Dale Earnhardt Jr Claims Ryan Blaney’s Championship Win Was in NASCAR’s Best Interest

Rarely do NASCAR drivers get the privilege to have the backing of some of the sport’s most iconic sensations. But for the 2023 Cup Series winner, that story isn’t far from the truth. Throughout his career, Ryan Blaney has been backed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Even when this season’s campaign fell apart for the reigning champion at the start, the pressure and comfort of Junior’s support behind his back helped him conquer the title.

However, it isn’t just Blaney’s talent on the track that’s impressed the icon. After the annual banquet ceremony was over and the attendees headed back home, Dale Earnhardt Jr reflected on the one feature about Blaney’s off-track shenanigans that made him the ultimate winner NASCAR could have ever dreamed of.

Junior believes Blaney is the ideal poster child for NASCAR

As NASCAR heads into a minefield of doubts and questions regarding their bid to make the sport great again, a tremendous responsibility falls on Blaney’s shoulders. While the bumper-to-bumper action is over for the season, the reigning champion must put on his prettiest smile in front of media houses eager to get a glimpse of the man of the hour. And that’s exactly the task Earnhardt Jr thinks a driver like Blaney is perfect for. The reason?

“Well, man he is a hard worker, one of the things I saw Blaney do that was really nice to see early in his career was when NASCAR and the sport would come to him or any driver, and say, ‘Hey we need you to do this, could you do this for us?’ Earnhardt Jr alluded to Blaney sacrificing the minimal free time drivers get in the off-season to help NASCAR promote the brand.

In circumstances where Junior would find it difficult to say yes, Blaney would never shy away from helping out! Earnhardt Jr added, “He always said yes, that’s unique and I think I can appreciate that. I think what had me the most excited about him winning the championship was how well he would promote the sport doing it, as he is taken around New York and all these other places and tonight and all the media he’s done this week.”

Earlier this week, NASCAR stakeholders breathed a sigh of relief after the announcement of their partnership with Amazon, Disney, and Discovery over media rights. With the sport expecting a complete revamp over the coming years, the stars are lining up once again. In such a situation, it’s only natural that Junior believes Blaney is the right man for the job. “He would be a very good champion for us, so I feel like that’s good for NASCAR that he did win this year.”

READ MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr Doesn’t Shy Away From Revealing His Skepticism Over Ryan Blaney

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s unwavering faith in the Team Penske driver relies heavily on Blaney’s ability to love all aspects of being a racing driver. But what does the man whom Blaney beat to score his maiden Cup Series win think?

Kevin Harvick hails Ryan Blaney as a ‘seasoned veteran’

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After the banquet, Kevin Harvick was asked by Peter Stratta in an NBC report about what he thought about Blaney’s title win. Considering it was Harvick who lost out to Blaney, allowing him to get his big break, the KHI owner held Blaney as a brilliant example of the current generation of drivers. Alluding to his character traits, Harvick believes what makes Blaney so great is that drivers like him are brilliant men first, racing car drivers second.

Witnessing the young talent coming up, he attributed Blaney’s success to his adaptability. Kevin Harvick shared, “The people who evolve and continue to evolve are the ones that wind up being the champs and here he sits, so I think when you look at their season and the evolution of everything that happened throughout the season.”

Kevin Harvick concluded, “The first half of the year, you’d probably not bet that he was going to be the champ and I think that’s really when you see the experience level of guys that can come through the season and start off mediocre and by the end become the champion. That’s when you know you’ve got a seasoned veteran sitting behind the wheel. But you constantly learn and it constantly changes, but they did a great job of keeping themselves in the game and here they sit.”

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It’s safe to say that there’s not one trick that sets Ryan Blaney apart from the other drivers. It’s the combination of his drive for victory and the ability to do what the sport requires that has created the perfect recipe for success.