Welcome to Racing America On SI’s live NASCAR race updates post for Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. This post will be updated throughout the day and night on Saturday with key updates leading into and through the final race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
Video highlights of crashes or incidents will be populated along with lead changes, stage and race results, and more. Continue checking back for additional updates on the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway throughout the day.
Lap 24: Back to Green!
Ryan Blaney has led the opening 23 laps of this race, and he continues to lead on this restart, but Bubba Wallace gets a big shove into Turns 1 and 2, and he slides up in front of Blaney to take the lead and as Wallace crosses the stripe on Lap 24, we have our first official lead change of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.
Lap 18: Caution!
Disaster for NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs hopeful Tyler Reddick, who was involved in a Lap 18 crash with Todd Gilliland on the exit of Turn 4. Gilliland and Reddick came together and went spinning off the turn, Reddick’s car would collide nose-first into the inside wall at pit road entrance.
Here’s the early-race incident which could be what keeps Tyler Reddick from advancing to the Playoffs… long way to go though. pic.twitter.com/hRZTLcu53A
Ryan Blaney continues to lead. He has led the opening 16 laps of the race.
Lap 13: Buescher On Pit Road With Brake Issues
Chris Buescher’s No. 17 RFK Racing team is addressing brake issues that the driver has experienced early in the race.
Lap 11: Caution!
Casey Mears, who is making his second NASCAR Cup Series start of the season, seemingly suffered a cut right rear tire and went spinning in Turn 4 on Lap 11. Mears clipped the outside wall, and we are under caution.
This will allow William Byron to collect the free pass, which will put him back on the lead lap.
Lap 10 Running Order
1. Ryan Blaney 2. Joey Logano 3. Daniel Suarez 4. Denny Hamlin 5. Brad Keselowski 6 Kyle Busch 7. Bubba Wallace 8. Austin Cindric 9. Carson Hocevar 10. Michael McDowell
Lap 6: Byron Lapped
William Byron, who had to perform a stop and go penalty after the green flag of the race, has been lapped by the leaders on Lap 6. Byron is the free pass driver, and if a caution comes out, he is the only driver a lap down.
Lap 3: Blaney Leads As Outside Lane Shows Strength
The outside lane of cars, led by Ryan Blaney who started from the pole, has surged ahead and has the clear advantage. The top-five or so cars from the top lane are out front by themselves as the rest of the field is three-by-three behind them.
Green Flag!
Ryan Blaney has brought the field to the green flag, and he has Alex Bowman, who is looking to secure his place in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, beside him. The field is cleanly through Turns 1 and 2, and it looks like Blaney has the advantage for now.
Engines Fired
The motors under the hoods of the 40 cars in tonight’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona have roared to life. Cars have driven onto the banking at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, and pace laps have begun!
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Team Penalized for Unapproved Splitter Adjustment
The good news is that William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet passed pre-race inspection for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on the first attempt through the inspection bay.
Unfortunately, after the car passed inspection, NASCAR Officials spotted the No. 24 team making an unapproved adjustment to the splitter on the front of the car. As a result, NASCAR sent the No. 24 team back to the inspection bay, where the car was run on the USS (Underbody Scanning Station) where it failed inspection due to the unapproved adjustment to the splitter.
NASCAR ejected Rudy Fugle, Byron’s crew chief, for the remainder of the weekend. Byron’s team will also lose their pit selection for this weekend, will have to drop to the rear of the field for the start of the race, and after the green flag, Byron will have to perform a stop-and-go penalty.
Thankfully, Byron secured the NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship a week ago, so the penalties will likely only impact his ability to rack up additional Playoff Points prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs next week.
Read Complete Story, here.
Mother Nature Hands Ryan Blaney Top Starting Spot
Persistent lightning in the area surrounding Daytona International Speedway led to the cancellation of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Friday. As a result, the starting lineup for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona was set by way of the NASCAR Rule Book.
Ryan Blaney, who had the best score in NASCAR’s Performance Metric Formula, was awarded the pole position, which will not count as an official pole on his career stat sheet. Alex Bowman, who heads into this race as the final driver inside of the Playoffs cutline, will start from the outside of the front row.
