Iga Świątek records 25th straight French Open win with hard-fought comeback against Elena Rybakina

Iga Świątek records 25th straight French Open win with hard-fought comeback against Elena Rybakina

Iga Świątekcame from a set and a break down against Elena Rybakina to extend her winning run at theFrench Open, prevailing 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday. Three-time defending champion Świątek has now recorded 25 consecutive main draw wins at Roland-Garros, with Chris Evert the only woman in the Open Era to have more on 29. She was made to work hard for it against former world No. 3 Rybakina, who battled hard to cause a huge upset on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Having raced into a 5-0 lead before wrapping up the opening set in just 35 minutes, Rybakina won the first eight points of the second set to put her in full control of the fourth-round contest. But Świątek rallied in the second part of the match, edging out Rybakina in a tight deciding set to continue her hunt for a sixth grand slam title and fifth at the French Open. "I was feeling pretty bad (at the start of the match), so I was kind of accepting that I can lose it," Świątek later told reporters. "But it didn't change the fact that I wanted to fight for it anyway." The world No. 5 will next play 13th seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals after the Ukrainian beat last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini on Sunday. Having won in straight sets across the opening three rounds of the tournament, Świątek faced her first real test of this year's French Open against Rybakina. She saved 10 break points over the course of the match, only edging in front in the final stages of the deciding set. It was a gutsy, rather than an accomplished, victory for the Polish star. She made an uncharacteristic seven double faults during the match, including three in one game in the second set. But in the context of her title defense, this sort of victory might feel more significant than the many routine wins she has had in Paris. "I think I needed that kind of win … That I'm able to win under pressure, and even if it's not going the right way, still turn the match around to win it," Świątek said. "For sure, it's a great confirmation for me. Obviously, it's great to also have full control over the match, but against great players, it's not always going to be possible. I'm happy that I fought and also problem-solved on court." Another defending champion,Carlos Alcaraz, also overcame a challenging opponent to reach the quarterfinals, defeating American 13th seed Ben Shelton 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Alcaraz had to save three set points to avoid handing Shelton the early lead, and he then faced six break points in the first game of the second set, only to survive and get a break of his own at 4-3. Although Shelton had a glimmer of hope when he took the third set, the Spaniard hit back in the fourth, once again demonstrating his supremacy on clay to secure his 100th victory on the surface. Coming into the tournament off the back of wins in Monte-Carlo and Rome, Alcaraz is looking to capture his fifth grand slam title and second at the French Open. On Tuesday, he faces American Tommy Paul for a spot in the final four. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Iga Świątek records 25th straight French Open win with hard-fought comeback against Elena Rybakina

Iga Świątek records 25th straight French Open win with hard-fought comeback against Elena Rybakina Iga Świątekcame from a set and a break do...

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In a historic first, the NBA Finals is a battle of non-taxpayers

