Can Ryan Blaney Become the First Driver to Successfully Defend His Championship Since Jimmie Johnson?

NASCAR has just concluded its 75th season and crowned Ryan Blaney as the newest champion. This makes him the 36th driver to receive the NASCAR Cup. However, his title triumph also means that yet another driver has been unable to defend their crown. There has not been a champion with consecutive titles since Jimmie Johnson’s golden run between 2006 and 2010.

This comes at a time when in Formula One, Max Verstappen has just wrapped up his third straight title. Before him, it was Lewis Hamilton from 2017 until 2020, and even before him, it was Sebastian Vettel from 2010 until 2013. The point is that it is easier for a driver or a team to have dominant periods in F1, but NASCAR is a different beast.

Back-to-back title wins: Teams vs drivers

With stock cars, the race to championship glory is not predominantly a race between technological superiority, as compared to F1. As a result, Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford deliver cars similar in terms of pace. This blows open the door for a lot of competition among the NASCAR Cup Series drivers for the elusive title.

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Although there have not been consecutive champions on the drivers’ side, the same cannot be said for the teams. Ryan Blaney’s triumph follows that of his teammate Joey Logano, making it two on the trot for Team Penske. Before them, it was the Chase Elliott–Kyle Larson duo who gave Hendrick Motorsports back-to-back title wins in 2020 and 2021. HMS also did it with Jimmie Johnson during his golden period. Before that, it was Roush Racing with Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Though Roger Penske won back-to-back titles, Blaney did not have an easy path to his title. For Logano, it was even worse. The #22 Mustang driver was eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Blaney won at the Talladega Superspeedway to secure his Round of 8 berth. He then followed it up with a win at Martinsville to steal a ticket to Championship 4. And the rest is now etched permanently in NASCAR’s history.

Ryan Blaney has a lot to look forward to in 2024

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Very recently, Ford launched the newest edition of its Mustang, dubbed the “Dark Horse.” This is undoubtedly an exciting time for Ford, and the Team Penske championship win is a massive confidence boost. Especially considering that when the Next Gen car was introduced, many Ford-run teams struggled to get to grips with the car. It got so bad that the RFK Racing team copped hefty penalties for technical infringements. Despite all of this, Joey Logano still managed to seize his second Cup Series title.

2023 was a lot kinder to the manufacturer because the teams have managed to be on top of their gremlins. Now, it has paid off with Ryan Blaney’s championship triumph. Of course, the #12 driver also drew inspiration from his own father, Dave Blaney, who is a former NASCAR driver. Post his title win, he told ESPN, “Everyone knows how reserved my dad is, but my whole life he has known exactly what to say at just the right time. But I don’t know if he was ever as perfectly helpful as he has been this fall. He believed in our chances to win a championship all along, even when those of us on the team probably had our doubts.”

With a new car expected, the newly crowned champion cannot wait to go racing once again. The same sentiment can be shared among all of his teammates and the other Ford-run teams. However, the onus is on Blaney to try and defend his Cup Series crown. He is a talented driver, and this championship victory is more than enough proof of it. However, with no driver winning consecutive championships since 2010, many will be doubting Blaney’s chances of achieving that. Furthermore, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse’s speed and handling compared to Chevrolet and Toyota remains a mystery.

Why is it hard to win consecutive titles in NASCAR?

NASCAR is perhaps the most unpredictable among all elite motorsports competitions in the world. Out of all the 36 champions, only nine drivers have managed to win back-to-back Cup Series titles. A few of them even managed consecutive titles on more than one occasion. However, as far as teams are concerned, the playing field is more level now. And the competition is fierce not just among half-a-dozen drivers, but across the grid. Unlike F1, where one team is dominant, NASCAR has multiple teams that are capable of winning.

Additionally, the implementation of the playoff system has added to the unpredictability. This is because the system enforces that drivers don’t have to win every race. All that they need to do is strategically win some races in order for them to advance. Finally, when the season finale race comes, it is a winner-takes-all scenario. If the championship contenders can keep it clean in the final race, it is all the better for the fans.

However, the drawback is that one slip-up can really be costly. Logano found this out the hard way, even though he was the defending champion. Sure, he made it into the Playoffs, but things only went downhill from that point onwards. Logano failed to progress beyond the opening round of the Playoffs, and it was game over for him. During Logano’s championship-winning year, Kyle Larson was the defending champion, but could only reach the Round of 12. At least in 2021, Chase Elliott put up a respectable performance to reach the Championship 4 and try to defend his crown.

READ MORE: Will the 2024 Ford Mustang Live Up to its “Dark Horse” Name Against Chevy and Toyota in NASCAR?