Ryan Blaney’s mercurial rise from a promising NASCAR talent to a champion has been nothing short of sensational. His recent win at Pocono Raceway marked the first time he has had consecutive multiple-win seasons in his career. Since his Cup Series debut in 2016, the reigning NASCAR champion has evolved into a regular contender, having won 5 of his 12 career victories in the last 44 races.

As Ford’s top performer in the Cup Series, Ryan Blaney has shown great maturity, calmness, and composure, as was visible in Pocono. He played the ‘long game’ to secure victory on a track that has been traditionally dominated by runner-up Denny Hamlin and his Toyota.

Blaney’s evolution has made him a force to be reckoned with

Driving for Team Penske, Ryan Blaney is currently ranked 7th in the driver standings, with six top-5 results and ten top-10 finishes this season. He has not just been Team Penske’s best driver, but the best performer across all six Ford teams this season. While a lot of credit has to be given to Blaney for his performances, his crew chief Jonathan Hassler, as well as his No. 12 Ford Mustang team, have been equally responsible for results.

Speaking about Ryan Blaney’s evolution as a driver, NASCAR journalist Jordan Bianchi said on GoPRNLive, “The march to the championship, the composure, the maturity he showed in utilizing everything. The skills that we’ve kind of thought he had but he really had to put it together. This year as well, when things go wrong, he’s just such a different driver. There isn’t the anger, the frustration, that comes over the radio and maybe it impacts the decision-making.

You can almost say that Ryan Blaney was meant to succeed in NASCAR. After all, his father Dave Blaney is a veteran in the sport, having competed in the Cup and Xfinity Series. Before winning the championship in 2023, Ryan Blaney was considered a talented driver with the potential to become a champion. Now that he has, the 30-year-old also has an invaluable experience that could potentially help him defend his crown.

Speaking along similar lines, Bianchi said, “There isn’t the mistakes on the racetrack where sometimes in key moments Blaney would make a mistake. He’s just a really different driver now. He’s very self-assured, very confident, and I can’t speak to his mindset, but having that championship and saying ‘I know I can do this now, I have the proof’ I think has to be something for him.”

With just five races to go before playoffs begin, Team Penske and Ryan Blaney are hitting the ground running with the right speed at just the right time. With two wins in the last five races and three top-six results, Blaney will hope to maintain his form as NASCAR heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to race at the Oval after a three-year hiatus.

Blaney, who finished 7th at the track in 2019, will hope to do even better this time around, aiming to get his third win of the season and tie with Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. With the way Ryan Blaney and his team have been approaching races, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that he could secure a consecutive victory.

How Ryan Blaney secured Pocono victory

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At Pocono Raceway, Ryan Blaney and his team devised an ingenious strategy to pit before the end of Stage 2. While they sacrificed Stage points, their long-term outlook meant that the team had a better chance of gaining track position at the start of Stage 3. Blaney went into the pit in Lap 115 of 160, knowing fully well that the No. 12 Ford Mustang could run out of fuel if the race stayed green.

As luck would have it, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Elliott were penalized for speeding in section 7 of the pit road, which meant Blaney inherited the lead. Preserving fuel during the three cautions in the final 38 laps of the race, Blaney comfortably cruised to victory. Denny Hamlin, who had won 7 races on Pocono Raceway, made a late dash to challenge Blaney, but ran out of laps, finishing second.

Speaking about his strategy after the race, Ryan Blaney said, “We kind of found out early that our car was good enough to win the race, it was a matter of getting there and getting to be able to restart on the front two rows. So, we threw away stage points all day just to kind of set us up for the end of the race. You hate giving away stage points, but when it all works out for you, that’s fantastic. Ninety percent of the plans you make go to hell. It’s nice that 10 percent of the time it goes to your plan. This worked out perfectly for us.”

With everything in place, Ryan Blaney looks to be in a position to mount a serious title defense. His next objective will be to finish the regular season strongly, with the hope of finishing on top of the standings before playoffs begin in Atlanta. By doing so, he will gain 15 valuable playoff points, which will go a long way in retaining his championship. With just 76 points separating him and leader Chase Elliott, consistent results with a sprinkle of luck will be needed to get him to the top.

Do you think Ryan Blaney will retain his championship? Let us know in the comments!