In a historic first, the NBA Finals is a battle of non-taxpayers

Yahoo Sports AMis our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports.Sign up hereto get it every weekday morning. ⛳️Scottie wins (again):Scottie Scheffler didn't win until his ninth event this year. Afterrunning away with the Memorial, he's now won three of his last four events andpocketed nearly $10 millionin the past month. ⚾️ Down goes No. 1 (again):Two weeks after Texas A&M became the first No. 1 overall seed ever eliminated in softball regionals, Vanderbiltbecame the first No. 1 overall seed ever eliminatedin baseball regionals. ⚽️Celebration turns ugly:The excitement following PSG's Champions League victory was marred ascelebrations across France devolved into chaos, leaving two fans dead, nearly 200 more injured and 300 arrested. 🏀Zion faces lawsuit:Zion Williamsonhas been accused of rape and abusein a civil lawsuit filed by a woman claiming to be his former girlfriend. The Pelicans forward has denied the allegations. 🏁McLaren can't lose:Oscar Piastri and Lando Norriswent 1-2 at the Spanish Grand Prix, giving McLaren seven wins (and 16 podiums) through nine F1 races this season. Oklahoma City and Indianawill meet in the 2025 NBA Finals, which will be thefirst in the luxury tax era(2003-present) to feature two teams that weren't taxpayers. Last two standing:11 teams exceeded the tax threshold of $170.8 million this season, and eight of those taxpayers made the playoffs (Timberwolves, Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, Nuggets, Bucks, Warriors, Heat). But the last two teams standing are the Thunder, who ranked 25th in payroll ($165.6 million), and the Pacers, who ranked 18th ($168.2 million). Contract breakdown:OKC and Indiana share fairly similar balance sheets, with mega deals for their point guards and veteran big men. The rest of their rosters are filled out with reasonably-paid veterans and rookie contracts. The 2024-25 salaries for both starting fives: Thunder:Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($35.9M), Isaiah Hartenstein ($30M), Luguentz Dort ($16.5M), Chet Holmgren ($10.9M), Jalen Williams ($4.8M) Pacers:Tyrese Haliburton ($42.2M), Pascal Siakam ($42.2M), Myles Turner ($19.9M), Aaron Nesmith ($11M), Andrew Nembhard ($2M) Exclusive club:This year's champion will join the 2006 Heat, 2014 Spurs, 2015 Warriors, 2017 Warriors and 2020 Lakers as the only non-taxpayers to win a title while the luxury tax was in effect,per Spotrac's Keith Smith. Notes: TNT signs off:The "NBA on TNT" eracame to a close on Saturdayafter a 36-year run. But don't worry: "Inside the NBA" willcontinue under the ESPN banner, and Kevin Harlan will call games for Amazon. Team Canada:Four Canadianswill compete in the Finals (Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin), tying the national record set last year. Déjà vu for NYC:The Knicks have now lost to a lower seed infive straight playoff trips, with three of those losses coming against the Pacers.What's next for New York? Finals preview:What to know about this unexpected matchup(Ben Rohrbach/Yahoo Sports) 🇺🇸Erin, Wisconsin —Sweden's Maja Stark fended off world No. 1 Nelly Kordato win the U.S. Women's Open by two strokesfor her first major title and arecord-tying $2.4 million prize. Not bad for someone who'd earned less than $131,000 on tour so far this season. 🇫🇷Paris —No. 15 Frances Tiafoe and No. 12 Tommy Paul became the first American men to reach the French Open quarterfinalssince Andre Agassi in 2003. As many as three American women could join them. 🇮🇹Vatican City —Simon Yateswon the Giro d'Italiaafter erasing an 81-second deficit on the final mountain stage. The 2018 Vuelta a España champion joins Chris Froome as the only Brits to win multiple Grand Tours. Are we living through a golden age of baseball?In his latest column, longtime Washington Post scribe Thomas Boswell makes the case that MLB's on-field product is as good as it has ever been. Here's Boz: This year I've watched plenty of MLB games and enjoyed them — a lot. I find baseball just as well-paced, dramatic and aesthetically pleasing as the sport I first fell for long ago. This has surprised, pleased and confused me. I'm one of those who, for years, has complained about two problems. First, games were too slow. Second, I agreed that the analytics era focus on "three true outcomes" — homers, walks and strikeouts, none of which involve defensive plays — subtracted athletic action. So why was I enjoying the game so much? The answer:Thanks to the pitch clock, games aren't too slow anymore. And aside from the steady rise in strikeouts, the "three true outcomes" aren't all bad trends. In fact, statistics suggest today's brand of baseball is remarkably similar to the brand that was played during MLB's boom years from 1975-1994, a 20-year stretch that saw the league's popularity skyrocket and showed "what the sport looks like when it's healthy," writes Boswell. 