tires was a good call. We drove up to seventh there in the first stage, and I thought two tires were great. I thought my car was really good, and that really set us up for the rest of the race.”
Blaney would lead a race-high 139 laps and earn his first win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. In addition to leading the most laps, he was also able to maintain the lead through a round of green flag pit-stops during the final 103-lap green flag run to the finish of the race. Winning the Cracker Barrel 40 marks the 14th victory of his career.
“We’ve had great speed all year — just hasn’t been the best year for us as far as good fortune,” said Blaney. “The 12 boys are awesome; they stick with it no matter how it goes, and it was great to finish one out tonight.”
Blaney was so thrilled to take the win, that he roasted his tires in the tri-oval to celebrate the victory, which is something that Blaney once said he doesn’t do. Then after he climbed on top of his Ford, raised his arms in triumph and then jumped off the car and ran up and into the track’s front grandstands to claim the checkered flag before handing it off to an excited young fan, which is something he is definitely known for doing.
“I never gave up hope,” said Blaney, who hasn’t seen victory lane in 15 races since last fall in Martinsville.
Another impressive run was the runner up in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Carson Hocevar, who is a previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race winner at Nashville, would finish 2.830 seconds behind Blaney tying his career high best finish in NASCAR Cup Series.
“Proud of this group — proud of this car,” Hocevar said. “At a place that is difficult to pass, we went from 26th to second. It’s good to get a deserved finish for once.”
Denny Hamlin, who was making his 700th career Cup Series start and was unsure if they would be racing with his wife expected to give birth to their third child, won the opening stage and led 79 laps finishing in the third position. Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano would finish fourth, with William Byron rounding out the top five.
Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell made up the remaining spots in the top-10. Of the bottom drivers in the top-ten, a particularly significant comeback was from Larson, who started 28th on the grid, dropped back to 32nd and 33rd positions on several occasions, and was involved in an incident on lap 115.
William Byron continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, now 48 points up on Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson with 12 regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, who finished 15th in the Cracker Barrel 400, is the highest-ranked driver (fifth) in the regular season standings without a win.
Blaney averaged 129.068 mph around the 1.33-mile concrete oval, completing 300 laps in 3 hours, 5 minutes and 29 seconds. Seven caution periods took up 35 laps while nine leaders exchanged the lead 18 times, with 25 drivers finishing on the lead lap. The Cracker Barrel 400 was the 2,800th NASCAR Cup Series race.
Chase Briscoe, the fastest Cup Series qualifier in track history, led 51 laps overall before slipping back to finish 17th.
Among other notables, Josh Berry, from nearby Hendersonville, Tennessee, placed 30th while Knoxville, Tennessee, native Chad Finchum finished 35th.
