NASCAR Barometer: Ryan Blaney Wins in Nashville

A trouble-free night and a quick car where all Ryan Blaney needed to work his way to the front and seize his first victory of 2025. The former series champion made the most of his advantage Sunday night at Nashville Speedway, leading the majority of the race and ensuring that he joined his teammates as a 2025 race winner once the opportunity presented itself. In the end, it was a relatively comfortable race win for Blaney who took the checkered flag with more than a two-second advantage over Carson Hocevar in second. Most importantly, the win solidifies Blaney's spot in the playoffs and removes some of the pressure that was gradually building without a race victory. His win leaves seven playoff spots available to nonwinners with 12 races still remaining in the regular season.

The season continues this week at Michigan International Speedway, home to Ford and Chevrolet and a race both manufacturers want to win. Toyota broke Ford's stranglehold at the track by putting Tyler Reddick into Victory Lane last season. Prior to that race, the blue oval had won the nine NASCAR Cup Series races at the track. With Blaney's victory at Nashville, the brand will bring a head full of momentum and confidence into the race weekend as they seek to return to Victory Lane and regain their hometown pride.

UPGRADE

Ryan Blaney - Blaney finally captured his elusive 2025 victory, rubber stamping his playoff ticket for a shot at another championship. The Team Penske driver started the night 15th but quickly moved forward, leading laps and scoring stage points in the first segment. From there, he continued working forward and consolidated his spot at the front with a pass for the lead on Denny Hamlin and William Byron, which Blaney then held for the win in the second stage. Once that was done, Blaney had the race in his hand and he did not let go. It was Blaney's first win since Martinsville last fall and his first at Nashville Speedway. Now, he and the team can begin to turn their attention toward the playoff races and ensuring that they are at their best when that time arrives. Up first is Michigan, though. Blaney won there in 2021 and led 15 laps in last year's race. He finished in the top-10 in three of the last four Michigan races.

Denny Hamlin - After a hard fight with teammate and pole sitter Chase Briscoe, Hamlin finally cleared his way into the lead and segment win with less than 10 laps to go in the first stage. From that point, Hamlin went on to lead a total of 79 laps, more points in the second stage, and a third-place race finish. It was Hamlin's sixth top-five of the season and his first since Bristol. The past few races, Hamlin and his No. 11 team have been enjoying an improved run of form, and their pace is putting them into contention for race wins, which is a far cry from the four straight race finishes outside of the top 15 prior to Sunday. The trajectory is looking much more positive for Michigan. Hamlin has two wins at that track and heads into this week's race on a streak of seven straight top-10 finishes. He finished ninth last season and hasn't finished outside of the top 15 there since 2017. Things are heading the right direction for the No. 11 right now.

Kyle Larson - Larson's nigh at Nashville was a championship-caliber performance. After suffering problems early, Larson dropped from the field and falling outside of the top 30. At one point, the crew even had the car's hood up, working on pit road, to help correct matters. However, despite all of the issues, Larson and team battled back throughout the race to snag an eighth-place finish, Larson's 10th of the season. Gritty performances like that show the determination to maximize results on a day when nothing is given, and that type of tenacity can make a difference over a long season of fine margins. The team will be hoping for an easier outing the coming week at Michigan, though. Larson is a three-time winner at that track. Last season, he led 41 laps after starting on the second row, but he crashed out of the race. Larson's speed and his team's perseverance on pit road are combing to make a formidable challenge for the 2025 title.

Christopher Bell - Bell and his No. 20 team also endured a gritty night. Contact with Erik Jones on a restart in the second stage sent Bell's car spinning into the outside wall. He took the car immediately to pit road for repairs and was able to continue, though. Despite losing track position from the incident, Bell stayed on the lead lap and was able to work his way forward again throughout the rest of the race. Impressively, he finished the night in 10th, which was his 10th top-10 finish of the season. Like Larson, the performance in the face of adversity produced a valuable result that demonstrates the tenacity the team may need to show again in the championship battle. The recovery could also help spur Bell to better results at Michigan. Despite his great qualifying record there in recent races, Bell's best Michigan finish remains just 13th. He started inside the top three the last three races there, though. He should expect a better finish this week.

