Roger Penske was more than proud of his driver, as Ryan Blaney took home the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title on Sunday.
It marked back-to-back titles for Team Penske, after Joey Logano won last season. Afterwards, Penske was feeling sentimental, and elaborated on how Blaney elevated his game to secure the championship.
First, he told the story about how he knew Blaney would be able to put it all together at Phoenix, as long as he was able to keep his composure on the track.
“I just a couple times told him to stay cool. He had the best car. He had the best combination. He had a hell of a team behind him,” Penske said, via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “But it’s a credit to — my name might be on the door, but it’s not me. It’s all these people. They do so much for our sport. People like yourself, they’re just dynamite. So thank you.”
Moreover, the car owner recognized that Blaney has grown into one of NASCAR’s best over his playoff run, and a title is the cherry on top.
“He really matured over the last say, two months. He learned how to win. Win fairly and squarely. That racing today was outstanding,” Penske added. “To think about, Kyle Larson came up here, gave him a big thanks. His great buddy [Chase] Elliott did too. But I think being a champion like he is, when he walks in somewhere, he’s going to get the accolades.
“And again, I think in the garage area, his stock is at the highest among these drivers. That’s more important than anything.”
Roger Penske is proud of Ryan Blaney, and rightfully so. This could be the prime of a long, fruitful career for the Team Penske star wheelman.
More on Ryan Blaney, 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title
For years, people have thought of Ryan Blaney as a potential champion. He’s won some races here and there. However, it felt like he had underperformed at times.
This season, with three wins, a dominant playoff run, and a great championship race, he proved his supporters right.
Team Penske now has back-to-back championships in the Cup Series for the first time. You look at Blaney’s performance in the six races of the season, he was fantastic. Two wins, a top-10, and two runner-up finishes. He didn’t win this race, but he won the championship.
In the youngest Championship 4 ever, Ryan Blaney wins the battle of this generation of racers. Larson is a champion and finished second in this playoff battle. Byron and Bell are both future champions, or they at least have the potential to be.
No matter what happens from here, Ryan Blaney will forever be a NASCAR Cup Series champion. He wasn’t part of the NASCAR 75 Greatest list, but we’ll bet you he’s part of the 100 Greatest when that list comes out.
On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.
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