April 7, 2025

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney finished fifth after the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. Starting ninth during this week's race, Blaney had one of the best cars that could make moves for the field. Despite having a setback of backing up during a pit stop, Blaney made up ground and ended the first stage in the seventh position, scoring four stage points. In the second stage, Blaney made it up to the top five but would fall short of competing for the lead. After going through pit stops, Blaney ended the second stage in the fourth position and acquired further stage points. In the final stage, Blaney's pit crew had additional issues with the jackman on pit road, causing him to restart deeper in the field. Blaney's car, however, was the best at getting through traffic on a longer run, and he made up plenty of ground in the final stage. Eventually, late in the stage, Blaney drove up to the lead by lap 290, passing Tyler Reddick until the race's final caution came out. Blaney's pit crew lost three positions, setting Blaney up for the final restart on fourth. The No. 12 Ford driver, however, was unable to regain track position from there and ended the race in fifth position. This was Blaney's first-ever top-5 finish at Darlington.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com