Sports
Ryan Blaney Wins Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, Shatters Playoff Hopes for NASCAR Rivals
DAYTONA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Florida National News captured the intense action Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway as Ryan Blaney stole the spotlight, powering to victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and dashing the Playoff hopes of several NASCAR contenders. His win secured Alex Bowman the 16th and final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, while eliminating rivals who needed a victory to advance.
Blaney’s Thrilling Finish
Starting from 12th with three laps to go, Blaney surged forward in dramatic fashion. He crossed the finish line just 0.031 seconds ahead of Daniel Suarez in a breathtaking three-wide battle. Justin Haley finished third, only 0.036 seconds behind, while Cole Custer—who led with two laps remaining—slipped to fourth. The nail-biting margin delivered Blaney his second victory of the season, second at Daytona, and 15th career Cup win.
The win also vaulted Blaney into second place in the regular-season standings, adding 10 valuable Playoff points. His victory marked the first for a Ford driver since his Nashville triumph in June. “What a wild last couple laps, honestly,” Blaney said. “Cole made a good move to the top, and we had great pushes behind us. Once the 7 (Haley) and 41 (Custer) got side-by-side, it cleared the way for me to just barely hold on.”
Coke Zero Sugar 400 Winner. Photo by Roman Garay / Florida National News
Playoff Picture Shifts
The outcome kept Bowman’s postseason alive after a rollercoaster night. A win by Suarez, Haley, or Custer would have knocked Bowman out, but Blaney’s victory preserved Bowman’s 16th-place berth on points. Bowman’s hopes nearly vanished early: he was collected in a 12-car pileup on Lap 27 after a chain reaction crash involving Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch. Though he was sidelined, Bowman benefited from no new winner emerging, sealing his playoff spot.
Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick, despite early contact and damage, secured his Playoff place. Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. saw their postseason dreams end with wrecks that left them in the garage.
Race Highlights and Final Results
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 featured 44 lead changes among 19 drivers, including long runs out front by Blaney and teammate Joey Logano, who led 27 laps before spinning late. Erik Jones claimed fifth, followed by Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, and Chase Elliott in the top 10. Ross Chastain captured Stage 2 before finishing 15th.
With the Daytona drama complete, the 16-driver Playoff field is officially set: William Byron (Regular Season Champion), Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and Blaney headline the Hendrick-Penske battle. The 10-race Playoffs kick off August 31 at Darlington Raceway in the Cook Out Southern 500.
Top 5 Finishers
Ryan Blaney (Ford)
Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)
Justin Haley (Chevrolet)
Cole Custer (Ford)
Erik Jones (Toyota)
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J Willie David, III | Sports@FloridaNationalNews.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Florida National News) – The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) beat the New England Patriots (1-2) 35-6 at EverBank Stadium today. The Jaguars have now won six consecutive home games dating back to November 16, 2025. The Jaguars lost their nine game regular season winning streak last week in Denver with their 20-13 loss to the Broncos.
The first quarter was a defensive battle, highlighted by the Jaguars sacking Patriots QB Drake Maye to force a fumble, which was recovered by NT DaVon Hamilton. But neither team put points on the board.
Early in the second quarter, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence found WR Josh Cameron in the end zone for a 12 yard touchdown, followed by K Cam Little’s extra point, to put the Jags ahead 7-0. Soon after, it looked as though Maye had scrambled into the end zone for a 21 yard touchdown run, but that play was nullified by an offensive holding penalty by Patriots RT Morgan Moses. They did manage to score on a 35 yard field goal by K Andy Borregales, to narrow their deficit to 7-3. But the Jags extended their lead as Lawrence completed a 10 yard pass for WR Jakobi Meyers’ 25th career touchdown pass. That was also Lawrence’s 104th passing touchdown of his career, moving him past QB Blake Bortles for sole possession of second place on the Jaguars all-time list. QB Mark Brunell currently holds the team record with 144. After Little’s extra point, the Jags were up 14-3. The Patriots came close to scoring late in the second quarter, but Jaguars CB Travis Hunter had his first career interception, grabbing a pass by Maye intended for WR Efton Chism III in the end zone. The Jaguars gave Cam Little an opportunity to break his own NFL regular season record with a 70 yard field goal attempt, but it went wide right. The score remained 14-3 at the half.
Travis Hunter’s First Career Interception. (Photo Credit Arthur “Dell” Morgan)
On the Patriots first drive of the third quarter, Borregales attempted a 38 yard field goal, but it went wide right. Late in the quarter, Lawrence completed a 17 yard touchdown pass to WR Parker Washington, followed by Little’s XP, extending the lead to 21-3. As the Patriots took possession, Jaguars CB Jarrian Jones intercepted a Drake Maye pass intended for WR Kyle Williams. On the next play, RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran for a five yard touchdown. After another Little XP, the Jags were up 28-3 at the end of the third.
