Blaney Falls One Position Shy of Repeating as NASCAR Cup Series Champion

By Kirby Arnold, Special Contributor 

AVONDALE, Ariz. — The crapshoot that has become those four and five-wide restarts at Phoenix Raceway can make the difference between winning a championship and suffering through an offseason of what-if, especially when the margin of defeat is three-tenths of a second. 

That’s what separated Ryan Blaney from his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano when the checkered flag flew on the NASCAR Cup Series season Sunday.

Logano celebrated his third Cup Series championship and Blaney, the defending champion, exited his car exhausted after a frantic drive to second place that left him just short of a repeat. 

Fifty-four laps earlier, Blaney was fifth and Logano sixth as they accelerated to the final chaotic restart of the race, both desperate for a strong launch in order to catch race leader William Byron.   

As the field fanned to four and five-wide through Phoenix’s unique front-straight dogleg and into Turn 1, Logano masterfully juked his way past four cars to take the lead. Blaney, who had chosen to restart in the outside lane, picked up just one position.

By the time they reached the start-finish line again Logano was looking at a clear track ahead while Blaney was stuck behind Byron and Kyle Larson. 

“I just got bottled up,” Blaney said. “I thought the top was the better row (to restart) and I just got put in a weird aero spot. A lot of guys washed up in (turns) 1 and 2, and Joey got clear. Joey got to the lead pretty quick and I was fourth.” 

It took Blaney 17 laps to pass Larson for fourth place, then another 14 to get around Byron, before nothing between stood between the two Penske cars but clear asphalt. Blaney was 2.2 seconds behind at that point and driving with max effort to catch Logano. 

By Lap 295 of the 312-lap race Blaney had cut the margin to 1.2 seconds, then nine-tenths of a second two laps after that. With 10 laps remaining, Blaney had closed within 0.75 seconds as he and Logano had left everyone else in their shadows.

Of the other two drivers among the four with a chance to win the championship, Byron was more than four seconds behind in third place and Tyler Reddick farther back in sixth. 

“I felt like we gave it all we had,” Byron said. “We just didn’t have enough to go fight with the Penske guys. Penske as a whole had the two best cars today.” 

Reddick ran briefly in the top-five midway through the race before finishing sixth. 

“There was one time we were behind the other championship four cars and they were able to pull away,” Reddick said.

“It seemed like my best hope was to try and pass them on the restarts and hold them off on the long runs.  The last restart in particular, I got outside (Blaney and Chase Elliott) and kind of washed up. We fought hard all day. To have a shot at it was nice. We were close; just not quite good enough.” 

In the end, they all were spectators of the two-car battle at the front. 

Fast as Blaney was to catch Logano, both he and his car were spent. He nearly passed out after the race. 

“I had to work my ass off and I had nothing left,” Blaney said. “I got there but I didn’t have anything once I got there. If I had been closer (after the restart) maybe I would have had a better shot.” 

The final five laps were tense, with Blaney on Logano’s rear bumper and everyone, including team owner Roger Penske, wondering if they would play fair. 

Penske, who has won the past two Indianapolis 500s with his IndyCar Series team and now three straight NASCAR Cup Series titles, said he was uneasy watching his two drivers. 

“Once Blaney got clear, then they had to race each other, which was a little concerning to be honest,” Penske said. “They’re hungry, but they raced fair.” 

That’s not to say Logano took it easy on his teammate in the final laps. He pinched low through the corners, not only taking away Blaney’s line but also leaving an aerodynamic wash that was impossible to overcome. 

“Everybody I tried to pass put on a defensive clinic today,” Blaney said. “That’s just what you have to do. The 5 (Larson) did it to me. The 24 (Byron) did it to me. The 22 (Logano) did it to me. The defensive line is so powerful, with dirty air, you have to do it when you have a faster car coming from behind.” 

He was three-tenths of a second behind Logano with three laps remaining and got no closer.  The damage from falling behind on the last restart was too much to overcome. 

“I worked my tail off to get to Joey,” Blaney said. “I had to use my stuff up really hard to get close. My tires were spent, and he did a good job placing his car where he needed to be.”