Ryan Blaney Holds Off Rival Ross Chastain in Trademark Way to Keep Team Penske’s Hot Streak Running

In NASCAR, every driver has a preferred track where they perform best. For Ryan Blaney, that track is arguably the one situated in the heart of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. Counting the last Sunday’s run, his outstanding performance at the Phoenix Raceway has now given him six consecutive top-five finishes at the track. However, this stat means much more to Team Penske. 

Ryan Blaney Manages to Keep His Team’s Phoenix Streak by Mere 0.051 Seconds

Teams still have eight months to prepare for the championship 4 race, but last Sunday was an additional opportunity to get a feel for the year’s first flat track. Entering the weekend, Ryan Blaney presented himself with an excellent record at Phoenix. To give you an idea, in the last 5 cup races here, he finished 4th, 4th, 2nd, 2nd, & 2nd, and led 285 laps altogether. But more importantly, he managed to keep this consistency despite having the Watermelon Man, Ross Chastain, right on his heels. 

During the latest dream desert race, the intense battle between the two stole the spotlight. Eventually, the #12 driver managed to edge the Trackhouse Racing driver with the new package, securing his top-5 finish by a mere 0.051 seconds. 

Now here is what is interesting about it. Although two of Penske’s other cars had a disappointing day, the champion’s performance kept their streak record intact. If you were unaware, the Phoenix short track is where they have been qute successful since 2018. Following Blaney’s fifth-place showing at Shriners Children’s 500, Penske has made a record of finishing top-5 for twelve times in a row.

Just like what happened on Sunday, fans have seen exciting clashes between Ross and Ryan on several occasions. But last November’s encounter was the most memorable of the lot when Ross won the race but didn’t manage to win the championship. Meanwhile, the driver for Team Penske (#12) made history by becoming the first champion, since the introduction of the current playoff system, to not win the season finale.

Ryan Blaney made history in Phoenix despite not winning season finale

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Last year, Ryan Blaney won the championship at the Phoenix Raceway, while Ross Chastain was the race victor. This marked the first time a non-title contender won the season finale since NASCAR’s playoff format changed in 2014. Even though Chastain’s team was eliminated early in the playoffs, his performance proved challenging for the championship hopefuls.

Before a yellow light for Kyle Busch‘s spin changed the game, Blaney was leading among the Championship 4 drivers. As Chastain took over, Blaney and Larson engaged in a fierce struggle for second place, a position that would have a bearing on the championship standings. Blaney ultimately secured the position with 19 laps to go.

After the race, the Ford driver said, “Just so proud of this team. Unbelievable year, unbelievable playoffs for us. To win back-to-back Cup titles for Mr. Penske, that’s so special. Having my family here, winning my first Cup title, I got emotional in the car. I’m not a very emotional guy.”

Read More: “Sad Man” Christopher Bell Confesses Failing to Swallow Bitter Championship Loss After Phoenix Redemption

After Joey Logano’s 2022 headline, this was Team Penske’s second straight championship. Can they make it a hat trick this year? Considering how the #12 and #22 teams managed to surprise the whole community these last couple of years, it is hard to say for sure.