When the 2023 season started, perhaps no one expected it would end the way it did, especially for Ryan Blaney. The start of the year for the Team Penske driver was anything but competitive. Still, momentum picked up after a crucial victory at Martinsville during the fall playoff race saw Blaney qualify for the Championship 4. Before you knew it, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion was Ryan Blaney.

While the world now knows him as NASCAR’s reigning champion, there is a lot more to Ryan Blaney’s career than meets the eye. As the Team Penske driver celebrates his 30th birthday, what better way to congratulate him than to pay tribute to some of his biggest achievements across his NASCAR career?

Ryan Blaney kicked things off with a bang

It was in 2012 when Ryan Blaney made his debut in the NASCAR National Series during the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Raceway. Blaney would wield the #36 Chevrolet for a team struggling to stay afloat, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Despite the community not expecting him to deliver, the 18-year-old would silence all doubters after carrying the underfunded team to a seventh-place finish!

Ryan Blaney would go on to race for five more events under the Tommy Baldwin Racing banner and continued his seventh-place form in the Bristol fall race. Advance Auto Parts, a current sponsor of Blaney, would join his side after his heroics with TBR.

2013 Kentucky 200 win over Austin Dillon

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Ryan Blaney would take on established NASCAR legends only a year after his debut. Now driving for Team Penske and the #22 team, he would dominate proceedings at the Kentucky Speedway in 2013.

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Adding to his ever-increasing popularity, Blaney delivered a tantalizing performance by fending off two-time Kentucky winner Austin Dillon to achieve glory. This marked a major point in Blaney’s NASCAR career, as he quickly became a formidable force on track shortly after.

Beating Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick for his first victory in the Cup Series

Ryan Blaney was quickly challenged as the rookie of the year. This would be further cemented when he beat Chase Elliott to victory lane in his second season. Ryan Blaney was already an established Cup Series driver fighting the top dogs. This would gain further credibility after Ryan Blaney brought glory to Wood Brothers Racing after fending off Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch for his first Cup Series victory.

2022 All-Star Race

While 2022 was touted as the season Ryan Blaney got closest to the championship before 2023, he would still walk away with a $1 million check after a dominant performance at the 2022 All-Star Race. Heading into the second half, Blaney was the one to keep an eye on as he headed the field. But an unfortunate coincidence could have derailed his efforts.

As the checkered flag fell, a caution was called, which meant the race would have an overtime restart. Blaney figured he had won the race already and almost lowered his window net. Somehow Blaney managed to get the net back in place for the remaining two laps and sealed his victory, albeit non-points-paying.

Ryan Blaney’s Championship Win in 2023

After coming so close to glory in 2022, Ryan Blaney would have his crowning moment at Phoenix Raceway. Blaney lifted the Bill France trophy after a season filled with three wins and six consecutive top-ten finishes to close the year. While many believed his second-place finish to win the championship fell short of the excitement fans wanted, it was nothing but a dream come true for Blaney.

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Reflecting on his championship win, Blaney was quoted by SpeedSport: “I mean, this tops everything, right? This is what you dream of as a kid. This is what you strive for; this is what you run 35 races a year for. To get to this moment, have a championship, you have to run a perfect race to get it.”

It’s safe to say Ryan Blaney has had a handful of exhilarating moments so far in his career. Heading into 2024, the reigning champion is primed to deliver Team Penske fans yet another tantalizing season. What has your favorite moment been so far this season?