SVG leads laps enroute to 16th in Daytona thriller

Ryan Blaney took victory in the 160-lap Coke Zero Sugar 400, coming from 13th on the penultimate lap to take the chequered flag first.

Victory for the #12 Team Penske Ford Mustang meant Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, booked the final spot in the Playoffs.

The finish was a frenetic one with Blaney pipping Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, Spire Motorsports’ Justin Haley, and Haas Factory Team driver Cole Custer – three drivers who needed to win their way into the Playoffs.

“What a wild last couple of laps,” said Blaney.

“I was with Cole (Custer) and kind of asked him on the restart, if you go to the top I’m going with you.

“We just waited and waited and then the opportunity came and he made a good move to get to the top and we were really able to get good shoves from a couple of guys behind us.

“It just cleared the way for me when the #7 (Haley) and #41 (Custer) got racing and I was able to clear on top and was just able to hold out for the win.”

RYAN BLANEY WINS AT DAYTONA AFTER A WILD FINAL LAP! 😱 pic.twitter.com/4vs4N17mxM

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 24, 2025

The highlight of van Gisbergen’s race was a spell at the front of the field. In total, the #88 Camaro led six laps during Stage 2 before being shuffled out of line.

“I was going good,” said van Gisbergen over the radio during the stage break.

“I just made a bad decision off [turn] four.”

During the final stage, he and the team elected to run towards the back of the field.

In a bid to avoid any late chaos, van Gisbergen spent the closing stanza at the tail of the lead lap and dropped nearly 20 seconds to the pack.

Joey Logano spins late after leading for 23 laps!

📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/AT6BF7xYgJ

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 24, 2025

Joey Logano in the #22 Team Penske Mustang spun out of the final turn with 13 laps to go to bring out the final caution of the race.

With Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suarez in a must-win position to get a Playoffs berth, van Gisbergen lined up behind the #99 Camaro to give him a much-needed push.

Ultimately, van Gisbergen wasn’t able to offer much help, but Suarez found his way to the front anyway to come up just shy of victory.

“It was a decent day,” van Gisbergen told MRN post-race.

“Kept the car straight, led some laps, and learnt a lot again.

“I felt good about it. Just a little bit too tight and bound up to push Daniel really well.

“I could help him a little bit, but not enough to get all the way through. He almost got there, but I wish I could have been a better teammate. I was trying.

“Ready for next week. We’ve got a cool couple of weeks coming up and hopefully get some good results.”

The NASCAR Cup Series begins the Playoffs with the Round of 16 at Darlington Raceway on September 1 (AEST).

Results: NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400, Daytona International Speedway