Ryan Blaney lived up to the expectations at Phoenix when the Team Penske driver claimed a victory at the recently concluded Straight Talk Wireless 500. Thanks to a superior car, Blaney overpowered his rivals, especially 23XI Racing, and did not forget to acknowledge the efforts of his team and crew.

Ryan Blaney’s word of appreciation for Team Penske

In a recent appearance on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, the #12 driver opened up about being lucky to have been involved with Team Penske. This was his first victory of the season and his 17th win with Team Penske.

“Yeah, I’m very lucky to be with such a great group of people, and that’s what this whole sport is—the people,” Blaney said. “I’ve been really fortunate to have been surrounded by really hard workers, people who share the same mindsets across the board. And we’ve built that community up with everybody.”

Following this, Blaney shed light on Jonathan Hassler, his crew chief from Team Penske, and how the entire team stood by him at the time of need. This was Blaney’s second win in four races and his consecutive win at the same track, having won the Championship race in 2025.

“Jonathan’s done an amazing job of putting this amazing group of folks together that want to work hard and get through the hard times together and enjoy the good times as well. So, it’s a fun community that we’ve built over here, not only at, you know, our 12 group, but all of Team Penske. And it’s fun to go to battle with those guys every week,” the #12 driver further added.

Notably, Tyler Reddick seemed unstoppable in the NASCAR Cup Series this season as the 23XI Racing star won three consecutive races at Daytona, Atlanta, and COTA. With this, Reddick created a NASCAR record and pulled himself far from his rivals in the standings.

However, Blaney had other ideas about coming to Phoenix, as the Team Penske star arrived at the Phoenix Raceway as a favorite. The #12 driver won the last race in 2025 and came to this track with six team wins in recent years.

Interestingly, Blaney’s win meant a perfect overall outing for Team Penske, as they won in the IndyCar Series during the doubleheader. And this victory was what pushed the NASCAR team to aim for the victory.

Team Penske insider revealed how an IndyCar win put pressure on NASCAR’s team

Ahead of the Cup Series race, Team Penske’s IndyCar section won the race as Josef Newgarden took the checkered flag. It was the season’s first doubleheader, where NASCAR and IndyCar hosted races at the same place on the same weekend.

Speaking about the pressure, Michael Nelson, Team Penske Racing South’s president, said in the post-race interview:

“Yeah, no, he put the pressure on us. We had an event last night with our sponsors and all of our drivers. He definitely pushed hard on us to keep our end of the bargain. We would have done the same. We’re just glad we were able to get it done and bring it home today. He had a great race yesterday—really great for Team Penske.”

Ryan Blaney started his race from fifth place and moved to first position by the end of stage 1. In Stage 2, Blaney dropped back to 12th place but recovered brilliantly in the final stage to take home the victory.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson finished the race in second and third positions, respectively. Tyler Reddick came home in eighth place.