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Starting Lineup
Pos
Car
Driver
Metric Score
1
12
Ryan Blaney
3.600
2
48
Alex Bowman
4.100
3
5
Kyle Larson
5.400
4
22
Joey Logano
6.400
5
2
Austin Cindric
7.400
6
11
Denny Hamlin
7.600
7
3
Austin Dillon
8.200
8
24
William Byron
8.700
9
19
Chase Briscoe
11.500
10
6
Brad Keselowski
12.000
Click here for the complete Coke Zero Sugar 400 Starting Lineup
RFK Confident of Chances at Daytona Win, Bowman ‘Stressed’ About Daytona
There couldn’t have been any bigger difference in mood between RFK Racing, which heads into this weekend’s race with all three of its cars outside of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs cutline, and Alex Bowman, who is the final driver inside the cutline.
With Daytona International Speedway, the ultimate crapshoot, serving as the final race of the regular season, a win by any Playoff eligible driver, not already locked into the Playoffs, could very well eliminate Bowman.
“It’s just stressful, right? And I’m going to stress myself out about whatever our situation ever is,” Bowman said in a media scrum on Friday afternoon in the Daytona International Speedway media center.
Bowman told Racing America On SI that he kept his mind off the stress of Saturday night’s race with a full schedule of other activities this week.
“Well, it’s been a super busy week. Tested Kershaw on Tuesday, so that was a whole day of testing. Wednesday, we had a production day deal at Hendrick, and then yesterday kind of just had a bunch of regular life s— that I had to do,” Bowman laughed. “Yeah, I mean, I think it being busy, as much as I’ve complained about that all week because I’ve been like running all over the Earth all week, it’s probably a good thing that it was that way. Yeah, took my mind off of it.”
While he’s nervous that he could end up on the bad side of the unpredictability of Daytona, RFK Racing teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece are bullish in their thoughts that an RFK Racing car will reach victory lane on Saturday night.
“If you’re going to try to win this race, I guarantee you’re going to have to go through an RFK car to win,” Preece, the driver of the team’s No. Ford Mustang said during a Friday media availability. “So, I feel like we’re in a strong position to get one of our cars in, and good luck to the other ones that are going to have to get through us.”
Buescher says while the RFK Racing teammates will do everything they can to place all three of their cars at the front of the field in the closing laps, that it will still be a battle amongst them if they are able to occupy the top-three spots on the final lap.
“You know, ultimately, there’s only ever one winner. Every time you come into a superspeedway race and you work with your teammates, you always have the mindset of pushing each other and getting each other as far forward as possible until there are no cars left to pass, and then you work it out amongst yourselves, right,” Buescher, who drives the team’s No. 17 Ford said. “I still say, there’s no doubt in my mind that you come off of Turn 4, and if you’re helping each other all day, then all bets are off at that point. Or maybe earlier, I don’t know. But it’ll be a race.”
Playoff Picture
Heading into Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale, 14 drivers have solidified their slot in NASCAR’s Playoffs by way of winning races during the 2025 season.
William Byron, the regular-season champion, has two wins this season, but would have been locked in regardless as the winner of the regular-season title. Denny Hamlin (4 wins), Shane van Gisbergen (4 wins), Kyle Larson (3 wins), Christophe Bell (3 wins), Ryan Blaney (1 win), Bubba Wallace (1 win), Austin Cindric (1 win), Chase Briscoe (1 win), Joey Logano (1 win), Chase Elliott (1 win), Ross Chastain (1 win), Josh Berry (1 win), and Austin Dillon (1 win) are also ocked in heading into Saturday night’s race.
Two drivers, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman, head into the Coke Zero Sugar 400 inside the Playoff cutline by way of points, but they’re not safe in any definition of the word.
Reddick holds a 29-point lead over Bowman, but with big crashes lurking around every corner at Daytona, as well as the chance at accruing Playoff Points, there’s a chance that Bowman, who starts second on Saturday night, can work around Reddick’s point total.
Whichever driver of the two ends up with the most points on the season at the end of Saturday night’s race will secure their place in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs regardless, but the driver, who doesn’t win that battle will be required to hope that a driver not currently in the Playoff field doesn’t win the race.
Notable drivers not currently inside the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, who could threaten the Playoff status of Reddick or Bowman include Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar.
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Pre-Race Info
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway will be televised on NBC and can be streamed on the HBO Max streaming platform, as well as the NBC Sports App and Peacock. The race broadcast will begin at 7:30 PM ET.
The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide the radio broadcast of Sunday’s race. For subscribers of the HBO Max streaming service, NASCAR Driver Cam, which streams live in-car camera footage from every car in the field, will be available for today’s race.
The overall race purse, which teams will fight for their portion of in Sunday’s race, is a total of $9,797,935.
The race distance is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile superspeedway, which equates to a 400-mile race distance.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 will be broken up into three Stages. Stage 1 will end at the conclusion of Lap 35. Stage 2 will end at the conclusion of Lap 95. And the race is scheduled to finish at the end of Lap 160, barring an Overtime finish.
