Ryan Blaney is the NASCAR driver to beat after a win at Daytona and a 6th straight top-10 finish

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Blaney parked his car against the high-banked outside wall at Daytona International Speedway and floored it, spinning his rear tires and sending plumes of smoke into the grandstands as fireworks lit up the sky.

It was a unusual celebration for the Team Penske star — he doesn't usually do celebratory burnouts — and it might be the first of many down the stretch this year.

Blaney closed NASCAR’s regular season with a flurry, winning at Daytona and moving into fourth place in the Cup Series points heading into the playoffs. He will open the postseason next week at Darlington Raceway three points behind Denny Hamlin and six shy of co-leaders William Byron and Kyle Larson.

And Blaney might just be the favorite to win it all, especially considering his past and his present. The 31-year-old Blaney notched his sixth consecutive top-10 finish with the Daytona victory, making him the series’ hottest driver.

“I think it speaks volumes to how good we have been when we’ve finished races,” Blaney said, recalling seven events in which he either crashed or had engine trouble. “I’d say half those DNFs (Did Not Finish), we had a good chance of winning the race or at least running top five.

“It just shows that we’ve been running good through the races and the stages and maybe not gotten the finishes we deserved. … But it’s been nice to have the last month and a half kind of be just smooth and for us to finish like I feel like where we should finish.”

This one was the most dramatic by far. Blaney made up 12 spots over the final two laps to beat Daniel Suarez, Justin Haley and Cole Custer in a four-wide finish. The come-from-behind victory kept all three of those contenders out of the playoffs and locked Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports into the 16-car field.

Bowman said afterward he owes Blaney “7 million beers.

“Oh, I’ll take 5 million,” Blaney quipped while holding a half-empty red plastic cup between his legs. “I’ll save him some money. … I’ll take that offer. I do need a refill if he’s still here. I can start with one.”

Given how Blaney and Team Penske have performed in the playoffs over the last three years – the powerhouse team has won three in a row, with Joey Logano’s two titles sandwiched around Blaney’s 2023 championship – no one should be surprised to see him swigging alcohol in victory lane after the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.

Blaney finished first or second four times over the final six races in 2023 to claim his first Cup championship. He was equally stout the following year, finishing second, first and second in the final three events and got edged by Logano in the finale.

Even in 2022, when Blaney finished eighth in the standings, he had four top-five finishes in his last seven starts.

“He’s pretty special,” said Blaney’s crew chief, Jonathan Hassler. “We just needed a little bit of things to go our way to get it across the finish line. But he’s there every week.”

Blaney’s parents were on hand for the race, a rarity this season and even more surprising that they came to Daytona, where the action is intense and the accidents can be harrowing.

“Dad hates speedway racing. He hates watching it,” the younger Blaney said. “My mom is a nervous wreck the whole time. I’m like, ‘Just stay home.’ They just pace and pace and pace. But it’s fortunate that we were able to pull one out, so it was good to see him in victory lane.”

Blaney treated them and everyone else inside the famed track to a smoke show. Why? Well, he ended an 11-race winless skid for Ford, had several sponsors in town for the weekend and delivered one of the event’s more improbable endings.

“I was fired up, man,” Blaney said. “Whenever you win at these speedways, it pumps you up. … It’s so cool to win here, and it was a big night. … It was a lot of things culminating, and I thought it deserved (a burnout).”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Ryan Blaney, second from right, hugs crew members as he celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Ryan Blaney holds the championship trophy as he celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Ryan Blaney (12) crosses the finish line to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race ahead of at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Ryan Blaney, center, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Ryan Blaney, front, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Coach Steve Kerr spoke with Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga during the morning shootaround Thursday about the player's situation being out of the rotation for more than a month now with expectations he will be traded before the deadline next month.

“We talked this morning and that’s all private,” Kerr said. “I will keep coaching him, he’ll be part of the team, he’ll be here. It is what it is.”

Kerr discounted any issues between them as being reason Kuminga has reportedly requested a trade from the team after not being used in the last 14 games since Dec. 18 and 17 of 18 — though he has been listed as injured for nine games this season.

“Our relationship is fine,” Kerr said before Golden State's 126-113 win over the New York Knicks. “There's not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff. It is what it is, difficult situation for everybody and part of this league, part of the job. We just keep moving forward.”

Kuminga has been training much of the time on his own, shooting on the Warriors’ practice floor out of the eyes of fans at Chase Center. He wears a black hood over his head on the end of the bench during games. Perhaps Kuminga and the Warriors weren't a great fit from Day 1 — not that it's his fault — and he might be eager to leave and start fresh elsewhere. If so, the Golden State brass might want to make sure he doesn't get hurt before trying to trade him.

Yet nobody has taken issue with his work ethic, at least not publicly. Kuminga, selected seventh overall in the 2021 draft, has been known to stay long after games shooting on the arena's main floor.

“It’s not a distraction at all. It’s a very unique situation but our job is just to keep playing, keep winning, it’ll resolve itself one way or the other,” Stephen Curry said.

The 23-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has appeared in just 18 games total with 13 starts, averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

On Sept. 30, he agreed to a two-year contract that could be worth up to $46.5 million if the team were to exercise its option for 2026-27. Kuminga had had a $7.9 million qualifying offer in hand since June 29 but was also weighing other options and he missed media day.

He has long had the support and confidence of teammates — like Jimmy Butler saying he has been having Kuminga over and continuing to encourage him.

“We love JK in this locker room, that's not going to change,” Butler said postgame. “If he happens to not be in here, we'll still rock with JK. I speak for everybody. We love the guy. I wish him the best here, I wish him the best wherever. It doesn't change. We don't listen to the noise, I hope he don't listen to the noise he keep coming here with a smile doing what he's supposed to do and being the ultimate pro.”

Kuminga missed much of last season with a right ankle injury. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes over 47 games with 10 starts. He also scored 15.3 points per game over eight playoff games while shooting 48.4% from the floor and making 40% of his 3-point attempts. That included a career-best 30-point performance in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kerr said the uncertainty around Kuminga's future “won't be a distraction.”

“Jonathan's a great young guy, his teammates like him,” Kerr said. "He's handling himself well.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, middle, sits near the team bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks in San Francisco, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (1) and Utah Jazz center Oscar Tshiebwe (34) swap jerseys after the Warriors defeat the Jazz during an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)