Ryan Blaney reacted to his second-place finish behind Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Gibbs was by the far the highest-profile car/driver combination to miss the 200-lap main. Despite leading early in the last chance qualifier, he fell behind Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones and others. Josh Berry spun Gibbs around on Lap 57, all but ensuring that he was going to miss the field.

Byron had a pretty forgettable weekend. He started 11th, got turned with 85 laps to go (the same time as his HMS teammate Larson) and never recovered to finish 18th. Now he heads to Daytona, where he’s the defending Daytona 500 winner.

Ryan Blaney put on a show for the fans at Bowman Gray Stadium in the NASCAR Clash, but he came up short of the win. With the lead on the line late, why didn’t Blaney put his bumper to Chase Elliott and move him?

Unlike Elliott, Blaney struggled during heat race competition on Saturday, but advanced to the Cook Out Clash off driver points from last season. The Team Penske driver started the race in 23rd (last place), mounted a furious charge to the front of the field and impressively finished second.

NASCAR Chevy driver Chase Elliott started the 2025 Cup Series season strong with a victory in the preseason Clash at Bowman Gray, beating a Ford and a Toyota.

Penske's Ryan Blaney came up one spot shy after starting dead last, and Chase Elliott joins his dad as a Clash winner 38 years later.

"In a resounding endorsement of NASCAR's progressive trajectory, top drivers Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Blaney have expressed unified support for the sport's recent innovations. Elliott highlighted NASCAR's leadership for embracing significant changes over the past few years,

Ryan Blaney explains why he didn't move Chase Elliott for the win in the 2025 NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray. Find out what Blaney said about the finish!