“Couldn’t Ask for More” – Emotional Ryan Blaney Re-Lives Cherished Memory of Sharing First-Ever Championship Win With Father

NASCAR’s 2023 iteration of the Cup Series had the perfect ending to it. Ryan Blaney became the newly crowned champion after taking things to the next level, trouncing the HMS duo to claim his first-ever Cup Series title. While the #12 driver’s win was seen as a redemption of the Fords, Blaney’s day got even merrier when he won the championship with his inspiration by his side, joining him in the victory lane.

Coming from a racing family, the Team Penske driver certainly didn’t aim to settle for anything less than a title win after making it into the Top 4 for the very first time in his career. Despite the weight of expectations bearing down on him, Blaney crossed the checkered flag with flying colors, making his clan proud. He etched their names into the history books and gifted another title to the Penske team.

While all of that has ought to make Blaney feel special, the presence of his father on the stage is what made his victory even more worth it.

Ryan Blaney gets candid about his inspirational father

With his Cup Series win, Ryan Blaney became his family’s first-ever cup champion – an achievement that even his father, Dave Blaney, fell short of, in his 473 starts in 17 years in the organization’s elite division. Reflecting on this monumental triumph and having his old man by his side, Blaney opened up to Mike Bagley on NASCAR Live.

When asked about the moment the driver shared with his father following his triumph, Blaney said, “Obviously that was incredibly special to me and my whole family. And to have all of them there, you know, my mom and sisters and everyone.” The driver then shared how his father stood by him, grooming him to become who he is today. 

“I mean, I say it all the time, he’s the reason I’m where I’m today for multiple reasons. And to have him there through the playoffs, he was really great, kind of, motivational guy for me, you know, kind of get my head space right and just be supportive and looking at in a neat way. You know, being confident, believe in yourself and your groove ,” he said. 

“It was awesome and then to see him on the stage was even better, you know. I think as a kid like, the child of, you know, parents, you just wanna do things to make them proud. You know, you want to give back for what they’ve worked for to put you in these situations. It was cool to have him there, kind of close circle so I….couldn’t ask for more,” added the driver before concluding his thoughts.

The man of the hour also recently talked about how he dealt with the pressure of racing with the elites. 

WATCH THIS STORY: NASCAR legend’s surprising take on Ryan Blaney’s victory celebration 

Blaney details the struggles and the plight of winning the title in the Next-Gen platform

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The #12 driver’s journey through this year’s playoffs came with its own set of struggles. While NASCAR’s new Next-Gen race car setup promises to double the safety of its drivers with more rigid chassis and state-of-the-art electronic devices, drivers are still having a tough time.

As cars have now become almost similar and passing an opponent has become a cumbersome task – especially on short tracks, Ryan Blaney weighed in with the repercussions of such an alteration.

Speaking on the podcast, Blaney revealed the plight of racing the elite on such a platform. He said, “ I feel like if you’re off by a little bit nowadays, you’re way off, you know, because everything is so similar and it’s so close. I mean, you know the top 20 could be separated by three-tenths.” 

“If you’re on the wrong side of that you know, two-three tenths it’s just so hard to get back to where, you know, the front end and you’re not finding big chunks of speed anymore,” added the driver before he concluded his words. “It’s the tiny things that add up and so super hard to kind of find stuff and that’s why it’s so impressive to me that we were able to do what we did and find the two-tenths that we needed,” said the driver as he credited his team for setting up the car in order for him to clinch the title.

Time has become of the essence as drivers look to gain even the closest margin in the competition. Though the change in format has turned the sport more competitive, it is also a game of milliseconds and inches now. And Ryan Blaney seems to have dominated his “two-three tenths”, giving himself and team Penske a spectacular win!

READ MORE: Richard Petty Fires Shots at Ryan Blaney as He Shuts Down His Frustration: “You Gotta Be Careful”