The winner of Stages 1 and 2 will be awarded one Playoff Point, and the overall race winner will be awarded five Playoff Points. The Playoff Points will be added to the reseeded point totals if the drivers make it into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and will be carried through each round of the Playoffs.
This race is the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, which means the full 16-driver Playoff field will be finalized upon the conclusion of Saturday night’s race.
Harrison Burton, who is not in the field for the event, is the defending winner of this race.
Not many NASCAR drivers can say they retired on a win — but the Late, Great Greg Biffle can. Biffle made his NASCAR debut in the Busch Series in 1996, driving part-time before moving to the Truck Series in 1998.
He later progressed to full-time Cup Series competition, building a highly successful career across all three national series. Biffle won titles in the Truck and Xfinity series and nearly completed the Grand Slam in 2005, finishing second in the Cup. The North Carolinian won a total of 56 races across NASCAR’s three national series during his career: 19 in the Cup Series, 20 in the Xfinity (Busch) Series, and 17 in the Craftsman Truck Series.
He retired from full-time competition after the 2019 season, but won his last-ever NASCAR race, the Truck event in Texas at the SpeedyCash.com 400. It was Biffle’s first Truck win in 15 years. On Thursday, Biffle, his wife Cristina, and two of his children, Emma, 14, and Ryder, 5, were four of seven killed in a tragic plane crash in Statesville, NC.
A preliminary report is expected within 30 days from the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation. Three of the people on board, including former stock car racer Biffle, had their pilot’s license.
Collection and documentation of the crash will take place, and investigators will begin to piece together what went wrong. A central focus of the investigation will be locating and analyzing the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), which captures all sounds inside the cockpit. Once recovered, the device will be sent to a laboratory in Washington, D.C. for examination.
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Greg Biffle raced in his last-ever NASCAR race in 2019, driving the No. 51 in the Truck Series for the June 7 SpeedyCash.com 400.
Biffle, who tragically died on Thursday in a horror plane crash in Statesville, NC, had retired from full-time NASCAR racing in 2016 after two decades in the sport.
The NASCAR legend won two NASCAR national series Truck and Xfinity titles — but fell short in the Cup, finishing second in 2005.
Those also killed this week were his wife, Cristina, daughter, Emma, son, Ryder, and three others.
The Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) Season 2 concluded in spectacular fashion with a historic Grand Finale at the EMS Corporation Stadium, Calicut. Megastar and ISRL Brand Ambassador Salman Khan was present on ground, adding star power to an electrifying night of high-octane racing and live entertainment, as per a release. The finale witnessed a record-breaking turnout of over 32,000 fans, marking the highest-ever attendance for a motorsporting event in India and reinforcing Kerala’s strong connection with motorsport and large-scale live sporting experiences, the release said.
Amid roaring crowds and intense on-track action, Team Bigrock Motorsports were crowned ISRL Season 2 Champions, capping off a fiercely competitive championship that unfolded across Pune, Hyderabad and Calicut. The season showcased a compelling blend of international excellence and emerging Indian talent.
The Calicut round delivered thrilling racing across all categories. Matt Moss from team BigRock Motorsports (Australia) claimed victory in the 450cc International class aboard the Kawasaki KX 450, while Calvin Fonvieille from team Apollo Indewheelers (France) dominated the 250cc International category on the Yamaha YZ 250. The 250cc India-Asia Mix class was won by Delvinator Alfarizi (Thailand) riding the KTM 250 SX – F, drawing thunderous applause from the packed stadium.
Megastar Salman Khan, Brand Ambassador, ISRL, said, “Watching the Grand Finale in Calicut was truly special. The passion of the fans and the intensity of competition show how far Indian motorsport has come. ISRL is creating a platform where Indian riders can compete confidently alongside the world’s best,” as quoted from a release.
Reflecting on the season, Veer Patel, Managing Director, ISRL, said, “Season 2 reflects the growing belief in Supercross across India. From Pune to Hyderabad and now Calicut, the record-breaking fan response shows the sport has truly found a home here, while we continue building strong pathways for Indian riders alongside world-class racing.”
Over the course of Season 2, 36 international riders from 21 countries, including Australia, France, the USA, Germany, Thailand and South Africa, competed alongside India’s top riders such as Rugved Barguje, Ikshan Shanbhag, Prajwal Vishwanath and Shlok Ghorpade, highlighting ISRL’s growing global stature, as per the release.
