Ryan Blaney appreciates having a visual reminder of his NASCAR Cup Series championship accomplishment every time he prepares for a race this season.
“That meant a lot; it did mean a ton,” Blaney said of his new firesuit featuring the champion patch. “It was one of those things that was like a month removed from all those celebrations, and it’s in the new year — you get the trophy, you get the Goodyear car, you get the ring, and then once the banquet is done that stuff is over. You’ve got all of that stuff, but then it’s a nice little refresher for the new year when you pull out the firesuit from the bag and you see the ‘champion’ logo beneath the NASCAR logo. That part was nice.
“You look at that every morning, at least I will on race day. You look at it, and it’s one of those little things you notice. It’s kind of a nice little reminder.”
It’s a detail that began appearing on a driver’s firesuit around the 2010s and one that has become something the reigning series champion has looked forward to seeing for the first time. If a driver wins additional championships, the patch is updated to reflect 2X champion, 3X champion and so on.
Blaney wore it for the first time in competition at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, where he finished on the podium after starting last.
The third driver to win a Cup Series championship with Roger Penske, the triumph felt like a long time coming for Blaney. As a driver just beginning his NASCAR national series career in 2012, Blaney watched teammate Brad Keselowski celebrate a championship. Joey Logano has since won two championships (2018, 2022).