Every Record That Was Broken at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona

The Cup Series race at Daytona on Saturday was an enthralling experience for both drivers and fans. Ryan Blaney ended up as the winner after a wild battle against Cole Custer, Daniel Suarez, and Justin Haley in the final two laps. But the superspeedway event was made memorable by more than just that four-wide photo finish. Here’s a brief breakdown of the records that were set.

Following the race, 32 drivers had secured a top-five finish in the opening 26 races of the season. This is the most in the Cup Series since 1973.

Speaking of the photo finish, the four leaders were separated by a mere 0.049 seconds at the checkered flag. This is the closest known top-four finish in series history.

Special emphasis has to be put on Blaney’s heroics. The Team Penske driver became the first driver to win at Daytona after starting from first place since Dale Earnhardt Jr. did so back in 2015. That’s an achievement he would rejoice in for a while.

Another impressive fact is that the top nine drivers were all from different teams. This is the first time that this has happened since the 2017 Daytona 500. Also, it’s only the sixth time it has happened in this century.

These stats back the idea that the Next Gen car is capable of doing a lot better than it has since its inception. Many who had lashed criticism at the car over the past several weeks were forced to backtrack their judgments after Saturday, including Dale Jr. himself.

A key reason for this is how well drivers were able to make passes. Notably, Blaney climbed from 13th to 1st place in the final laps to reach Victory Lane.

What’s next in the Cup Series?

With Daytona, the 2025 regular season has come to an end. The playoffs begin this upcoming weekend with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron has been crowned the regular season champion and sits 26 points above the Round of 16 elimination line.

Thanks to Blaney’s victory, Alex Bowman and Tyler Reddick were able to secure hard-fought positions in the playoffs despite not having won a race yet this season. They will look to set the balance right when the green flag waves at Darlington. The next 10 races will decide who the 2025 Cup Series champion will be.

As fans witnessed last year, any kind of forecast or prediction about who could lift the title might prove fruitless. The best approach is to sit back and hope that more races like the Coke Zero Sugar 400 go down in the coming weeks.