Ryan Blaney Joey Logano NASCAR Cup Series Daytona
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The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series regular season both opened and closed at Daytona International Speedway. And for the second straight year, the legendary place provided a storybook ending as the sport's final chapter entering the playoffs. 

One flat tire while leading, three multi-car wrecks and four lead changes defined the final 15 laps of the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Ryan Blaney survived a last-lap push to win when those pushing came together behind him. Tyler Reddick snuck through to earn the final playoff spot, running fifth despite his car looking like someone took a sledgehammer to it. 

Some fans are still waiting to exhale, the nature of pack racing that keeps all 40 drivers together like superglue. Drivers were able to pair up for massive runs in the draft that led to comers and goers all night. 

"I feel like you've got to be pretty aggressive," Chase Elliott said, "Or you're going to get taken advantage of. That's just the style of racing." 

Denny Hamlin summed it up in two words:

"Very intense." 

Blaney added about the pack racing setup, "You could just hook up more. Massive runs. You could tandem longer, gain speed, push that guy away, longer than the… other rules package." 

The end result was 45 lead changes, by far the most in a Cup race this year. It's also a new record for the regular season finale in NASCAR's playoff era, an event that drew 41 lead changes combined in 2017-19 at Richmond and Indianapolis Motor Speedway before shifting here in 2020. Tough break for traditionalists hoping Daytona would return to its historic July 4th celebration.

The drama of a surprise winner, potentially knocking Reddick out of the playoffs combined with nail-biting competition throughout is exactly what you're looking for in a finale. Add in the extra oomph of winning at NASCAR's Super Bowl of racetracks? The formula's complete for a regular season nail-biter for years to come. 

"I know this race isn't the 500," Blaney said. "But it's still Daytona and it's still really special, especially to me… I had kind of a surreal moment sitting in Victory Lane, kind of just looking out at the lights shining on you. You see the big sign of Daytona, World Center of Racing. Just really cool." 

It's the first back-to-back victories of Blaney's Cup career, launching him to the playoff's second seed behind Kyle Larson. Can this crazy race translate into postseason momentum for a driver who was a first-round TKO in 2020? 

Traffic Report

Green: The Underdogs -- Small teams love these pack races, the track type they're guaranteed to run neck-and-neck with teams sporting 10 times the cash. Among drivers you've never heard of, posting career-best finishes? BJ McLeod (ninth), posting his first top 10 in 275 NASCAR starts across the sport's top three series. Josh Bilicki (10th) did so with a Rick Ware Racing car that has finished on the lead lap just five times this year. Further up the list, Ryan Newman ran third, his best run since this track nearly took his life in the 2020 Daytona 500. 

Yellow: Bubba Wallace -- What a weekend for 23XI Racing, announcing new driver Kurt Busch in style before Bubba snuck through the last-lap carnage for runner-up. It ties his career best run but is also one spot short of a win and playoff bid Wallace and co-owner Michael Jordan hoped for with the team's debut.  

Just two top-10 finishes in the regular season mean consistency should be the focus of this program in the final 10 races. I also worry about Wallace stirring up trouble by calling out Toyota teammates he felt didn't help in the closing laps. 

Red: Joey Logano -- Logano seemed to have a win in hand before a flat tire flattened the side of his No. 22 Ford. For those counting at home, that's three straight wrecks and four finishes of 20th or worse to end the regular season. We've seen the 2018 Cup champ turn it around before but with the strongest playoff field in years, it'll be a daunting task.  

Speeding Ticket: Kaz Grala -- Grala reminded everyone of the dangers of Daytona during the night's most serious wreck with four laps remaining. As cars spun everywhere in the tri-oval, Grala didn't see the sideways car of Kyle Busch turning off the inside wall. The resulting T-Bone by the No. 16 left Grala hobbling with a cast on his foot. 

It's a moment to remember that, while no cars flipped, there's a reason at least one driver always mouths off about safety at these pack races. At no other type of racing are drivers put in harm's way at speeds approaching 200 mph, faced with unavoidable wrecks in close quarters at any moment. 

"Just frustrating to come to these places," said Busch after the wreck, "And wonder if you're going to walk out of here." 

Oops!

The end of Saturday night's race was shaping up as a manufacturer battle between Ford, Chevy and Toyota. The Fords pitted early but were losing ground to a Toyota-Chevy draft hoping to stay in front after their final stop.

But it all changed the moment Garrett Smithley lost a tire for Rick Ware Racing. When the spinning stopped, three of the four RWR cars suffered damage in a multi-car team's worst nightmare.

I guess Blaney has RWR's bad luck to thank for his victory and late-race track position? All three cars still limped to the finish but wound up finishing 28th or worse.