It’s safe to say that Ryan Blaney shocked many on Sunday by winning his first Cup Series title. The Team Penske man overcame stiff challenges from William Byron and Kyle Larson, both of whom were considered to be the favorites. Given the season that they’ve had, it is incredible how Blaney pulled this one out of the hat. The driver of the #12 car proved many people wrong, including fans and some eminent insiders.

Before the playoffs began, Ryan Blaney had only won one race in the Cup Series. His form was in no way suggestive of a championship win. The #12 car came into its own during the playoffs. Talladega and Martinsville were the two races that shot Blaney into contention and the 29-year-old never looked back. Blaney hit a purple patch of form at just the right time and his momentum was too great for anyone to stop.

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Despite being the championship-winning team last season, Roger Penske’s organization had fallen on hard times earlier in 2023. Their defending champion Joey Logano was eliminated early on and it was difficult to see them progressing much into the playoffs. One person who did not believe in Ryan Blaney was Kenny Wallace. 

The former Cup Series champion said that although he believed Ryan Blaney had the speed and the race craft to win, Larson and Byron were just too strong. As it turned out, the Team Penske driver withstood challenges from both the Hendrick Motorsports title challengers and came out on top. However, Wallace admitted to seeing something different about the Penske car in Martinsville.

“I did not see Ryan Blaney making this type of a comeback and I got to tell you, the racer in me, the race car driver and the chassis man and the mechanic in me, when they showed up at Martinsville, what I noticed in Ryan Blaney’s car was forward grip. Man they had some camera angles, Ryan Blaney’s car going to 1 at Martinsville and also just squared up off turn 2. Good forward drive. And I went, I think they found something,” he said on a recent episode of the Kenny Wallace Show.

The 60-year-old former Cup Series driver was met with a pleasant surprise thanks to Ryan Blaney on Sunday. According to Wallace, a lot of factors apart from forward drive, like balance and corner speed played a big role in Team Penske’s success. They had just not figured it out earlier on in the season.

“In my opinion, I believe, besides great balance getting in, not loose getting in, good corner speed, obviously not as good as Ross Chastain…Ryan Blaney and Penske, they found some really good forward drive, so, congratulations to Ryan Blaney, on the championship, I did not see him coming,” Wallace added.

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The road to glory has been filled with hurdles for Ryan Blaney, but his biggest support system has always stood unwavering behind him. That support system is his family. Ryan comes from a family of racers and after making history in Phoenix, he expressed his gratitude to his loved ones.

Ryan Blaney expresses gratitude for his biggest support system

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Ryan’s father, Dave Blaney used to be a full-time racer in the NASCAR Cup Series. Dave was there by his son throughout his journey to the top. He never doubted his son’s skill and talent despite him not being a serial winner and his faith finally paid off in the biggest way possible.

“It’s meant everything. Obviously, I come from a family of racers—my grandfather, dad, and uncle. Dad is obviously who I grew up watching and admiring, wanted to be like,” Ryan said. “To be able to do what he did, because as a kid I just wanted to do what dad did, so to be able to race and, let alone, compete for wins and championships, still have my parents around, people that you look up to that are still around, it makes it even more special.”

The time for celebration has finally come to the Blaney family and there is no doubt that there will be a massive celebration. It won’t be long before the focus shifts to 2024 but for now, Ryan Blaney has earned a well-deserved break from the hard work.

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