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

When Team Penske icon Joey Logano got ousted from the playoff rumble at Bristol, the NASCAR pundits turned a blind eye to Ryan Blaney’s shot at the championship title this year. Not anymore. Since Ryan Blaney‘s photogenic finish at Talladega Superspeedway, Team Penske has risen to such heights that he poses a major threat to everyone on the grid.

In his very first Championship 4 appearance, Blaney could seal the deal at Phoenix Raceway. After all, he now has a victory at NASCAR’s longest track, i.e., Talladega, as well as its shortest track, which is Martinsville. Moreover, he has the talent, the car, and the team to achieve that. And if he does that, team owner Roger Penske would be proud of his 29-year-old prodigy. And for more than one reason.

2023 could be the chance for Penske to bag his cherished two-fold achievement after 5 years

5 years ago, Will Power bagged his first-ever Indianapolis 500 win in May in a Team Penske entry and Team Penske’s 17th win in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. Just two weeks prior to that, the two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion emerged victorious at the INDYCAR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. And in the same year, Team Penske hit the jackpot in the Cup Series as well.

Joey Logano won the 2018 Cup Series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Miami, extending Team Penske’s titular record to two, the first coming through the able hands of Brad Keselowski back in 2012. The only major award Team Penske missed out on was the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. But this year, this remarkable feat could happen again.

Josef Newgarden, driving the #17 Chevrolet for Team Penske, won the 2023 Indianapolis 500 after he held off the reigning champion Marcus Ericsson in a dramatic conclusion. On the Cup Series side of things, Ryan Blaney could win the championship this year and bring an end to his 5-year-long Cup Championship-IndyCar 500 drought.

In a recent interview with Auto Racing Daily, Vice Chairman of Team Penske, Walt Czarnecki, said, “It really would be another hallmark in the tradition of the company. Of course, last year Joey won the championship and Will Power won the Indy Car Championship so that was quite an achievement. So to do this would be a big deal for sure.”

Looking at how excited Ryan Blaney is to unlock his fullest potential at Phoenix Raceway next weekend, one could expect that there are good chances for Team Penske to do that.

Watch this story: NASCAR’s Future: A Power Struggle Brewing?

Let’s take a deeper look at what Blaney himself had to say about the Grand Finale of the 2023 Cup Series season.

Ryan Blaney declares he can’t wait to start his machine at Phoenix

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In the spring of 2022, the #12 Ford icon came in fourth in the inaugural run of the gen-7 stock cars on the 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix, when his current Championship 4 opponents, viz. Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and William Byron had mediocre performances of P34, P26, and P18 finishes, respectively.

Although this is the first Championship 4 appearance for Ryan Blaney and his crew chief Jonathan Hassler, Blaney is the hottest pick when it comes to determining winning chances at Phoenix with two straight runner-up positions and in the overall playoff picture with a P2 finisher and a win in the last two races.

Moments after the 500-lap-long Xfinity 500 was over, Blaney climbed to the top of his car and roared in glory. He then jumped down and, while sipping on some ice-cold water, exclaimed, “It’s really cool. We’ve wanted to win here for a long time just been super close for many years and awesome to close one out.”

Read more: Team Penske VC Shoots 4-Word Warning to NASCAR Rivals Against Underestimating Matured Ryan Blaney

“RP (Roger Penske) couldn’t be here unfortunately but I know he’s watching. This is awesome so, can’t wait to get to Phoenix next week,” he added confidently before walking away. Do you think Ryan Blaney can seal the deal at Phoenix? Do let us know what you think!