Ryan Blaney didn’t need to win NASCAR’s season finale on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway to win his first Cup Series championship. And he didn’t. He just needed to finish before his other three title contenders, which he did, becoming a first-time NASCAR champ and delivering back-to-back titles to Team Penske.
From a family of racers, the 29 year old drove his No. 12 Team Penske Ford to a second-place finish at the one-mile desert track, coming up short behind race winner Ross Chastain.
But Blaney went home with the championship trophy and his first title in his eight full-time Cup seasons. He finished the season with three wins, including two checkered flags in the playoffs that helped propel him to the Championship 4 contenders.
For The Win spoke with Blaney on Wednesday about his emotional championship moment, the celebrations and the possibility of Josef Newgarden, his Team Penske teammate on the IndyCar side, getting a tattoo of the champ’s face.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.