1975-94:The average team scored 700 runs per 162 games, with 121 steals, 529 walks and an OPS of .713. The average game time was 2:43. 2024-25:The average team scores 709 runs per 162 games, with 122 steals, 506 walks and an OPS of .711. The average game time is 2:39. The last word:"If we could love only perfect things, our days would be bleak. Baseball, as we find it today, is an opportunity to appreciate an imperfect thing and allow it to make us feel happy," writes Boswell. "MLB has warts. But I've never been happier to have an exciting crisp version of the old game for summer company." Full column:Is baseball actually troubled, or is it as good as it has ever been? PSG stormed past Inter Milan,5-0, on Saturday night in Munich towin the club's first Champions League titleafter years of falling disappointingly short. From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: For a little over a decade, PSG was a controversial project and a collection of names. It was Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham, then Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. It was a club transformed by money and defined by unflinching ambition. It was many things, but never the one thing it desperately wanted to be — until Saturday, when PSG, in its very first year without a megastar, became the European champion. Behind the scenes:To be clear, this was not some low-budget rebuild or underdog story. PSG spent $800 million over the last two years, more than any other club. The difference: Instead of splurging on all-world players, they invested in talented but not-yet-heralded youngsters who, sans ego, would heed the demands of manager Luis Enrique. Enrique took charge in the summer of 2023 andset out to build a team-first cultureat a club where stars had been "treated like gods," he explained. He wasn't afraid to lecture Mbappé (as seen here), and ultimately, wasn't afraid to lose him. "I would like him to stay. He's the cornerstone of the team," Enrique said last year around the time Mbappé exited for Real Madrid. "But the moment he leaves, the team becomes the cornerstone. I think we can be even better next season." Completing the treble:PSG are the ninth club to win domestic league, domestic cup and European Cup titles in the same season, joining Celtic (1966-67), Ajax (1971-72), PSV Eindhoven (1987-88), Manchester United (1998-99), Barcelona (2008-09; 2014-15), Inter Milan (2009-10), Bayern Munich (2012-13; 2019-20) and Manchester City (2022-23). No. 6 Texas advances to the Final with a win over No. 7 Tennessee(12pm ET), while a loss would trigger a winner-take-all game at 2:30pm. No. 12 Texas Tech advances with a win over No. 2 Oklahoma(7pm); a winner-take-all game would be at 9:30pm if needed. 10 teams have already advanced to the Super Regionals. The final six spots will be determined intonight's elimination games. If you can only watch one, make it No. 14 Tennessee vs. Wake Forest in Knoxville(6pm, ESPN2), as the defending champion Vols look to keep their hopes of a repeat alive. No. 6 Novak Djokovic(7:55am), No. 7 Madison Keys vs. fellow American Hailey Baptiste(8:30am)and No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 17 Andrey Rublev(2:15pm)headline the action. The Pacers are back in the Finalsfor the first time since 2000, when their lone appearance on the NBA's grandest stage ended in a 4-0 sweep. Question:Who swept them? Hint:Their center won MVP that year. Answer at the bottom. LSU Shreveportbecame the first college baseball team ever tofinish a season undefeated, capping their 59-0 campaign on Friday with the school's first NAIA national championship in any sport. By the numbers:The Pilots played only four one-run games and won eight games by 15+ runs. They led the nation in ERA (2.38) and fielding percentage (.982), ranked second in runs per game (11.3) and third in batting average (.361). Three players hit better than .400 and ace Isaac Rohde finished 16-0. For comparison's sake:The NCAA's best single-season winning percentages are .914 by Arizona State (64-6 in 1972) in D-I, .939 by Savannah State (46-3 in 2000) in D-II and .978 by Trinity College (45-1 in 2008) in D-III. Trivia answer:Lakers We hope you enjoyed this edition ofYahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports.Sign up hereto get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

