“I was tired, man,” Ryan Blaney said after 0.330 seconds separated him from clinching the 2024 Cup Series championship. The No. 12 Ford driver put up a dazzling run throughout the season. Starting in 2024, being the only Ford driver making a mark, to defending his Martinsville victory, Blaney made a strong case for a consecutive championship. And although his bid was unsuccessful, the solid fight he gave may be enough to upturn the widespread backlash against Phoenix.

His teammate was the focal point of that backlash. Joey Logano cracked NASCAR’s records in becoming a champ with the fewest top-five and top-ten finishes. Phoenix Raceway itself has been the subject of huge criticism ever since it became the title venue in 2020. However, NASCAR experts firmly believe Ryan Blaney’s run may have uplifted both circumstances.

Hope for Phoenix lies with Ryan Blaney

Well, Homestead-Miami is hallowed ground for diehard NASCAR fans. We all know how people loved Tyler Reddick’s superb last-lap pass in this year’s Round of 8 race. So after NASCAR replaced the Florida track with Phoenix Raceway for hosting the championship race, people were disappointed. The 1-mile Avondale racetrack is a short track that reacts badly to the Next Gen car. Lack of competitiveness made Phoenix drab – but Ryan Blaney may have reversed that narrative. The 2023 Cup Series champion looked poised to defend his title after winning in Martinsville after snatching the lead from Chase Elliott with 20 laps left.

Then Ryan Blaney excelled in Phoenix practice, posting the fastest speed of 132.480 mph. At the championship race, he did a phenomenal job after the event’s final restart with 54 laps to go. Despite starting 6th, he toppled several drivers and ran Joey Logano down. This fiery performance at a usually drab track prompted appreciation from ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ host Freddie Kraft. “Blaney’s…able to pass and he’s charging through the field there in that last run.” Guest and spotter Joel Edmonds also harped on the thrill that Blaney created: “With 20 to go, you’re thinking, he’s gonna catch him. Then he catches him – he gets within a couple of 10ths and then he drops back to a half second..It was a great race, but I didn’t like how that ended.”

Ryan Blaney eventually replicated his 2023 fate – he washed up in second place. And this time, a championship contender was ahead of him. Despite that heartbreaking margin of 0.33 seconds, Blaney’s passionate charge in the final laps was exhilarating. He turned Phoenix Raceway from a boring to an exciting one, as Kraft continued: “To be honest, it wasn’t that great of a race. It was a great race for Phoenix…You have low hope, low expectations…we got to the middle of the second stage and we’re talking about the football game that’s on the TV or taking questions out of the chat…But there’s still action going on. I feel like Blaney was the only one that was really able to race. He charged from 17th.”

The Team Penske star himself fancies the track, which probably proves his passion for it.

Blaney hailed Phoenix as worthy

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Ever since the Next-Gen car debuted in 2022, complaints about the 1-mile short track were on the rise. However, NASCAR worked diligently to turn around that narrative. Added to the sanctioning body’s efforts is the difficulty of mastering Phoenix Raceway– which makes it worthy of the finale. While technically a short track, it exhibits some intermediate qualities, given the higher speeds compared to traditional short tracks. Turns 1 and 2 are flat, while 3 and 4 have steeper banking, which makes it tough for teams to accurately dial in their driver’s cars. This makes it more exciting for drivers, and Ryan Blaney is all for that action.

Shortly before the Cup Series championship race commenced, Blaney candidly put forward his opinion. “I know sometimes this place can get a bad rap from the social media people, but honestly, it puts on good racing. It’s gotten kind of wide like it needs to be – it has been for the last handful of years. So, there’s lanes and options. The area is fantastic. I think that’s also a big thing, like, how nice the area is and how people respond to having this big race in their area. People come from all over the place out here to do it.” He added, “I’m not opposed to having it move to a handful of different places every couple of years. But Phoenix Raceway has proven that they are very worthy of having championship races.” 

And Ryan Blaney’s soaring passion for the track was visible during the race. Although he could not pass his teammate on lap 312, Blaney marked a memorable event for a usually criticized racetrack.