Beyond the races, the Reise Moto ISRL Fan Park transformed EMS Corporation Stadium into a complete motorsport festival, featuring live music, racing simulators, interactive brand zones, food experiences, merchandise and rider interactions, creating an immersive fan experience for families and enthusiasts alike.
With Season 2 concluding on a historic high, the Indian Supercross Racing League now looks ahead to expanding its footprint, strengthening grassroots development and further positioning India on the global Supercross map.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Drag Racing with CHRISTMAS TREES! Racing Action From Cleetus McFarland’s XMAS Tree Drags 2025 At Bradenton Motorsports Park
Dec 21, 2025Chad Reynolds1320 Event Coverage, 1320 Spotlight, 1320 Videos, BangShift 1320, RACING & ACTION, Videos
Cleetus’ Christmas Tree Race 2025 was a very special race. The race has become kind of a big deal since starting a few years ago, and has some pretty simple rules. You must race with a Christmas Tree on or in your vehicle, it must be a minimum of 6 feet tall, it can’t fall off, and you have to have lights on it. Simple right? Well…
Video Description:
We wrapped up Cleetus McFarland’s XMAS Tree Drags 2025, following the entire event from start to finish. This video covers every round from the OG 32-car field all the way through the Elite 8 — the fastest cars on the property — right down to the finals.
Cleetus lined up in both Mullet and Leroy, alongside a stacked field of big-name cars and a few surprise entries we hadn’t seen before. From first-round shakeups to the final matchups, this one delivered nonstop action.
FREE LIVE DRAG RACING: The 4th Annual Christmas On The Coast Jr. Dragster Races From Gulfport Dragway – Saturday
Calicut (Kerala) [India], December 21 (ANI): The Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) Season 2 concluded in spectacular fashion with a historic Grand Finale at the EMS Corporation Stadium, Calicut. Megastar and ISRL Brand Ambassador Salman Khan was present on ground, adding star power to an electrifying night of high-octane racing and live entertainment, as per a release.
The finale witnessed a record-breaking turnout of over 32,000 fans, marking the highest-ever attendance for a motorsporting event in India and reinforcing Kerala’s strong connection with motorsport and large-scale live sporting experiences, the release said.
Amid roaring crowds and intense on-track action, Team Bigrock Motorsports were crowned ISRL Season 2 Champions, capping off a fiercely competitive championship that unfolded across Pune, Hyderabad and Calicut. The season showcased a compelling blend of international excellence and emerging Indian talent.
The Calicut round delivered thrilling racing across all categories. Matt Moss from team BigRock Motorsports (Australia) claimed victory in the 450cc International class aboard the Kawasaki KX 450, while Calvin Fonvieille from team Apollo Indewheelers (France) dominated the 250cc International category on the Yamaha YZ 250. The 250cc India-Asia Mix class was won by Delvinator Alfarizi (Thailand) riding the KTM 250 SX – F, drawing thunderous applause from the packed stadium.
Megastar Salman Khan, Brand Ambassador, ISRL, said, “Watching the Grand Finale in Calicut was truly special. The passion of the fans and the intensity of competition show how far Indian motorsport has come. ISRL is creating a platform where Indian riders can compete confidently alongside the world’s best,” as quoted from a release.
Reflecting on the season, Veer Patel, Managing Director, ISRL, said, “Season 2 reflects the growing belief in Supercross across India. From Pune to Hyderabad and now Calicut, the record-breaking fan response shows the sport has truly found a home here, while we continue building strong pathways for Indian riders alongside world-class racing.”
Over the course of Season 2, 36 international riders from 21 countries, including Australia, France, the USA, Germany, Thailand and South Africa, competed alongside India’s top riders such as Rugved Barguje, Ikshan Shanbhag, Prajwal Vishwanath and Shlok Ghorpade, highlighting ISRL’s growing global stature, as per the release.
Beyond the races, the Reise Moto ISRL Fan Park transformed EMS Corporation Stadium into a complete motorsport festival, featuring live music, racing simulators, interactive brand zones, food experiences, merchandise and rider interactions, creating an immersive fan experience for families and enthusiasts alike.
With Season 2 concluding on a historic high, the Indian Supercross Racing League now looks ahead to expanding its footprint, strengthening grassroots development and further positioning India on the global Supercross map. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
Tragedy Strikes: NTSB Launches Deep Investigation into Fatal Greg Biffle Plane Crash
In a devastating turn of events, the aviation world was rocked last Thursday when NASCAR legend Greg Biffle, his family, and three others tragically lost their lives in a plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now on a mission to uncover the harrowing details behind this catastrophic incident, with a press conference held Saturday shedding some light on the ongoing investigation.
