Will Ryan Blaney Lead the Pack or NASCAR’s “Oldest Young Gun” Take the Mantle From Kevin Harvick?

It’s not every day that a driver gets to live the ultimate dream—that of winning a championship. Many spend decades honing their craft but fail to reach the pinnacle. Ryan Blaney too had to wait, but only eight years. At 29, he has already carved a place for himself amongst the elite, after being declared as the 2023 Cup Series champion.

However, the championship crown is heavy, and there is a thin line between wearing or bearing it. As the newly crowned champion, the NASCAR community and fellow drivers would want Blaney to be the ambassador of the sport. The question that arises is whether he will be able to follow his Ford precursors and be vocal.  Looks like the hosts of PRN Live have an answer.

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Being among the younger generation of the Cup Series champions, Ryan Blaney has been able to come out of the shadows of the veterans. Owing to this, the Team Penske driver seems to have ignited a sense of purpose in himself and his peers to propel the sport to wider horizons.

Nonetheless, the thing that remains unanswered is whether he will able to stand on par with his teammate Joey Logano and the recently retired SHR veteran, Kevin Harvick, and be able to have impactful discussions. Owing to this, NASCAR Insider Jim Utter stated, “One guy I think who would be also very good is Joey Logano. And he has […] sort of taken that role, speaking on issues that he feels are important when he thinks it’s necessary.

“He certainly has. I always call him the oldest Young Gun in the garage. He’s been around forever, but he’s really not that old. But he has a lot of experience, and he has a family now. He’s come from all different kinds of directions in the sport. He has got a little boy who is starting to do some racing.

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“And I really think that he’s a person that could do that. But I think the other big question is what role Ryan Blaney will want to take. Usually, when we have a new champion, they often get asked the next season, what kind of champion do you want to be or what do you see your role as. And I think that Ryan could be someone—if he chose—to be that person people would listen to and who could speak and use his new Championship as a platform in that way.”

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Both Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick have played an important role in raising figures to the authorities and have questioned the validity of the norms that are issued within the sport. However, will Logano’s teammate Ryan Blaney be able to do the same? To this, the PRN host added, “Well I believe, it’s totally up to him. You have to remember he’s kind of coming into this having been one of the younger guys into the sport and there was always that Kevin Harvick or Kyle Busch or Denny Hamlin. But now that he has won the championship and he has the platform to be able to say something.

“Maybe we do see him do that and he’s really fantastic. He is also somebody that has thought out what he is going to say and he considers multiple sides of things. He doesn’t say something for saying’s sake.”

When the next season takes off next year with the Daytona 500, it will be interesting to see whether Ryan Blaney grows from being an individual competitor to the voice of the grid. 

Read More: Watch: 9 Years Ago Kevin Harvick Left Wife Delana in Tears With First and Only Cup Series Championship Win