Ryan Blaney wins 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, Ross Chastain wins Phoenix race
After starting outside of the top ten, Ryan Blaney finishes P2 overall and wins the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship. Ross Chastain picks up the race win. Blaney won the championship over Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Christopher Bell.
This race provided us with a late restart and race on pit road. Ryan Blaney had the best car on the day and he drove the best race. Plain and simple, it was a fantastic run in the NASCAR Playoffs for the 12 team.
Ryan now adds to the legacy of himself and his family’s history. The Blaneys are a racing family and now they have a Cup Series champion among them.
A restart with less than 40 laps to go set us up for a great finish. It wasn’t the best race at times, but the end was interesting, at least. Kyle Busch spins around and ends up stuck on the track not moving for a bit, and there’s a caution. The restart gave Larson the edge on Blaney and Byron. Christopher Bell had wrecked out of the race earlier with brake failure.
Larson kept the aero block on Blaney and drove his car as best he could. The two had run-ins throughout the race, and it frustrated Blaney. However, the 12 found a way to get around the 5. At least earlier in the race he did. In the closing 30 laps, it got more difficult.
With 20 laps to go, Ryan Blaney made the pass on Larson for second. His car was simply better all day, the aero blocks could only do so much. Blaney got ahead of Larson and just pulled away. Chastain was too far ahead to lose and is the first non-Championship 4 driver to win the final race since the format started in 2014.
Ryan Blaney cements his legacy as a NASCAR champion
For years, people have thought of 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.
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.
Say what you will about this championship track, Blaney and his team executed with what they were given. It was a great championship race from the four contenders. Respectful racing all around.
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 I will bet you he’s part of the 100 Greatest when that list comes out.