Roger Penske Reveals His Inferiority to Rick Hendrick as He Claims Team Penske Has a “Long Way to Go”

Roger Penske achieved a historic milestone by winning back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series championships for the first time in Team Penske‘s history. Penske’s #12 driver Ryan Blaney finished second to race winner Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway last Sunday.

Roger Penske’s victory marks the fourth Cup Championship for Penske Racing. However, even with this remarkable achievement, Roger Penske humbly acknowledges that he still has a long way to go before he can catch up with his friend Rick Hendrick.

Roger Penske admits his team has miles to go to catch up with Rick Hendrick

Roger Penske is one of the biggest names in the world of motorsports and has been for half a century. However, when it comes to NASCAR, Penske’s team couldn’t secure its first Cup Series championship until 2012, when Brad Keselowski finally got one home. Hence, despite his back-to-back championships, Mr Penske remains humble and grounded, recognizing that there’s still a considerable gap between his four championships and Rick Hendrick’s 14 Cup Championships.

When asked about the significance of winning back-to-back championships in the post-race conference, Mr Penske said, “Well, we’ve had a lot of championships, but the level that we’re racing in NASCAR today, I’ve never seen it before. My great friend Rick Hendrick, I think he has 15 to 16. We’re excited to have four. Long way to go.”

Winning back-to-back championships in the Next Gen era is a significant achievement, demonstrating the strength and resilience of the Penske Racing organization. Despite facing challenges and a relatively weaker performance in the middle of the season, they managed to improve steadily, thanks to the efforts of the engineering team and their partnership with Ford.

For Mr Penske, the journey in NASCAR is about competition, stress, and, most importantly, the joy of celebrating championship victories. He expressed his satisfaction, saying, “For me, personally, that is what we’re here for. We love the competition, we love the stress, but also we like a day to sit down here like this and say we’re champions.”

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The man of the hour for Mr Penske, Ryan Blaney, has been getting appreciation and praise from everybody in the NASCAR world, including Mr Penske. But none meant as much to him as the one coming from his father, Dave.

Dave Blaney always believed his son could win championships

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The story of Ryan Blaney’s first Cup Series title wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the heartfelt pride of Dave Blaney, Ryan’s father. Blaney clinched his maiden Cup Series Championship in Phoenix. And his father, who never won a NASCAR championship himself, always believed in his son’s potential.

In an interview with Fox’s Bob Pockrass after the season finale, Dave Blaney expressed his unwavering faith in his son’s abilities, saying, “He was super talented, really young. But lots of guys are! You still got to make all this stuff happen and progress through, and he’s done it all. He has made it happen.”

Dave Blaney’s pride in his son’s accomplishments reflects not just the triumph of an individual driver. But it also shows the fulfillment of a shared dream of a father and a son. Ryan Blaney’s journey to the Cup Series Championship epitomizes the dedication and hard work required to scale the heights of NASCAR.

READ MORE: “I’m Ashamed”: Ryan Blaney Regrets Not Giving Long Overdue Credit to Brad Keselowski for Making His Championship Dream Come True

As Roger Penske celebrates his team’s back-to-back victories and charts the path forward, Dave Blaney’s steadfast faith in his son’s abilities underscores the deeper narrative of family, dreams, and triumph in the world of NASCAR.