LOND POND, Pa. — Ryan Blaney still feels like the “silly, quiet kid” he was at 23 when he blazed past Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch over the final 10 laps at Pocono Raceway in 2017 to win a NASCAR Cup Series race for the first time.
At times, not much in life has changed for Blaney.
“I still drink a lot of beer,” Blaney said, before waiting a beat to add, “probably more.”
Blaney chuckled at the thought, but the reality is that at least at the track, he has long outgrown the mold of a rising star in stock car racing. At 30, he’s a certified one as a NASCAR champion and serves as a bit of an elder statesman, having promoted the sport this past week coast to coast with media appearances from the ESPY Awards to NBC’s “Today” show.
“I’ve just been fortunate to be on a cool journey,” Blaney said.
His celebrity profile may have mushroomed, but the only journey that really matters in NASCAR is the one to victory lane. Blaney led the final 44 laps and won again Sunday at Pocono, his second victory in the past five races this season.
“I feel like the last two months, we’ve been spectacular,” Blaney said.
So has Team Penske. On any track. In any series.
Blaney made it a weekend sweep for the iconic motorsports organization after Scott McLaughlin earlier Sunday and Will Power on Saturday night won IndyCar Series races at Iowa Speedway for 87-year-old team owner Roger Penske.
Penske drivers have also won four of the past seven Cup Series races.
“Penske sweep!” Blaney belted out at Pocono.
AP photo by Derik Hamilton / Ryan Blaney makes a pit stop in the Team Penske No. 12 Ford during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.Blaney, the reigning Cup Series champion, won last month at Iowa Speedway as NASCAR’s top circuit visited that track for the first time, and he added two more top-10 finishes headed into Pocono. The Penske driver’s summer success in the No. 12 Ford has stamped him a legitimate threat to win a second straight championship.
“I definitely think we’re in a better spot at this time than where we were last year,” Blaney said. “I feel like our speed’s better. Our execution’s great.”
Blaney was dialed in on the 2.5-mile track and was never seriously challenged over the final 10 laps by runner-up Denny Hamlin in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and third-place Alex Bowman in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Hamlin holds the Pocono record for Cup Series wins with seven, while Bowman won last’s weekend’s Cup Series race on the streets of Chicago. Bowman and Hamlin were fast again, just not fast enough to catch Blaney in front of another packed house at Pocono.
Hamlin, last year’s winner at Pocono, was in hot pursuit over the final six laps, but the three-time Daytona 500 champion could never nip at Blaney’s Ford.
“Never lose a race, just always run out of time, right? That’s just part of it,” Hamlin said.
Hendrick’s William Byron was fourth and Penske’s Joey Logano rounded out the top five.
Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain was knocked out of the race after just 53 laps, putting a serious dent in his playoff push. Chastain’s points lead for the final spot in the postseason field was cut from 53 points to 27 points over 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace.
There are five races left in the regular season before the 16-driver playoff field is set. There are four spots open, with this year’s 12 race winners to date having secured automatic berths.
Next up for the Cup Series is next Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 30-year anniversary of stock cars racing at the historic venue. That will be followed by a two-week break for the Summer Olympics due to NBC Sports’ coverage of the Paris Games.