Blaney beat Carson Hocevar by nearly three seconds for his first win of 2025.
LEBANON, Tenn. — Ryan Blaney captured a NASCAR Cup Series win at Nashville Superspeedway for his first win of 2025.
Blaney’s team used pit strategy to get the Team Penske driver to the front with a two-tire call, putting him in the lead mid-race. He stayed in the lead for most of the final stage. Blaney is the third Penske driver to win this year.
“We’ve had great speed all year, but it hasn’t always worked out for us,” Blaney said after the win. “I thought it was a good call [to take two tires].”
Carson Hocevar finished second, about three seconds behind the winner. Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and William Byron rounded up the top five.
Chase Briscoe started on the pole for the second week in a row. He led for much of the first stage but lost the lead to Hamlin, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Hamlin went on to win the first stage.
Blaney’s long quest for the win began in the first stage when he stayed on track much longer than most of the field during the first cycle of green flag pit stops. The move shifted Blaney from outside the top 10 to inside the top 10. He regained the lead by taking two tires on the next stop under yellow.
The first stage ran caution-free, but chaos ensued in the second stage.
First, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun out and hit the wall, bringing out a caution. On the next restart, Alex Bowman got loose and hit Noah Gragson, effectively ending both drivers’ nights. Kyle Larson was also involved but recovered to finish eighth.
Truck series regular Corey Heim brought out the next caution after making contact with Brad Keselowski.
Blaney, Hamlin, and Byron battled for the lead late in stage two, each holding the lead for multiple laps. Blaney prevailed and won the second stage.
Logano, though, became the leader in the final stage after a great pit stop from his crew. Blaney quickly took the spot when the race went green and did not look back.
Blaney led 129 of the race’s 300 laps after starting in 15th.
The NASCAR Cup Series is next in action at the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 8. Tyler Reddick is the defending race winner.