In a historic first, the NBA Finals is a battle of non-taxpayers

In a historic first, the NBA Finals is a battle of non-taxpayers Yahoo Sports AMis our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all thi...

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Yankees rally after beatdown, top Dodgers 7-3 to avoid sweep in World Series rematch

Yankees rally after beatdown, top Dodgers 7-3 to avoid sweep in World Series rematch

They didn't quite return the favor after Saturday's beatdown at Dodger Stadium, but the New York Yankees are leaving Los Angeles with a win after all. The Yankees, after awild 18-2 blowout loss Saturday, rolled to a solid 7-3 win over the reigning World Series champions on Sunday afternoon. That gave them their first win of the three-game series as they successfully avoided the sweep. The Yankees are one of three teams in the league, along with the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds, who have yet to be swept this season. The Yankees jumped out in front right away on Sunday afternoon after Trent Grisham scored on an error following a Jasson Domínguez single. While Tommy Edman hit a solo home run in the second for the Dodgers to tie it up, the Yankees responded the next inning. Ben Rice hit a deep two-run shot to center, which put the Yankees up 3-1. Anthony Volpe scored on a wild pitch from Yoshinobu Yamamoto that inning, too. Yamamoto lasted just 3 2/3 innings on the mound for the Dodgers in his shortest start of the season. He gave up seven hits and four earned runs. The Yankees added two more runs in the fifth after DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza each hit RBI singles. That gave them a 6-1 lead, which just about put the Dodgers away. Though both Andy Pages and Max Muncy hit solo shots for the Dodgers in the seventh, the comeback attempt started too late. The Yankees made it out of that inning, and then quickly fought through the final two to escape with the four-run win. LeMahieu hit a deep RBI double in the final inning to add one last run for good measure. He went 4-for-5 on the night in what was his first four-hit game since 2021. The Dodgers won the opening game of the series 8-5 on Friday, thanks to a pair of home runs from star Shohei Ohtani. Thencame Saturday's stunner, which was powered by seven RBI from Muncy. Their 18 runs were the most the Dodgers have ever put up against the Yankees. Things got so bad at one point that Ohtani even hilariously lost interest. Shohei Ohtani. Locked in…pic.twitter.com/KhqvyLz69L — OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball)June 1, 2025 The Dodgers, even with Sunday's loss, sit at 36-23 on the season. They lead the NL West, and have won four of their past six games. They'll open a four-game series with the Mets on Monday night. Though the Yankees are still in great position at this point of the season — they hold a 36-22 record and are leading the AL East — it's clear the Dodgers are still one step ahead of them after this past weekend's series in Southern California.

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Yankees rally after beatdown, top Dodgers 7-3 to avoid sweep in World Series rematch

Yankees rally after beatdown, top Dodgers 7-3 to avoid sweep in World Series rematch They didn't quite return the favor after Saturday...

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Scottie Scheffler rolls to victory at Memorial for 3rd win of year

Scottie Scheffler rolls to victory at Memorial for 3rd win of year

Scottie Scheffler showed once again that he's ready to conquer whatever challenge he's faced with on the PGA Tour. The world's No. 1 golfer had another smooth round and won for the third time in his last four tournaments, successfully defending his title at the Memorial Tournament with Sunday's 2-under-par 70 in the final round at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. "This is a golf course that is definitely going to expose your weaknesses," Scheffler said. "Did some really good battling today. ... Put up another really good round on this very difficult golf course." At 10-under 278 for the tournament, Scheffler secured a four-shot victory over Ben Griffin -- the only other golfer to win a PGA Tour event that Scheffler started in the past month. Scheffler hadn't won in 2025 until capturing the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which is considered his hometown event in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and followed that with claiming the PGA Championship. He won seven times in 2024. Scheffler and Tiger Woods are the only back-to-back winners of the Memorial Tournament. It's a tournament hosted by legendary Jack Nicklaus, who greeted the current champion as he walked off the green. "It's pretty cool," Scheffler said. "It's always a hard week. It's so challenging to play this tournament." Much like on Saturday, Scheffler was content with pars as he played the front nine in 1 under with eight pars. Griffin (73 on Sunday) led for large chunks of the first three days, but lost a share of the top spot with a bogey on Saturday's final hole. He began Sunday with another bogey, and he was 2 over for the day through 13 holes. "I'll learn from some of my swings down the stretch," Griffin said. "I'll remember some of the good stuff, and I'll bounce back and get right back to it." An eagle on the par-5 15th with a 12-foot putt followed by a birdie on No. 16 allowed Griffin to extend the suspense. Then the margin went from two strokes to four when Griffin was stuck with a double bogey at No. 17. "We battled really hard on the weekend," Scheffler said. "Ben made things interesting down the stretch. Overall, it was a great week." A week ago, Scheffler tied for fourth place as Griffin won the Charles Schwab Challenge. Scheffler has secured seven consecutive top-10 finishes. "The guy's relentless," said Sepp Straka, the tournament's third-place finisher from Austria. "He loves competition, and he doesn't like giving up shots." Griffin said his putting was costly during the weekend. The runner-up spot didn't seem as rewarding as it would have in previous years. "I'd take this finish, like, a year ago, two years ago, three years ago," he said. "I'm definitely a little disappointed to not have made it a little bit closer or gotten it done." Straka (70) was third at 5 under and second-round co-leader Nick Taylor of Canada (73) finished fourth at 4 under. Russell Henley (71) and Maverick McNealy (70) shared fifth place at 2 under. Brandt Snedeker's 65 was the best score of the final round, moving him to 1 under and into a five-way tie for seventh place. "I think I probably made 200 feet of putts today," Snedeker said. "I had the putter working. When you have days like that, it's just get it on the green, give yourself a chance." Also in that cluster at 7 under was Rickie Fowler (73), who qualified for next month's British Open as a result of his finishing spot. "We're heading the right way," Fowler said. "This week still could have been a lot better, but definitely positive is going over to Portrush. That's one I've wanted on the schedule." --Field Level Media

