After crossing the checkered flag at the Iowa Corn 350, Ryan Blaney has officially secured his spot in the 2024 playoffs. In a weekend filled with uncertainty surrounding the recent repave, the #12 Penske driver managed to finally bring home his first win of the 2024 season. But that’s not all. The reigning champion’s return to the top step couldn’t have been more poetic.

Surrounded by 80 friends and family members who had flown down to Iowa for the big Cup Series debut, Ryan Blaney led a sensational career-best 201 laps, fending off Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and William Byron to secure his spot in the playoffs. However, at the end of it all, there was one major role model whom Blaney felt would be disappointed with the method of celebration.

Ryan Blaney breaks tradition after a stellar inaugural win in Iowa

Ever since Ryan Blaney stepped foot into NASCAR’s premier categories, there’s been one tradition of the sport that just doesn’t seem to gel well with the reigning champion. Compared to other drivers who usually celebrate a win by burning off the rest of their tires with burnout, Blaney has always resorted to calmer and ‘classier’ ways of celebrating victory.

The inspiration for the same comes from veteran crew chief Dale Inman, who opened Blaney’s eyes to a startling reality. Last year, Blaney shared that it was a conversation with the veteran that made him realize that burnouts weren’t his thing. He said, “Dale Inman pulled me aside one day, and he said, ‘Hey, you don’t see the winner of the Kentucky Derby get off his horse and start beating the s**t out of it.'”

But on the night of his first win at Iowa Speedway, the #12 driver had a slight change of heart. Instead of celebrating victory by calmly driving around the circuit and waving the flag at the adoring crowd, Blaney turned up the heat by burning rubber. At the end of a dominant night, which came as a big relief for the #12 crew, Blaney caved in and delivered a stunning burnout in front of the eighty family members and friends who had shown up for support.

Going over all the support he received, Blaney shared, “What a cool way to win here, this place means a lot to me, and means a lot to my mom. We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on so they willed us to that won. Overall I really appreciate the #12 boys, our car was really fast all night and we got a little bit better through the night, and two tires was a good call there.”

At this point, Ryan Blaney turned to the eighty friends and family that had shown up to state, “Home track, I got you,” said an emotional Blaney with wet eyes. After previously winning at Iowa in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series cars, Ryan Blaney was delighted to be able to take the Next-Gen Mustang to victory lane.

At the end of the day, Blaney wanted nothing more than to celebrate, setting aside Dale Inman’s advice. He concluded, “Gosh, I’m worn out, it was a long race, driving hard, and figured I deserved a burnout. So hopefully Dale Inman isn’t too mad at me.”

For Ryan Blaney, the win at Iowa Speedway not only marked his return to victory lane but also ended the uncertainty of the #12 being eligible for the playoffs. That being said, a lot of tonight’s dominance was down to the support brought by his friends and family.

The reigning champion has nothing but gratitude for the NASCAR community

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To anyone who watched the Iowa Corn 350, it was fairly evident just how enthusiastic the crowd was tonight. From constant cheers during the race to a standing ovation for Ryan Blaney, the #12 driver’s friends and family certainly left no stone unturned in highlighting their support. Although the reigning champion wasn’t sure if the 80 would be allowed onto victory lane, he was eager to catch up with them once the post-race celebrations were over.

Going over the support he received at his home track, the Iowa County native shared, “We’ll see, but I’m looking forward to seeing them. It’s always nice to have family who support me through my career, and it’s great that they’re still supporting me just as much as they did on day one.” Apart from his words of gratitude for his loyal supporters, Ryan Blaney also pointed out the stellar job NASCAR had done with bringing eyes to the event.

Taking in the sight of a sold-out Oval from Victory Lane, Ryan Blaney couldn’t help but share his wishful thinking for the future. Blaney concluded, “Also, I want to appreciate the sold-out crowd, it’s a cool weekend man! Really cool to win the first Cup race here, I can’t wait to come back for many more years.”

After looking at the #12 Penske driver’s fairytale of a weekend, do you think that the support from friends and family ultimately led to Blaney breaking his 2024 winless streak?