Despite Father’s History and Pep Talk, Ryan Blaney Names Mother as MVP Behind NASCAR Cup Win

Despite a rough start to the playoffs, the Ryan Blaney camp remained positive. Be it his family, be it Dale Earnhardt Jr., who backed the Team Penske driver to win the whole thing, the belief in the #12 team remained strong. Perhaps this is why there was extra emotion in his celebration after Phoenix.

A third-generation racer in the family, Blaney’s grandfather was a dirt racer from the 60s all the way to the 2000s and his father transitioned from dirt racing to NASCAR in the early 2000s.

“I just grew up wanting to be like dad and I was really lucky to have a shot to do what he did and to race, and you know, to look back on that stuff, my childhood, and being around the racetracks..,” said the newly crowned champion on LiveKennyAndMark.

While his father’s support was quite visible throughout his playoff journey, Blaney does point to his mother having an important role in his path to glory.

“I think my mom’s the biggest MVP though, I mean how much she sacrificed when I was a kid.”

What did Ryan Blaney’s father say after the victory?

After the race, Dave Blaney was caught up in emotion over the achievement, and what it meant for the family.

“I’m just proud of him, just proud of his accomplishments. Proud of the way he goes about it, great kid,” Blaney told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

While Dale Earnhardt Jr. may have picked Blaney to win the championship this year, Dave Blaney always had the belief that his chance had a shot to make it happen, he just had to put in the work.

“I’ve seen this in him since he was a little kid, seen what he can do behind the wheel, but there’s a lot more to it to make it to this point, and he made it happen”

With a title in his maiden championship four race, Blaney has cemented his spot in NASCAR lore, and with the way his trajectory with Team Penske is going, he could very well add to it.