“Don’t Know if It’s Sunk in Yet”- Ryan Blaney Lets Slip Disbelief on First-Ever NASCAR Cup Championship Realization

Ryan Blaney is still finding it hard to believe what he just pulled off! Etching his name into history books with his first-ever Cup title over seasoned racers like Kyle Larson and William Byron has still got the #12 driver reeling his head in disbelief. For Blaney, the realization that his name is among the greats is yet to sink in.

The Team Penske man was never viewed as a serious contender for the title until he picked up a stunning victory in Martinsville in the round of 8. Blaney found his purple patch at just the right time in the playoffs and the rest is history. Talking about history, he also handed Roger Penske his first-ever back-to-back Cup Series championship wins. With such a huge achievement in his pocket, Blaney recently opened up about what made it possible for him. 

Ryan Blaney credits his go-getter attitude for the Cup Series triumph

On a recent episode of the NASCAR LIVE podcast, the 29-year-old revealed his mindset before he won the Cup Series. Winning the ultimate title was certainly on his bucket list. However, even though the #12 driver may have dreamt of it, he never dwelled on it. All he wanted to do was to go out and get the job done, and that is exactly what he did in 2023. 

“I think everyone kinda thinks about it and dreams about it, wants to be that, but you never really know what it’s like till it happens. I didn’t sit around thinking about being a champion one day…I just tried to get there, to try to do well in races and put yourself in a spot, but I don’t know if it’s really sunk in yet. I think this weekend it might when I kinda get some downtime,” the Team Penske star said.

The reigning Cup Series champion also revealed that he was set for a massive celebration with his team at the shop. The 29-year-old decided to visit the Team Penske shop to express his gratitude to his crew in person, as not every single member working on the team can be present on the track on race day. 

“I am on my way to the Penske shop now for the first time to see everybody. We have our…here in about an hour so I am psyched to see everybody at the race shop for the first time. It’s going to be special seeing everybody who didn’t travel this past weekend but still just as much a part of it,” he added. And why should be not! It was this very team that continued to back him with their best efforts, as the #12 driver started off the playoffs on a not-so-satisfactory note!

There was a time during the regular season and the first few rounds of the playoffs when nobody considered Ryan Blaney to be a part of the title picture. The 29-year-old himself admitted that it was a frustrating time, but he was equally grateful that his team worked hard and got out of that slump at the right time.

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Reigning champ hails team for epic comeback post concerning slump

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In a recent interview with FOX, Blaney revealed that the time after he had won the regular season race in Charlotte was difficult. The #12 car struggled for pace and even finishing in the top 10 was proving to be quite challenging.

However, he expressed pride in his team’s efforts to come out of that situation stronger than ever. Blaney revealed that the team was running on a deadline to find something that would make the car better if they were to have any shot at the championship. Thankfully, they met the deadline.

“Everyone just did a lot of hard work. They should be proud of the work they put in through the end of the summer to get to the playoffs. They had a deadline, we were like, we need to find something to be competitive in the playoffs because how we’re running right now is not going to get the job done. They did the job. They met that deadline. And once the playoffs rolled around, we found the speed we needed to — especially in the last half of the playoffs,” the Cup Series champion said.

Ryan Blaney’s rise to the top was sudden and unexpected. It will be interesting to see if he can keep this level of performance up in 2024.

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