After clinching his first NASCAR Cup championship in 2023, Ryan Blaney continued his impressive run with three victories in the 2024 season, coupled with twelve top-5s and eighteen top-10s, rounding out the season just a notch below his teammate, Joey Logano, in second place. His first victory of the season unfolded at Iowa Speedway, marking a monumental moment as it completed his nationwide Series trifecta.
Advertisement
Previously, Blaney had secured a win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Iowa Speedway in 2015, helming the #22 car for Team Penske, and had also claimed victory in the Craftsman Truck Series at the same track in 2012, driving the #29 Ram as a part-time entrant for Brad Keselowski Racing.
Recently, when NASCAR highlighted Blaney’s triumph on their X handle, the #12 driver reshared the post with a personal note: “That one meant a lot to my family and I!”
He also quipped, “12 fellas ate plenty of corn in victory lane that evening,” playfully suggesting to NASCAR, “Make it corn liquor next time and it would even better. Or worse I’m not really sure .”
That one meant a lot to my family and I! 12 fellas ate plenty of corn in victory lane that evening. Make it corn liquor next time and it would even better. Or worse I’m not really sure 🫣. https://t.co/Y64sonLFmp
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) December 24, 2024
His love for the Iowa Speedway was evident, as he had previously shared right after his win, stating winning at Iowa means a lot to him and my mother specifically.
He said, “We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on, so they willed us to that one. Overall, I really appreciate the whole 12 boys. I mean, our car was really fast all night and we got a little bit better through the night and two tires was a good call there.”
Blaney secured the win following the #12 team’s strategic decision to go for a two-tire stop during the race’s final caution. The crucial call enabled him to maintain the lead over Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron in the race’s closing laps.
Blaney’s victory at Iowa carried more than just the weight of the trophy
As the only driver to clinch victories across the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series at Iowa, Blaney’s connection to the track is deeply personal as well. Iowa holds cherished memories for him, serving as a backdrop for family reunions and childhood adventures.
It’s where he spent his childhood, traveling during off-season holidays from North Carolina to the chilly embrace of Iowa, which his grandparents and his mother, Lisa, called home.
He reminisced, “It’s grandma’s house. Get to see your cousins. My mom has a big family. As you get older, kind of grow apart a little bit as far as cousins go. Move to different states, you don’t go to family events like you did as a kid every year. Nice to see them come together and we could celebrate something.”
It was this familial connection that led Blaney to dedicate his Iowa Cup win to his mother.
