Ryan Blaney is enjoying the other side of the emotional spectrum of Nashville Champion’s Week.
The ending of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season did not sit well with the driver of the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske. Although he was perhaps the fastest car in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Blaney finished second, playing wingman to Team Penske teammate Joey Logano, who was chasing the championship. Blaney might have still been lamenting what could have been as he watched Logano be the toast of the town in Nashville during the annual season-ending awards banquet.
Thursday night, the celebratory week ended with Blaney being in the spotlight as the newly crowned champion. As the cliché goes, what a difference a year makes.
“It makes up for it, I guess,” Blaney said with a chuckle.
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Blaney again finished second at Phoenix Raceway earlier this month but was much more content to do so in clinching his first championship. Behind race winner Ross Chastain, it was Blaney leading fellow title contenders Kyle Larson and William Byron across the finish line.
“It ate at me pretty good last year of where we ended the year, and it was no one’s fault besides mine,” Blaney said. “That stung, and it ate at us a lot, me especially, and you try just to get better and be in this position the following year. I think what we learned in ’22, kind of that hunger, and how ’22 ended for us really fueled us for this year. Jonathan [Hassler, crew chief] and I worked really hard on it, so it’s nice when those things come full circle.
“It’s nice that we accomplished it the following year after we thought we had a pretty good shot at it the previous year. You give one away, and then it’s nice and rewarding when you work your way back and accomplish it. I was proud of the whole effort by everybody. It’s not just me. It’s everybody.”
Blaney became a Cup Series champion in his eighth full season at 29 years old. And he made it back-to-back championships for Penske and a third Ford championship in the last six seasons.
In Nashville, Blaney has done all the obligatory activities, from interviews to hitting photo stops, interacting with fans, and a car parade down Broadway. Blaney took to the highly popular and energetic street behind the wheel of his Ford Mustang. It culminates with Blaney taking the stage to deliver his champion’s speech Thursday night.
“The week immediately after was pretty fast-paced,” Blaney said of his title reign so far. “The week of Thanksgiving was kind of nice being home and not doing much. I think it kind of sank in and then you’re with your family for Thanksgiving, so it’s kind of nice to relive it, and then you come here and it’s brought back up again. You get to see all of your guys in one setting. The parade yesterday was fun. All of my guys had a blast on Broadway. You get reminded of it, so it’s been fun.
“I’ve been trying to take it all in and trying to slow everything down. That’s what I keep telling people. Even at Phoenix, I was like, ‘We need to slow this stuff down and try to enjoy it and remember it and embrace it.’ We’ll keep trying to do that, but it’s been a blast, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the offseason and what’s to come.”
In the immediate future, Blaney’s plans include a return to Phoenix Raceway next week to participate in a two-day test (Dec. 5 and 6) for NASCAR on the short-track package.