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Scottie Scheffler rolls to victory at Memorial for 3rd win of year

Scottie Scheffler rolls to victory at Memorial for 3rd win of year Scottie Scheffler showed once again that he's ready to conquer whatev...

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Sweden's Maja Stark wins the U.S. Women's Open for her first major championship

Sweden's Maja Stark wins the U.S. Women's Open for her first major championship

ERIN, Wis. (AP) — Maja Stark has lost her confidence heading into the U.S. Women's Open. Her decision to stop worrying about that sparked her to the biggest title in women's golf. The 25-year-old Swede shot an even-par 72 on Sunday and stayed ahead all day. Her four-day total of 7-under 281 at Erin Hills left her two strokes ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda and Japan's Rio Takeda. "I think that I just stopped trying to control everything, and I just kind of let everything happen the way it happened," Stark said. "During the practice days, I realized that, if I just kind of hovered the club above the ground a little bit before I hit, I released some tension in my body. I think that just doing my processes well and knowing, giving myself little things like that was the key this week because I don't really want to rely on my confidence for stuff." Stark became the sixth Swede to win a women's major, and the first since Anna Nordqvist in the2021 Women's British Open.Stark also won her second career LPGA Tour title. The former Oklahoma State player is the first Swede to win a U.S. Women's Open since Annika Sorenstam earned her third title in 2006. The only other Swede to win this event was Liselotte Neumann in 1988. "They texted me yesterday and just kind of said, 'Bring it home,' " Stark said. Stark's steadiness made the difference as she held off Korda and a host of other challengers. Korda closed with a 71, and Takeda had a 72 to tie for second. Hye-Jin Choi (68), Ruoning Yin (70) and Mao Saigo (73) tied for fourth at 4 under. Hailee Cooper (70) and Hinako Shibuno (74) were 3 under. Stark's playing partner, Julia Lopez Ramirez, fell out of contention early on her way to 79 that left her tied for 19th. Lopez Ramirez, who entered the day just one shot off the lead, had a triple bogey on 18. This was as close as Korda has come to winning a U.S. Women's Open. Korda discussed her "complicated relationship" with theU.S. Women's Openthis week, as her best previous finish was a tie for eighth place in 2022 at Pine Needles. Shemissed the cutat this tournament last year after posting a 80 in the opening round. "I played this event when I was 14 years old, so maybe a little bit more emotional about it," Korda said. "I mean, definitely it's gotten my heart broken a couple times. ... To have that showing last year definitely put a dagger into my heart, but that's just golf. You're going to lose more than you win a majority of the time. "I feel like I actually learn a lot about myself and my game and where I need to improve playing the U.S. Women's Open because it does test every part of your game." Korda birdied Nos. 7 and 8, but missed a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 9 that would have tied her for the lead. Korda's birdie attempt on No. 9 came minutes after Stark's bogey-free streak ended at 21 on No. 7. Stark thenextended her leadto three by making a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 11 immediately after Korda missed a par putt of just under 5 feet at No. 13. Korda, Shibuno and Takeda got within two strokes of Stark with birdies on the par-5 14th, though Korda missed a 14-foot eagle putt and Shibuno missed an eagle attempt from 9 1/2 feet. Stark then made a birdie of her own on No. 14 to regain her three-stroke advantage at 9 under. She maintained that lead despite bogeying the last two holes. "I didn't look at the leaderboards until I was on like 17," Stark said. "I caught a glimpse of it. It was nice. I wasn't as nervous as I thought that I would be because it felt like I have somewhat control of my game and I kind of know what's going on." Stark credited caddie Jeff Brighton, a former standup comedian who helped keep her loose by telling jokes and making sure she didn't dwell on what was at stake. "We just kind of tried to talk about some stuff and not be too into my own putt," she said. Said Brighton: "I would say Maja's quite an intense player. She tries really hard and is really competitive, so when (a player's) intense, you're trying between shots to just get their head away from golf." He spoke wearing a cheesehead similar to the ones seen at Green Bay Packers games. Stark maintained her poise well enough to earn a $2.4 million prize in the most lucrative event of the year. Now she just needs to figure out how to spend her winnings. "Maybe move out of my studio apartment can be one thing," Stark quipped. ___ AP golf:https://apnews.com/hub/golf

