Dale Earnhardt Jr Gloats as “Blaney Train” Continues His Ride Till the Final Four

The stage is set for the Cup Series finale at the Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. With a lot of unpredictability surrounding the outcome, there are plenty of ongoing debates. While experience matters in such an intense race, momentum and fortune also play a key role. However, there’s no stopping Dale Earhardt Jr as he continues to root for Ryan Blaney to go all the way.

It is no secret that Blaney has been an underdog given the competition he has around him. Having said that, the Team Penske driver counted on consistency and persistence and has finally made it through the playoffs to the final. If he manages to win on Sunday, surely it would be a well-deserved championship.

Dale Earnhardt Jr rallies his support to Ryan Blaney as Phoenix Raceway awaits the Cup Series final

It hasn’t been all easy for Ryan Blaney in the NASCAR Cup Series. Despite making it into the playoffs earlier in his career, he struggled to make it into the Championship 4 six times. However, all of that changed when he registered a stunning victory at the Martinsville Speedway last weekend.

What made his qualification for the final sweeter was beating the likes of veteran drivers Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. To be fair, not many believed Blaney would make it to the final four. Having said that, it was Dale Earhardt Jr who kept believing in his talents and championed him this season, much before the playoffs.

Earlier in the 2023 campaign, when Junior was asked about his probable final four candidates, he was quick to include Ryan Blaney. Even when the competition got intense in the playoffs, Dale Jr showed immense faith in the #12 driver. It is important to remember that the former Hendrick Motorsports driver faced much criticism for this stance of his, yet he stood strong.

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Eventually, his faith paid off and here we are with Blaney in the final. Most importantly, the race at the Phoenix Raceway could turn in the Team Penske driver’s favor. Among the four finalists, Blaney has the second-best average finish, tied with William Byron. While the HMS driver has participated in four fewer races than his girlfriend Erin Blaney’s brother, the Ohio-born has been quite impressive, to say the least.

Blaney has six top-five and ten top-ten finishes in Phoenix. With such an amazing record, Dale Jr definitely has reasons to have more faith in his backing. In fact, in the recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download podcast, he couldn’t help but gloat about it. When discussing how right he has been recently, he said, “Gonna be right again in a few more days.”

While Junior has already jumped on the “Blaney Train,” there’s another reason why he could be successful on Sunday.

Blaney could win the championship at Phoenix Raceway, considering his path to the title race

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It has been an amazing season for Ryan Blaney with three wins, seven top-5s, and 17 top-10s in the Cup Series. After winning early in the campaign in Charlotte, he had a struggling time during the summer. Not many took him seriously even when he qualified for the playoffs. However, things changed with his win in Talladega and last Sunday in Martinsville.

The momentum is completely on his side. Even more importantly, this type of run has turned out to be fruitful for none other than Joey Logano. It was only last year that Blaney’s teammate won the championship. Like the #24 driver, Logano got an early win in the 2022 season. He then had a dry spell but turned it around in the playoffs and then in the final race.

Speaking to motorsport.com, Blaney agreed to have a similar path as Logano. He said, “I think there are some similarities. The playoffs for us, for Joey last year and me this year, have been fairly similar. Peaking at a really good time. That’s kind of what that group did last year. We’re definitely doing that this year…Hopefully, it’s identical next week to what Joey’s end of the season was last year.”

Well, it is surely possible that Blaney could do a Logano on Sunday. If that is to happen, Team Penske would certainly become the king of the Next Gen cars, something Ford could be immensely proud of. However, will that really happen? Only time can tell.

READ MORE – Roger Penske’s Insider Believes Ryan Blaney Could End the Cup Championship-Indy 500 Drought After 5 Years