Erik Jones - Don't look now, but including the All-Star Open, Jones has three top-10 finishes from the last five races. His seventh-place finish Sunday at Nashville was his second top-10 in points races in the same span, and he leaves the night 24th in the standings, just 32 points behind the playoff positions. More importantly, Jones and Legacy Motor Club as a whole have been finding areas of success this season and are moving forward in the midfield fight. Consistent top-15 finishes should be what this team is striving to, and since Talladega, Jones only finished worse than 18th once. Even better news is that the success is being seen across all of Legacy Motor Club's entries, which means the organization is building a strong foundation to continue their upward momentum. A home race at Michigan should also suit Jones. He has three top-10s there from 12 series starts and hasn't finished lower than 16th in the current generation of car.

DOWNGRADE

Ty Gibbs - Another finish outside of the top 20 extends a serious rough patch for Gibbs. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver thought he got the monkey off of his back with top finishes at Bristol and Darlington, but things have gone right back to bad since those two races. Sunday's struggles in Nashville earned him a finish of 31st, which was his third finish outside of the top 30 this season and his third in a row outside of the top 20. This is the second time this season Gibbs has endured a poor finishing streak like that, which makes his bid for the playoffs a daunting task. After Nashville, Gibbs sits 27th in points and is 55 points behind the championship positions. While there is plenty of expectation for the No. 54 camp, it isn't yet being realized. The coming race at Michigan could be a measure of how bad things are, too. From three series races there, Gibbs has two top-10 finishes. Missing out on the top 20 again this week would be a very bad sign.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - After making significant strides with the equipment at hand, Stenhouse and team slipped backward in the playoff standings after failing to finish Sunday at Nashville. Stenhouse had been in contention for the top 16 playoff positions, but his single point earned from Sunday night's race saw him drop to 19th, six points behind the final playoff position. The DNF was not Stenhouse's doing either. While racing in the second stage, a hit in the rear from Carson Hocevar caused Stenhouse to lose control and slide into the outside wall. The damage was enough to end his night and he finished last in the field. Consistent top-15 finishes are what the team has been delivering, and getting back on that cycle as quickly as possible can help them maintain touch with the playoff positions, though. At Michigan, Stenhouse led two laps and finished 13th last season. Repeating that this week would be a nice return from disappointment.

Alex Bowman - Sunday night at Nashville was a frustrating one for Bowman. The Hendrick Motorsports driver spent much of his time running in the pack, and after getting loose on a restart in the second stage, Bowman slid up the banking and collided with Noah Gragson, sending both cars into the wall and sustaining heavy damage. Bowman's night ended 100 laps behind the leaders and with no stage points. As a result, Bowman leaves last week's race 14th in the playoff standings. Despite his comfortable points tally, additional first-time winners this season will push Bowman out of the championship positions if he isn't able to grab a victory of his own. It wouldn't appear as though he would have much confidence of getting that job done this coming week, either. From 15 Michigan starts, Bowman has just three top-10 finishes. He started 22nd and finished 27th there last season.

Brad Keselowski - Problems persist for Keselowski. After showing signs of life, including a top-10 qualifying effort for Sunday night's race, Keselowski struggled through much of the race and finished 25th. There hasn't been much to smile about for him this season and he couldn't live up to the potential of his stronger qualifying effort for Sunday, too. Excluding the All-Star Race, Keselowski's sixth-place qualifying effort at Nashville was his first top-10 start since February, though. Continued bad luck and problems during the race are making it hard for him to capitalize, and the playoff spots are moving further out of reach with every week Keselowski's trouble continues. He now heads to his home race in Michigan 32nd in points and 97 points away from a playoff position. Michigan is a place Keselowski has never won at, too. However, he does have back-to-back top-five finishes there and will be hoping for a homefield advantage to turn the season around next week.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Carson Hocevar - Signs of potential continue to be on display from Hocevar. His two top-10 finishes prior to Sunday's race came on superspeedways, but his speed has also been on display at other track. Sunday, he was quick all evening and moved forward from the 26th starting spot to finish second. His results so far have him within reach of the playoff positions on points alone, but more races like Sunday's could see him winning his way into the championship battle. As the season wears on and Hocevar visits tracks for the second time, fantasy players should expect his positive trajectory to continue and possible even pick up pace. Hocevar is making the most of his equipment and navigating his way to race finishes, which will continue to pay off with top finishes and more chances at victories, potentially even this week at Michigan where he finished 10th last season.