Ryan Blaney holds off contenders for a Daytona victory in the NASCAR Cup Series season finale, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Sunday afternoon.
Daytona International Speedway was the venue for the 2021 regular-season finale. One final playoff spot was open with several teams looking to seal their fate on the superspeedway. This cut-off race has become more intense and unsettling for teams that are riding the line of playoff berth or elimination. A superspeedway race is an equal opportunity for teams to win a race on luck or lose after being involved in an inevitable wreck.
Debris on the Grill Plays a Role in the First Stage
William Byron held the pole to bring the field to the green flag. He and Denny Hamlin swapped positions for the first 14 laps as neither could find the sole lead. Eventually, the field shuffled out and Austin Dillon found himself taking over on lap 18.
Shortly after, Chase Elliott had a run on Dillon and made the pass for the lead right as the field entered the competition caution. Chase Elliott continued to lead coming out of the caution.
Elliott, however, collected trash on his grill and had to drop his car in the pack to clean off the grill.
Meanwhile, Joey Logano took over the race lead, but not for long. He collected debris on his grill as well and was forced to fall back. Chase Elliott retook the lead late in the segment to collect the first stage victory.
Six Laps at the End, Gives Logano the Second Stage Win
Martin Truex Jr. beat Chase Elliott on the restart and led the first 20 laps of the second stage.
On lap 77, the bottom lane all checked up and Alex Bowman ran into the back of Aric Almirola, forcing him to spin out. This brought out another caution with 23 laps remaining in the second segment. Joey Logano took over the race lead on the restart.
Ryan Blaney tried to take over the lead after receiving a push from Chase Elliott. The push was not enough and Logano was able to block it with ease. Joey Logano led the final six laps to pick up the win of the second stage.
Ryan Blaney Holds Off Contenders for a Daytona Victory
William Byron returned to the race lead coming into the final segment. It seemed as if no one could hold on to the race lead. Within the first nine laps, there were six lead changes with Ross Chastain finally holding down the race lead on lap 117.
The field began coming down pit road under the green flag with the Toyota cars all cycling to the lead. Shortly after, a wreck in the back of the field brings the race to another caution.
On the following restart, the big one occurs after Martin Truex Jr was spun around. He collected seven other drivers as the race comes to a halt with a red flag to clean up the debris. When the track was ready, the field was not done wrecking.
Five laps after the restart, another large wreck occurs with Matt DiBenedetto and Chase Elliott hitting the outside wall. This wreck collects nine other drivers, and the race enters overtime.
Ryan Blaney paced the field to the restart, and he received a big push from behind to jump out front. He took the white flag with a huge lead, as Kevin Harvick in second looked to make a run at the lead.
Harvick did just that on the backstretch, but Blaney blocked the run. Harvick checked up and Daniel Suarez ran into the back of Harvick. Ryan Blaney still held the lead and the race ended under this caution. Ryan Blaney wins the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings
The playoff field is set with Tyler Reddick taking the one remaining spot that was up for grabs.
The Cup Series Playoffs Begin with the Round of 16
The first round of the playoffs is three races with the first race taking place at Darlington Raceway. The next two are at Richmond Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. The Round of 16 is a tricky trio of tracks as Darlington Raceway is a difficult place to find a rhythm. Then, two short tracks are thrown in the mix. It will be exciting and fun to watch as some teams enter the playoff with a lot of momentum.