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Sweden's Maja Stark wins the U.S. Women's Open for her first major championship

Sweden's Maja Stark wins the U.S. Women's Open for her first major championship ERIN, Wis. (AP) — Maja Stark has lost her confidence...

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NASCAR Nashville winners and losers from Ryan Blaney's Cracker Barrel 400 win

NASCAR Nashville winners and losers from Ryan Blaney's Cracker Barrel 400 win

Ryan Blaneytook control of the race with a pass for the lead on the restart with 116 laps to go, then drove to his first victory of theNASCAR Cup Seriesseason in theCracker Barrel 400on June 1 at Nashville Superspeedway. Blaney won Stage 2 but dropped behind Joey Logano after pit stops at the stage break. Blaney then drove by Logano on a restart on Lap 199 and held the top spot for the majority of the final 100 laps. The final pit cycle completed under green, with Blaney holding a sizeable lead over second-place Carson Hocevar and third-place Denny Hamlin. Hocevar finished in second for the second time this season, tying his career-best finish in the Cup Series. Here are the winners and losers from Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville: NASHVILLE RACE RESULTS:Ryan Blaney is winner, plus full leaderboard for Cracker Barrel 400 Hocevar is a future star in the sport, and always a part of the story. Sunday's race had the best and worst of Hocevar, all in 300 laps. In Stage 2, Hocevar drove hard into turn 3 and bumped Ricky Stenhouse Jr., sending the No. 47 Chevrolet spinning and into the wall. Stenhouse did not finish, credited with 39th, then told Amazon in an interview that retribution could be coming. But Hocevar finished the second stage in the top 10, then worked the strategy late to end up second after the final pit cycle completed with about 30 laps to go. Hocevar couldn't cut into Blaney's lead at the end, but was able to hold off Hamlin to finish second. It ties a runner-up finish at Atlanta earlier this season as his career-best in the Cup Series. Bubba Wallace needed a good finish badly, but probably did not think he would get one early in the race. Wallace was penalized for speeding on the first stop of the race, on Lap 44. He lost a lap, and wasn't able to get it back at the stage end. Wallace did get the free pass on Lap 104 as a group of cautions helped the bottom of the running order, then steadily climbed the leaderboard. The No. 23 Toyota entered the top 10 early in the final stage, and Wallace drove up into sixth on the final run. Wallace entered Nashville with three straight DNFs, dropping out of the top 10 in points. Sunday's result should help Wallace and his 23XI Racing team reset positively as the second half of the regular season begins this month. Alex Bowman's stretch of poor finishes continued on Sunday in Nashville after wrecking alongside Noah Gragson early in Stage 2. Bowman's 36th-place finish is his fifth finish of 29th or worse in the last seven races, and it puts into question his playoff status with 12 regular-season races left. To give context on Bowman's struggles: He finished second at Homestead and was third in points through six races. After Nashville, Bowman is in 12th in points. Stenhouse was on the receiving end of Hocevar's too-aggressive bumping on Lap 106. (That incident comes up a couple times, doesn't it?) The No. 47 Chevrolet was a model of consistency throughout the first 13 races, coming into Nashville at 13th in points despite just two top-10 finishes but no finishes outside the top 25. But Hocevar's contact sent Stenhouse into the wall, out of the race and down the standings and the playoff picture. The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments bysubscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean:NASCAR Nashville winners and losers: Ryan Blaney gets first win of 2025

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

NASCAR Nashville winners and losers from Ryan Blaney's Cracker Barrel 400 win

NASCAR Nashville winners and losers from Ryan Blaney's Cracker Barrel 400 win Ryan Blaneytook control of the race with a pass for the le...

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