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Ryan Blaney closed the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season the same way he closed 2025: in Victory Lane. His win in Sunday’s Season Finale 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway came nearly a year after he won the 2025 finale at Phoenix Raceway.
That makes Blaney the first driver since the late Greg Biffle to win the season-ending race in back-to-back years. Biffle won the finale three straight times, in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Like Biffle, Blaney did it in a Ford at Homestead.
How Blaney Won It
Blaney led three times for seven laps, including the final two. Denny Hamlin led a race-high 87 laps but finished sixth.
Blaney had speed all day and found more in the final stage. In the last eight laps after the final caution, he worked through the field and took the win from Tyler Reddick with two laps to go.
It was the 360th Cup Series win for Team Penske, and the third straight season one of its drivers has won at least four races.
Blaney’s Best Season by the Numbers
Blaney finished fourth in the final Chase standings, 94 points behind champion Kyle Larson. It was his best points finish since he was runner-up in 2024, and his third top-five points finish, all in the last five seasons.
His 2026 numbers from NASCAR’s official stats:
- Wins: 4, tying his career high, for 21 career wins
- Top 10s: 23
- Top 5s: 12
- Poles: 5
- Laps led: 1,107
- Average finish: 12.75
The wins, top 10s, poles and laps led were all career-best marks. His four wins came at Phoenix, Atlanta, New Hampshire and Homestead, and it was his second straight season with four wins after back-to-back three-win seasons.
A Chase of ‘What If?’
Blaney’s title hopes came apart on four bad days in the 10-race Chase. He finished 35th at World Wide Technology Raceway, 33rd at Bristol, 38th at Talladega and 35th at Martinsville, all in races where he had a shot at a top-10 run.
Those four finishes cost him 101 points against a top-10 result. He ended the year 94 back.
Blaney, the 2023 champion, will take the No. 12 into 2027 off back-to-back finale wins.
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