Early in the fourth quarter, Borregales redeemed himself with a 40 yard field goal, but the Pats remained down 28-6. The Jags added to their lead as RB Bhayshul Tuten ran for a 1 yard touchdown, and with Little’s extra point they finished the game up 35-6.
Trevor Lawrence finished with 182 passing yards and 3 TDs. Bhayshul Tuten led the Jaguars’ rushing with 73 yards and 1 TD. Jakobi Meyers was the leading receiver with 64 yards and 1 TD.
The Jaguars will be on the road for the month of October. They face the Bengals in Cincinnati on Sunday, October 4th at 1:00 p.m. Their next two games will be across the pond in London, where they’ll play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, October 11th at 9:30 a.m. EST at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the Houston Texans on Sunday, October 18th at 9:30 a.m. EST at Wembley Stadium. The Jaguars have a bye for NFL Week 7, then return home to host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, November 1st at 1:00 p.m. at EverBank Stadium. Be sure to follow www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.
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ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Florida National News is expanding its national news and sports presence with plans for special event coverage from Los Angeles in 2027, Atlanta in 2028 and Las Vegas in 2029, creating new opportunities for businesses and organizations to connect with FNN audiences across multiple platforms.
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TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ home opener ended in disappointment Sunday as the Cleveland Browns handed Tampa Bay a 23-19 loss, dropping the Buccaneers to 0-2 to start the season.
The Buccaneers had opportunities to take control but were hurt by penalties, missed tackles and an inability to consistently finish drives in the end zone. A weather delay late in the game added another challenge, but Tampa Bay players and coaches refused to use the conditions as an excuse.
Bowles: ‘Nobody Is Coming to Save Us’
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles pointed directly to Tampa Bay’s mistakes after the loss.
“Too many penalties, offensively. Too many missed tackles in the second half, defensively,” Bowles said. “Nobody is coming to save us. We have to fix ourselves and we have to fix it in a hurry.”
Bowles repeated that message when discussing the team’s 0-2 start, saying the Buccaneers have faced adversity before but now must respond quickly.
“We’ve dealt with adversity before. This is an adverse situation again,” Bowles said. “We’re 0-2 right now and we have to pull ourselves up by our boots, and we’ve got to win.”
Defensively, Bowles said missed tackles contributed to Cleveland’s success, including a touchdown by Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston after two Tampa Bay defenders collided and failed to make the tackle.
Mayfield Frustrated by Missed Opportunities
Quarterback Baker Mayfield said Tampa Bay’s inability to convert opportunities in the red zone proved costly. The Buccaneers settled for field goals instead of touchdowns and struggled with negative plays.
Mayfield said the frustration comes from knowing how close the offense is to producing better results.
“I’m frustrated because it’s close. You can feel it. You can see it,” Mayfield said. “We’re moving the ball at times, and then just shooting ourselves in the foot.”
He added that the Buccaneers must become more self-critical and stop repeating the same mistakes.
Asked how surprised he was to see Tampa Bay begin the season with consecutive losses, Mayfield did not hide his reaction.
“Pretty shocked,” Mayfield said. “But, that’s where we’re at, so [we have to] fight our way out.”
Late Weather Delay Adds to Dramatic Finish
The game was also disrupted by a late weather delay. Bowles said both teams faced the same circumstances and rejected the delay as an excuse for Tampa Bay’s performance.
“They were doing the same thing. That’s not an excuse,” Bowles said. “We were ready to play.”
Left tackle Tristan Wirfs was more critical of the timing. He said players worked to stay loose, warm and hydrated during the interruption.
“I thought it was ridiculous with two minutes left in the game to call a lightning delay from ten miles away,” Wirfs said. “But, I don’t make the rules.”
Buccaneers Say They Beat Themselves
Wide receiver Ted Hurst III said Cleveland did not do anything defensively that made Tampa Bay incapable of moving the football.
“I feel like nobody can stop our offense — it’s just self-evaluating, doing your job and doing it to the best of your ability,” Hurst said.
Asked directly whether it felt like the Buccaneers beat themselves, Hurst responded, “Yeah, I would say that.”
Linebacker Alex Anzalone offered a similarly direct assessment of the Buccaneers’ position after two games.
“We’re in a bit of a hole. We’ve gotta dig ourselves out of it,” Anzalone said. He said the process begins with Wednesday’s practice and correcting the mistakes that have contributed to Tampa Bay’s winless start.
Irving: ‘We Are Going to Get This Thing Fixed’
Running back Bucky Irving urged the Buccaneers to follow the NFL’s traditional 24-hour approach — evaluate the loss, learn from it and move forward.
Irving said he is not concerned about outside criticism and views the early struggles as adversity the team can learn from.
“Let’s just learn from this game and move on to the [Minnesota] Vikings,” Irving said. “We are going to get this thing fixed in no time.”
The Buccaneers now face an early-season test: correct the penalties, improve tackling, finish drives with touchdowns and find a way out of an 0-2 hole.
