Ryan Blaney reacted to his second-place finish behind Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

The NASCAR Cup Series season informally began with the Cook Out Clash exhibition race on Sunday at the quarter-mile Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., and the best of stock car racing was on display.

Ryan Blaney is justifiably optimistic heading into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign based on his performance over the course of the last two seasons, which has included six combined wins, a championship in 2023 and a runner-up finish behind Penske teammate Joey Logano in 2024.

Ryan Blaney was in the last-chance qualifier for The Clash at Bowman Gray but was already guaranteed a place in the main event.

In Sunday's Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, Blaney would be faced with one of the most difficult drives of his career, but the 2023 champion stepped up and nearly put together one o