Achieving repeated glory is a remarkable feat and Ryan Blaney was on that mission right from the beginning of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. Being the only Ford driver who fetched good finishes, he looked like Penske’s favorite to win it all again. The No. 12 driver then capped off expectations when he defended his 2023 Martinsville victory in style. He made use of the race’s final 87-lap green flag run, passing Chase Elliott with 20 laps remaining to clinch the win.

However, the championship finale saw Blaney bowing to his teammate’s efforts. Having three weeks to prepare thanks to his win at Las Vegas, Joey Logano put up a flawless run that handed him the victory by a 0.330-second margin over Blaney. Despite his own hopes being snuffed out, Blaney candidly confessed his team pride.

Ryan Blaney puts team morale over self

The No. 12 Team Penske fold has been on a rollercoaster ride during the last few years. It went from failing to make the playoffs to being strong enough for a back-to-back championship contender. In 2022, Ryan Blaney was not among the 16 playoff drivers who won a race – but he got in just because Kurt Busch had to retire due to a concussion.

In 2023, he turned around that fluky narrative as he finished the season higher than Kyle Larson, William Byron, or Christopher Bell – basically his top rivals – on the way to a championship. With history on his side, Ryan Blaney was on the cards for another thumping victory in Phoenix. Little did he realize it’s an even-numbered year, and we all know what that means!

The Penske playoff master,  Joey Logano swept up in his rearview mirror and very soon crossed his windshield. The No. 22 team ended up handing Roger Penske their third consecutive championship title. Despite narrowly missing out on a repeat, Ryan Blaney was not too disappointed about this result, in a Frontstretch interview he said, “At the end of the day I was still happy for the 22 group and for Roger [Penske] and Joey and all those guys that work on that thing, and to bring Team Penske a championship.”

The driver credited more value to the journey rather than the destination: “I wasn’t like incredibly bummed that we didn’t win it. I mean, obviously, I wish we would have won it – but I was just proud of our effort all year of getting there and having a shot at defending it. Just coming up short but having a great car that had a chance to win the race. That’s all really you can ask for.” 

Ryan Blaney certainly gave it his all and had a very realistic chance at defending his title. The #12 was hot on Logano’s heels, with just a few laps to go but not enough laps for him to pull off the heist. In the long run, it was almost certain Blaney would have caught up to Logano, but being held up by Kyle Larson earlier in the race certainly didn’t help his chances.

Many drivers have clinched back-to-back titles in the past. Count Jimmie Johnson (2006-2010) and Dale Earnhardt Sr. (1986-1987, 1990-1991) in that group. But achieving it in an unpredictable short track like Phoenix can be challenging, as Blaney confessed. “It’s hard to go back-to-back in anything, any sport or whatever…It is super difficult to get back to Phoenix two years in a row. You’ve seen guys do it, but it is hard to do it…I mean, then trying to do back-to-back when the championship is incredibly tough. But we made a good run at it, just a little short.”

Despite Blaney’s laid-back approach at the moment, the Penske driver ‘lost sleep’ a few weeks ago.

One playoff race Ryan Blaney couldn’t forget

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Ryan Blaney made a good case for his pacific mood about missing the championship. However, this was not the case when a thunderous Tyler Reddick smashed his hopes at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The No. 12 Ford has the checkered flag in sight during the final lap. But then the No. 45 Toyota slipped into view from nowhere and swiftly overtook Ryan Blaney’s car. Reddick snatched away the victory and also momentarily, Blaney’s chances for a second title. With a must-win situation for Martinsville, Blaney went into battle mode and did not give himself any rest until victory was in sight.

Rewatching the race, Reddick’s last-lap pass kept swirling in Ryan Blaney’s head. “I rewatched the whole race and rewatched the end of it and lost some sleep over the end of that race,” he said.

Contrary to his currently relaxed demeanor, Blaney battered himself for losing what seemed like a certain Homestead victory. He compared it to watching a different sport and critiquing players’ mistakes. “When I watch a football game, I’m like, ‘Why didn’t he just do that?'” Blaney said.

Hindsight is always 20-20 and Blaney reflected on this when rewatching his race. Looking back, he understands what he should have done differently, but also accepts how difficult it is to get everything right when pressure is at its peak. “In the moment, when you’re that person and you’re that athlete, or living in that time, it’s so much harder than being on the outside and watching on TV with all different angles and things like that. You’re making real-time decisions in the moment. You don’t have any time to process, think about it, go through all the options. It’s boom, boom, boom. It’s all happening super fast.”

Evidently, the Team Penske driver has made peace with his drooping emotions by now. As we prepare for the 2025 season, who knows what sparkle Ryan Blaney will bring next?