While there are always things that could be improved, the end of the NASCAR Cup Series season couldn’t have treated Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney any better.
The 29-year-old earned his first Cup Series championship with a second-place finish at the Nov. 5 season finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, stamping his name in the history books.
The driver of the No. 12 Ford quietly earned three wins — one at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, another at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and a final victory at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway — en route to the title.
He also claimed eight top fives, 18 top 10s and led 562 laps over the 36-race season.
Prior to 2023, Blaney’s best finish in the Cup Series standings was seventh (2019, 2021). This year was the first time he advanced to the Championship 4.
“It was somewhat of an up and down year, but you’re gonna have those moments and through the summer we just worked really hard to get back to where we needed to be and set a deadline for the playoffs and we met that deadline,” Blaney said after winning the championship at Phoenix.
“I was telling everybody all week that having the opportunity to go back-to-back Cup champions for Mr. Penske hasn’t been done. He hasn’t done that and it’s not very often you get to do something in motorsports that RP hasn’t done because he’s done everything and accomplished everything, so to be able to be a part of this and bring him another championship and be a driver that’s brought him a championship is very special.
“It’s been a fun decade and hopefully another fun decade ahead.”
Blaney will enter his 11th year of Cup Series competition in 2024 as the reigning champion.