Ryan Blaney is headed to the championship race for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, and Team Penske is already drawing strength from his breakthrough.
“I think you used the operative term there — ‘breakthrough,’” said Walt Czarnecki, executive vice president of Team Penske. “Clearly a breakthrough. It’s given him the self-confidence. I looked at something the other day that said he’s been in the final eight four times previously, but he never entered the last elimination race above the cutline. That happened this year.
“That was part of that confidence building. Of course, to win at Martinsville really put him over the top.”
Blaney entered last Sunday’s elimination race 10 points above the cutline. It was his fifth attempt at tr ansferring into the Championship 4 and this time, he had a car fast enough to do so. In the race’s final stint, Blaney drove from 13th place to the race win, which was his first on a short track.
“I had several people comment to me about his demeanor after the race in the interviews, on the stage and the rest,” Czarnecki said. “Someone said, ‘He looks like a champion.’ He really did.”
Blaney seemed to be the third-best Team Penske driver behind teammate Joey Logano and former teammate Brad Keselowski. Not only did they win on a more regular basis, but competed for the championship, too.