When the 2023 Cup Series season began, Ryan Blaney was not the top name on most people’s lists to win the competition. His unexpected form towards the end of the year was what propelled him to glory. One of the people who believed in him from the beginning was Dale Earnhardt Jr. However, Kenny Wallace believes that he was the first person who recognized the talent the reigning Cup Series champion had back in the days of the Nationwide Series.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series has seen a lot of name changes throughout its history. It used to be called the Busch Series, then the Nationwide Series, and now the Xfinity Series. When Ryan Blaney used to race full-time in the second division of NASCAR, his skills caught the eye of Wallace at a track that he considered to be his own.

Ryan Blaney’s first ever Nationwide race was a show stealer

In a recent episode of Kenny Conversation, the former Cup Series revealed the first time he set eyes on Ryan Blaney. It was the 2023 Cup Series champion’s first race in the Nationwide Series and he ended up running P3. Wallace recalled how he was shocked at just how good the current Team Penske man was, so much so that he went up and congratulated him for his performance.

“We went from the Busch Series to Nationwide, then Xfinity. Maybe you would have been in the Nationwide. But your very first Nationwide race at Richmond. Man, I was amazed with your ability. It was the first time I watched you race. Richmond’s my track and you ran third, and it shocked the h*** out of me. So when the race was over, I came to your car,” the 60-year-old said.

Wallace then iterated that he was the one who saw talent in Ryan Blaney before anyone else. He also brought up talking with Dale Jr about the Team Penske star and congratulated Blaney for doing it right.

“Yeah and you know so I saw talent before anybody else did and of course, we’ve had Dale Jr on here just a little bit ago and we had fun with him. Dale Jr choosing you to win the championship and we went back and forth on it so you did it right my friend,” he added.

Team Penske’s resurgence mid-way through the playoffs shocked a lot of people last year. Blaney and his team ran well at the beginning of the year but went through a long slump in the middle. However, the team rebounded when it mattered the most and reaped the ultimate reward. And according to Blaney, that is what mattered the most as he cleared the air about critics who said he had a bad run last year barring the final race at Phoenix.

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Cup Series champion reminds fans of team’s early season achievements in 2023

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Ryan Blaney is not a fan of how many say that Team Penske only did well towards the end of the year to win the 2023 Cup Series. Later in the episode of Kenny Conversation, the driver of the #12 car reminded fans that they won the Coca-Cola 600 earlier that year, after which he was the points leader.

“People thought that, ‘Oh they ran bad all year’. Well, not really like I mean we won the 600 in May. I was the points leader after the 600. And then we just went through a slump in the summer. […] You’re going to, you’re going to go to the bottom at some point, you’re going to struggle for speed and then you find it and it’s all about finding it at the right time,” the 30-year-old said.

The #12 team will need to perform consistently throughout 2024 to retain their championship. Winning the title is one thing, keeping it is a whole different ball game. Will Ryan Blaney be able to win back-to-back titles? What are your predictions for the reigning champion?

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