Ryan Blaney defied the odds in Phoenix on Sunday to win his maiden Cup Series championship. The Team Penske star fought off stiff challenges from the likes of Kyle Larson and William Byron to take the crown. His performance made everyone in Team Penske proud. However, it is the 29-year-old’s first-ever mentor who would be the proudest. That person is none other than former Cup Series driver and Ryan’s father, Dave Blaney.

Despite not being crowned a Cup Series champion like his son, Dave Blaney had a long stint in the NASCAR Cup Series. He started 473 races in 17 years and amassed 28 top-10 finishes in that time. Dave was a race winner in the Xfinity Series where he started 121 times in his career. He might not have achieved the level of success his son has,  but he was one happy and proud man in Phoenix.

Dave Blaney believed in his son’s talents from day one

Dave Blaney has always been confident of his son’s talents. In an interview after the championship race, the 61-year-old revealed that Ryan had always shown that champion’s talent. It did not come as a surprise to him that his son had reached such heights. However, he iterated that talent alone was not enough and that his son had put in the work to be a deserving champion.

Ryan Blaney’s perseverance this year was one to admire. He was never considered a strong contender, even after he took an epic victory at the iconic Talladega Superspeedway in the round of 12. It was when he won in Martinsville that people started believing in the Team Penske star.

Even then, one of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers was pegged to emerge as the champion. Even though Ryan Blaney did have to contend with a strong challenge from Kyle Larson, his defense remained strong and he held on to his position. From not even being considered to be a title contender to holding off one of the strongest drivers of the season for the title: Dave Blaney was right, Ryan has put in the work deserving of a championship.

“He was super talented, really young. But lots of guys are! You still got to make all this stuff happen and progress through and he’s done it all. He has made it happen,” the 61-year-old said.

Ryan Blaney has made a lot of people happy, from fans to team members. One of the happiest of them is his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano. The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion suffered a cruel exit in the earlier rounds of the playoffs, but there was nothing but pride in him for his teammate.

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Joey Logano reveals the skill that helped Ryan Blaney win

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After the race, Logano was asked by Frontstretch about what he felt when his teammate lifted the cup. The former Cup Series champion expressed his pride and explained how Ryan Blaney picked up an important skill this season which helped him take the ultimate prize.

“Ryan deserves it, man. He’s done a tremendous job this year battling through the early part of the season and even the early part of the playoffs, and keeping himself alive to where he had a ton of speed here at the end of the year,” Logano said.

“He’s a tremendous driver. I mean, he’s so freaking fast and he’s figured out how to finish races and that’s why he won. We all knew he had the speed to do it. He just had to learn how to finish races and I believe he figured it out,” the 2022 champion added.

Ryan Blaney’s success story will go down in history books as one of the unlikeliest, yet most inspirational. Going forward, people will think twice before writing off the 29-year-old regardless of the situation he finds himself in.

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