LEBANON, Tenn. – After managing a tense sequence of green flag pit stops to reclaim the lead, Ryan Blaney sailed through lapped traffic to secure victory in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, marking his first win of the 2025 season. This victory elevates Blaney onto the playoff grid as the regular season approaches its halfway point, and it also marks the 14th win of his Cup career.

Blaney entered the race needing a win to join his Penske teammates, Austin Cindric and Joey Logano, who had already earned victories at Talladega and Texas respectively, ensuring all three Team Penske drivers could qualify for the playoffs in 2025. After opting for an early two-tire pit stop to gain crucial track position, Blaney led a record-high of 139 laps and dominated the later stages of the race following an engaging mid-race confrontation with William Byron and Denny Hamlin.

Blaney’s win marks a significant turnaround from earlier troubles this season, as he faced frustrations with five top-five finishes countered by five DNFs, including a crash in the recent Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. “I never gave up hope, that’s for sure. We’ve had great speed all year; it just hasn’t really been the best year for us regarding good fortune. But the No. 12 boys are awesome; they stick with it no matter how it goes, and it was great to finish one out tonight,” Blaney expressed after the race.

Carson Hocevar achieved a career-best second-place finish, despite colliding with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who aired his grievances about the aggressive racing. “Not thrilled with that exit. It was definitely overaggressive. I felt like it was definitely overaggressive - that’s Carson for you. Maybe I should’ve just let him go,” Stenhouse commented.

Denny Hamlin finished third, while Joey Logano came in fourth and William Byron rounded out the top five positions. Bubba Wallace snapped a streak of three consecutive DNFs by finishing sixth, with Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell rounding out the top ten.

Cracker Barrel 400 results

1. #12 - Ryan Blaney
2. #77 - Carson Hocevar
3. #11 - Denny Hamlin
4. #22 - Joey Logano
5. #24 - William Byron
6. #23 - Bubba Wallace
7. #43 - Erik Jones
8. #5 - Kyle Larson
9. #45 - Tyler Reddick
10. #20 - Christopher Bell

Getty Images

A Nashville night to remember for @Blaney! #NASCARonPrime tweet
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 2, 2025