Before the start of the Cup Race at the Pocono Raceway in the hilly mountains of Long Pond, Pennsylvania, all the hype was about Toyota’s streak of dominant runs. Denny Hamlin, in particular, was slated as the favorite to win the Great American Getaway 400. Although seeing stage 1 and stage 2, it felt like that could be true, Ryan Blaney had other ideas.

It all came down to executing the race well while at the same time maintaining the track position. Deciding to pit ahead of everyone in Stage 2 certainly paid off for Blaney and his team in the late race run, which was mired by multiple cautions and restarts. Finding himself leading the charge of the field, he kept himself away from trouble and raced his way to the second win of this season.

However, there seems to be a correlation between his win at Iowa and today at the Tricky Triangle, which guided Blaney to the victory lane. It was the support he received from his family members. A group of about 80 people or so cheered the Penske driver for his first win at his mom’s hometown, and this time around his fiancee Gianna Tulio and his family came out his support. The defending Cup Series champion was eager to celebrate this special win with them.

Ryan Blaney’s family turning up at the racetrack equals a winning outcome

The win wasn’t a cakewalk by any means, as Blaney had to fend off a late charge by Alex Bowman and Hamlin. The seven-time Pocono winner tried to pull off one final trick from his sleeves in the final few laps of the race. But the Penske driver just wasn’t going to concede his advantage and kept the charging run by the JGR star at bay.

He certainly didn’t hope to spoil the occasion and miss a chance to enjoy yet another victory with his family. So he kept at it and brought the #12 Ford Mustang to the victory lane. “You love tracks that have special meaning to you, places where you get your first win and things like that. This place means so much to me. My fiancee, like a ton of her friends and family, are here. So I can’t wait to see them; I can’t wait to see Gina’s family.” The race winner said this in the interview after the race.

With the second win of the season, the No. 12 team is primed and ready to go all guns blazing in the playoffs. But before that, Blaney has set his eyes on another objective that holds special significance to his team owner, Roger Penske. That is a win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Expect more victory lane celebrations from the Penske camp at Indy

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All three Penske drivers, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney, have secured their spots in the playoffs. Therefore, with five races left in the regular season, they have an opportunity to build momentum for the knockout stages. And what better way to do it than by winning at Indy? The NTT Indy Car Series is owned by his team boss, Roger Penske. A win by his drivers at his home racetrack would be even more special for the racing organization.

“Yeah, so proud of the effort. Looking forward to hopefully continuing the momentum the next race at the boss’s track over there in Indy,” Blaney added. Furthermore, he even acknowledged that he’s in a better place in terms of speed and preparations going into the playoffs compared to his last season’s championship-winning run.

“I definitely think that we are in a better spot at this time, this year when we were last year. I feel like our speed’s better. I guess our execution’s great. We are doing everything as a 12 group the best that we can.” The driver concluded. Ford certainly has found new gear after initial struggles, and if this continues forward, the fans will be treated to a good battle in the knockout stages.