Ryan Blaney captures Coke Zero Sugar 400, focus turns to Round of 16 at Darlington

Ryan Blaney was first to the checkers in a frantic, four-wide finish in Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series’ regular-season finale, taking the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Running 13th with two laps left, the Team Penske driver stormed past Cole Custer on the final lap and nipped Daniel Suarez by 0.031 seconds for his second win this season and first for Ford since Blaney won at Nashville on June 1.
Justin Haley, Custer and Erik Jones completed the top five.
Points contenders Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman, 15th and 16th, respectively, got caught up in wrecks not of their making within the first 30 laps. The second one, a giant pile-up that damaged Bowman’s ride, solidified Reddick in the 16-car championship field made up of 14 winners, Reddick and Bowman, who made it in despite a destroyed Chevrolet.
The playoffs begin next Sunday night with the Round of 16 at Darlington in the Labor Day classic Southern 500.
The 160-lap race’s first major incident occurred when Todd Gilliland’s car moved left off Turn 4 while running beside Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota, which hit the inside wall beside the apron and had its nose buckle significantly.
But “The Big One” happened on Lap 27 when contact to third-place Bubba Wallace turned the No. 23 Toyota down the track, pinched Joey Logano’s Ford and sparked a hefty mess on the 2.5-mile track’s frontstretch.
In the 12-car carnage, Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet crashed against the outside wall under the flagstand, crumpling the front area of the car, sending it to the garage and creating a brief red-flag condition on Lap 29.
Mired in a slump since mid-May, Kyle Larson captured Stage 1 and earned the maximum 10 points. Florida native Ross Chastain finished second followed by Blaney, who started from the pole.
As Stage 2 neared its close, Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet expired, setting up an eight-lap shootout headed by leader William Byron, who was assessed a penalty to start the race for unapproved adjustments after inspection. Chastain won the sprint over Christopher Bell and Logano.
Logano spun on his own off Turn 4 in tight racing to fly the eighth caution and set up the wild finish.