Would you believe it? Ryan Blaney, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, will have a shot to retain his title next week at Phoenix Raceway. From the disappointments of last weekend at Homestead to letting slip away a win, to retain himself at Martinsville, Blaney has once again delivered a clutch performance.

It wasn’t an easy drive by any means; Blaney had to give it his all. Even had to ruffle a few feathers. But at this stage of the season, he didn’t shy away from spreading his elbows out and getting himself a shot to claim back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series championships.

Ryan Blaney looking to script history at Phoenix

The No. 12 Ford Mustang was probably one of the fastest cars on the track today, and that was visible when Blaney made the passes on his rival. Perhaps the vital moment came around with 25 to go when he was involved in a three-way battle. Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Blaney all wanted to go for the win.

It was Elliott who made the first move as he cleared the No. 5 Chevy. But when Blaney tried to follow suit, Larson threw in aggressive blocks. That wasn’t enough to keep the Penske star at bay as he bumped and banged his way through to the second spot. And now he had a clear sight on Elliott; one more pass would seal the win for him. This is exactly what he did, and unlike Larson, Elliott wasn’t able to put up any fight.

On the final few laps, Blaney pretty much cruised his way into the championship 4. When asked about his winning strategy that worked for him in the post-race interview, the Penske star said, “I don’t know, man, just tried to save my rear tires early; I was struggling with my rears. We got traffic and I think it kind of paid for us. So super proud of the effort by the 12 group for never giving up and to have another shot at championship is really special. Try to go for back to back next week.”

He even highlighted the efforts of the entire race team for getting him a race car worthy to contest for a victory. “Good battle, and yeah, just the car hung over the most and I could really make some grounds so. Yeah, they worked on the car all night, so I really appreciate them. Everybody who makes the same contribution at Roush engines and 12 boys are awesome.” Since 2009-10, when Jimmie Johnson won back-to-back championships, no one has been able to repeat the feat. However, with a win at Martinsville, Blaney is on the cusp of creating history next week at Phoenix.

Although Blaney’s win was clear and clean, the same cannot be said for the race finish. It all came down to race officials to decide whether Christopher Bell or William Byron made the cut for the final 4th spot.

NASCAR denies Bell a spot in the final 4

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Back in 2022, Ross Chastain pulled off the insane hail melon move to race his way inside the championship at Martinsville. He hugged the outside wall and made his way to the finish line ahead of Denny Hamlin. However, that was the last of it, as NASCAR banned the drivers from pulling off a similar view and deemed it a safety violation.

In Bell’s case, he got pretty loose after passing the #23 of Bubba Wallace and got shipped into the wall. It wasn’t exactly a carbon copy of Chastain’s move, but it did warrant a closer inspection by the race officials. Only one point was separating both Bell and Byron, but unfortunately, the verdict went against the JGR star. Call it coincidence or curse, a JGR driver has found himself on the receiving end of a hail melon-type move at Martinsville.

“I don’t know what to say. I mean, I understand that the rule is made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different than what Ross’ was. I got loose getting into the corner and slid right into the fence.” The JGR driver said to NBC Sports after the ruling. Meanwhile, team owner Joe Gibbs was dejected after knowing that they couldn’t appeal the decision made by NASCAR.

What are your thoughts on the controversial ruling? Do let us know in the comments.