Winners, losers from NASCAR Cup race at Nashville won by Ryan Blaney
LEBANON, Tenn. — A look at the winners and losers from Sunday night's Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway.
WINNERS
Ryan Blaney — He led 139 laps, including the final 32, to score his first Cup victory of the season. It marks the eighth time in the last nine seasons that he's scored at least one Cup victory. 'It was nice to finally get in Victory Lane tonight after a rocky start to the year,' said Blaney, who has failed to finish five races this year.
Nate Ryan,
Team Penske — Becomes the first organization to have all of its drivers win a race this season. Team Penske has won three of the last five points races — Austin Cindric at Talladega, Joey Logano at Texas and Ryan Blaney at Nashville. Also, the Wood Brothers are aligned with Team Penske and won at Las Vegas with Josh Berry earlier this season.
Carson Hocevar — Tied his career-best finish by placing second at Nashville.
Dustin Long,
Denny Hamlin — Placed third at Nashville. It's his fifth top-five finish in the last nine races.
Erik Jones — His seventh-place result is his second top-10 in the last four races. Not a bad way to head to Michigan, his home track, this weekend.
LOSERS
Justin Haley — His 32nd-place finish marks the third consecutive race he's finished 30th or worse.
Ty Gibbs — He finished 31st at Nashville. That marks the fourth race in a row he's placed 23rd or worse.
AJ Allmendinger — NASCAR caught the team making an adjustment to the car after it had gone through inspection Saturday. He had to perform a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag in Sunday's race. He lost a lap. With the first stage run without a caution, he got stuck a lap behind and was mired deep in the pack. He eventually got his lap back and finished 20th. The day could have been better had they not had the penalty.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tennessee Titans sign fourth-round WR Chimere Dike to rookie contract
The Tennessee Titans finalized a contract with another one of their nine-man 2025 NFL draft class on Friday by coming to terms with fourth-round selection WR Chimere Dike on a four-year deal. An explosive wideout with the ability to challenge defenses with his deep speed, Dike is versatile and is willing to do all of the dirty work for an offense, and add a dimension to the offense that the team lacked in 2024. The Titans had limited production out of the slot in 2024, and Dike appears to be a significant upgrade over Tyler Boyd. Advertisement Dike could also add a spark on special teams. Proving to be a dynamic return man who could give Tennessee the type of weapon they lacked last season. So far in OTAs, he has been turning heads, is developing a strong chemistry with Cam Ward, and has the look of a player who could make a difference. Now that Dike has signed his rookie contract, that leaves second-round pick Femi Oladejo as the only member of their nine-man draft class left unsigned. With the Titans heading into their mandatory minicamp, they would likely want to get that contract done. This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans sign fourth-round WR Chimere Dike to rookie contract


Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Ageless Marchand plays hero for Panthers in Game 2 of SCF: ‘He's a beauty'
EDMONTON - Brad Marchand slipped a puck under Stuart Skinner's pad on his own rebound. That effort off the stick of the Florida Panthers winger dribbled through Edmonton's crease and touched the post before being cleared to safety. That agonizingly close call in Friday's first overtime period came after Marchand connected on a short-handed breakaway in the second period. The 37-year-old didn't miss on his next chance. Marchand scored on another breakaway — this time in double OT — as the Panthers beat the Oilers 5-4 to even the Stanley Cup final 1-1. 'Pure excitement and adrenalin for the whole group,' he said in describing the moment before getting mobbed by teammates inside a stunned Rogers Place. 'We all knew we were one shot away … luckily it went our way.' Florida, which beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's final for the franchise's first title, recovered after Corey Perry tied the game with 17.8 seconds left in regulation. 'We've always had a very calm team,' Marchand said. 'You draw from your experiences. We do a really good job of focusing on the moment.' His ninth and 10th goals all-time in Cup final play gave him the lead among active players. Marchand's performance came exactly 14 years after he scored short-handed in the 2011 final against the Vancouver Canucks. Roberto Luongo — the opposing netminder at the time and now special adviser for the Panthers — posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: 'Favourite player of all time.' 'Lu is awesome,' said the Halifax product. 'He's an incredible person. Happy to be on the team.' Marchand was acquired from the Bruins, who were eliminated by the Panthers from the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, at the trade deadline buzzer back in March. The fit has been seamless for a player that has made plenty of enemies throughout his career. 'Brad's an honest man,' said Florida head coach Paul Maurice, whose group dropped the series opener to Edmonton 4-3 in OT. 'He loves the game. He loves the people around him. He's very open, very gregarious. He (was) completely accepted. An incredibly positive human being. He's up and down our bench all the time just pumping tires, stays in the fight. He is going to be the same way at breakfast (Saturday) morning. He's just going to be jacked, high-fiving everybody at the table.' 'He enjoys the moment,' Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues added. 'He doesn't shy away from it.' Marchand's parents were in the stands Wednesday, with his mother was caught on camera celebrating her son's heroics. He was asked post-game to describe Lynn Marchand as a hockey mom. 'She is one that you need to put a muzzle on,' he said to laughter from reporters. 'She gets pretty amped up at the games. They've always been so supportive. I don't think any player in this league could say that their parents are not the main reason why we're here.' Marchand, who won the Cup in 2011 and also played in the 2013 and 2019 finals, has shown no signs of slowing down at age 37 in his 16th NHL season. 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going,' Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'Unreal player, unreal competitor.' Marchand's fifth career playoff OT goal tied Perry, Patrick Kane and Panthers teammate Carter Verhaeghe for the most among active players. The veteran forward also became the seventh player in NHL history to reach that number. 'He just finds a way,' said Florida defenceman Nate Schmidt, who had a couple of run-ins with Marchand earlier this season when he was still captaining Boston. 'I don't think it gets too big for him. He was one of our most vocal guys throughout the third and the intermissions. It doesn't seem like he ever gets too riled about it, which is something you need. 'He is a veteran presence guy that's got a ring. We're really lucky to have him.' Maurice called Marchand 'a unique human' that has found a new home as the best-of-seven series now shifts to South Florida. 'In the northern parlance,' said the coach, 'he's a beauty.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.


Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
‘He just finds a way': Panthers' Brad Marchand, at 37, has another big playoff moment
Anton Lundell retrieved the puck on the left side of the defensive zone midway through double overtime, took a couple strides and saw Brad Marchand streaking toward the neutral zone uncontested. 'He's a fast guy,' Lundell said. 'I saw him open. I just tried to give him the puck.' Once Marchand got the puck on his stick, he was off to the races. He charged down the ice, pushing toward the net on a breakaway. As he prepared to take his shot, Marchand felt a backcheck from Leon Draisaitl, trying to stymie the attempt and keep the game alive. Marchand adjusted on the fly. He moved the puck to his backhand and flicked it past Stuart Skinner. Marchand, at 37 years old, is the hero once again. His second goal of the game sealed the Florida Panthers' 5-4 double overtime victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, a win that leveled the best-of-7 series at 1-1 as it now shifts to South Florida for the next two games. Marchand leapt in the air before being mobbed by his teammates as the euphoria of the win took over. 'Pure excitement and adrenaline for the whole group,' Marchand said. 'It's obviously a very important game for our team. We all knew we were one shot away, and luckily it went our way. You can tell the excitement that we had in that moment for sure.' Marchand has had his share of big moments in the playoffs throughout his career. He had 13 postseason game-winners, including three in overtime, during his first 15 seasons with the Boston Bruins before being traded to the Panthers in March. On this run into the Stanley Cup Final, on this chance for Marchand to win the Cup for the second time in his career, he has seven goals, 17 points and a pair of overtime winners. Three of his seven goals have come in the first two games of this Stanley Cup Final series, giving him 10 in his career — the most among active players and making him one of just 37 players in NHL history with double-digit goals in the Stanley Cup Final in his career. 'He enjoys the moment,' forward Evan Rodrigues said. 'He doesn't shy away from it. He's not worried about making a mistake, per se. He goes out there, he competes and he lives and dies by his game. He's done a great job for us, and we'll need him to continue to do that.' Added defenseman Nate Schmidt: 'He just finds a way. He did a great job throughout the game, finding open ice around their net, and I think he just, I dunno, just shoved a pitchfork or however he gets it in there. We'll take it.' They'll take everything Marchand has to offer. Obviously his production on the ice has been critical as Florida attempts to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. But what he provides off the ice is just as critical. He's vocal. He's brash. He's authentic. 'Brad's an honest man, and that's why he fits in our room,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'He loves the game. He loves the people around him. He's very open, very gregarious, so he just fits right in. He's completely accepted. An incredibly positive human being. He's up and down our bench all the time just pumping tires, stay in the fight. He is going to be the same way at breakfast tomorrow morning. He's just going to be jacked, high-fiving everybody at the table.' And he's defying the clock while he does it. At the ripe age of 37 years and 26 days old, Marchand became the fourth-oldest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Final, behind Igor Larionov (41 years, 187 days; Game 3 in 2002), Steve Thomas (39 years, 322 days; Game 4 in 2003) and Ron Francis (39 years, 95 days; Game 1 in 2002). He plays with the joy and youthful exuberance of the rookie who has the experience of a veteran who has seen 1,276 NHL games between the regular season and the playoffs. 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going,' star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'Unreal player, unreal competitor. He's scored, when you think about it, two of our biggest goals than playoffs so far. Hopefully he can keep it going.' Marchand's goals — he also scored on a shorthanded breakaway in the second period — helped give the Panthers life in this series after it almost slipped away from them again. Florida saw a two-goal lead in Game 1 slip away when it gave up a goal in the second, another in the third and lost with 31 seconds left in the first overtime. In Game 2 on Friday, the Panthers led 4-3 after two periods — overcoming a wild, five-goal first period after which they trailed 3-2 by scoring twice in the second — and was in control for most of the third period until Corey Perry scored with 17.8 seconds left to tie it and force overtime for a second consecutive game. 'Obviously you're disappointed they tied it up like that, but the emotion on the bench and in the room after the third, we've always had a very calm team,' Marchand said. 'I think you draw from your experiences. We do a really good job of focusing on the moment. A lot of guys have been through big moments, and we have a lot of really good leaders on this team, so you just try to draw on that. It didn't seem like there's any panic. There's a good feeling in the room. It doesn't faze guys. You can't let it this time of year.' Florida didn't. It weathered through the first overtime, one in which Edmonton had a 13-8 edge in shots on goal and waited for its opportunity to strike. It came 8:55 into the second overtime, with Marchand's breakaway ending the game and tying the series. 'It's just a huge play at a huge time and he's been incredible for us this whole playoffs,' center Sam Bennett said. 'He's scoring massive goals at massive times. That one was definitely the biggest.'