NTSB Board Member Michael Graham and Investigator-In-Charge Dan Baker addressed the media, but the information was limited as the investigation is still in its infancy. “We still do not know the circumstances which led the aircraft … to attempt to return to the airport,” Graham stated, emphasizing the urgent need to piece together the events that led to this heart-wrenching disaster.
One chilling revelation from the conference was a text message exchange between Biffle’s wife, Cristian Grossu Biffle, and her mother, Cathy Grossu. Cathy recounted the harrowing moments leading up to the crash: “Then she said something like ‘We’re in trouble, emergency landing.’ And I texted back, ‘What’s wrong with the plane?’” The gravity of the situation escalated when Cathy received an SOS alert, signaling a dire emergency. Graham confirmed that the NTSB is aware of this critical communication, stating, “We are not aware of any other communications from passengers on board the aircraft to those on the ground.”
As investigators delve deeper, the question of who was at the controls during the crucial moments of the flight remains unanswered. Both Greg Biffle and his companions, Dennis and Jack Dutton, were licensed pilots. Graham noted, “We do anticipate that all the information about all the pilot-rated occupants will be included in our preliminary report.” This report is expected within 30 days, but the agency’s final analysis could take up to 18 months.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the pilot’s identity, Graham revealed that the NTSB has a “degree of confidence” about the individual in the left seat, although verification is still required. He stressed the importance of accuracy in the investigation: “We want to know where everyone was sitting, and that is a little more difficult in a crash like this.”
In a shocking update, Graham shared that early indications from multiple sources suggest the aircraft was stable and configured for landing with its lights on. However, it was flying dangerously low. This crucial information aligns with the physical evidence found at the crash site, including debris located approximately 1800 feet from the runway threshold.
The investigation is ramping up as the NTSB meticulously documents the wreckage, evaluates the flight voice recorder, and analyzes various components. “All of these are being sent to NTSB recorders labs in Washington, D.C.,” Graham explained, highlighting the importance of recovering critical data to determine the probable cause of this tragedy.
Amidst the chaos, a drone was deployed to assist in the investigation, although high winds initially hampered its operations. As conditions improved on Saturday, the team was able to resume their efforts to gather evidence from the crash site.
With so many unanswered questions and the clock ticking, the NTSB is committed to uncovering the truth behind the demise of Greg Biffle and his companions. As the agency continues its exhaustive investigation, the families and fans of those lost are left grappling with the profound loss and searching for closure in this heartbreaking saga.
Throughout the racing year, now and then, race fans are blessed with a handful of special days in which NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1 all race on one calendar date. In 2026, this will occur eight separate times. Here’s a look at those race days.
Of course, these are all subject to time and date, and, in some cases, these races could realistically happen with 12 hours of one another.
The first date that all three series race on is March 15, with Formula One racing at Shanghai International Circuit for the Chinese Grand Prix, IndyCar racing on the streets of Arlington, Texas, for the first time, and NASCAR racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
On May 24, all three series will race on U.S. soil on the same day. Formula One will race in the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, with IndyCar hosting the 110th Indianapolis 500 that same afternoon, and NASCAR kicking off the 67th Coca-Cola 600 later that evening.
The final triple header will be on September 6, with Formula One racing at Monza, IndyCar racing in their season finale at Laguna Seca, and NASCAR hosting, what is at press-time, a playoff race in the 77th Southern 500.
March 15
NASCAR: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
IndyCar: Grand Prix of Arlington
Formula One: Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)
March 29
NASCAR: Martinsville Speedway
IndyCar: Barber Motorsports Park
Formula One: Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
April 19
NASCAR: Kansas Speedway
IndyCar: Grand Prix of Long Beach
Formula One: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Jeddah)
May 24
NASCAR: Charlotte Motor Speedway
IndyCar: Indianapolis 500
Formula One: Canadian Grand Prix (Montréal)
June 7
NASCAR: Michigan International Speedway
IndyCar: World Wide Technology Raceway
Formula One: Monaco Grand Prix (Monaco)
July 5
NASCAR: Chicagoland Speedway
IndyCar: Mid‑Ohio Sports Car Course
Formula One: British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
July 19
NASCAR: North Wilkesboro Speedway
IndyCar: Nashville Superspeedway
Formula One: Belgian Grand Prix (Spa‑Francorchamps)
September 6
NASCAR: Darlington Raceway
IndyCar: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Formula One: Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
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