“Obviously We’re Selfish”: Ryan Blaney on Team Dynamic With Joey Logano Ahead of Phoenix Championship Race

Roger Penske’s NASCAR Cup Series team heads into the 2024 championship decider at Phoenix with double the chances of bringing home the ultimate prize in the sport. Team Penske drivers Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano head into the final race of the season this Sunday, both with prior knowledge of how to approach the event and come out on top.

While Logano has managed the feat on two occasions during his career, Blaney heads into the upcoming race as the defending champion looking to keep the crown with himself for another year. Last year’s Final 4 standings did not include his teammate as one of the three drivers he is supposed to go against this weekend.

However, this time around the #12 Ford Mustang driver will have to balance the leeway a driver is supposed to give to his teammate while also focusing on his agenda in Phoenix.

Touching on whether having a teammate competing alongside him in the final race of the year works in his favor or not, the Ohio native elaborated, “People have been asking me like, What are the disadvantages? I really don’t think there is any. We don’t hide anything from each other.”

Despite the seemingly open relationship between the two champions, Blaney iterated further on how winning the crown for the #12 crew comes first, “Obviously we’re selfish and we want to be that person and that team to bring it. For everybody else that has their hands in Team Penske as a whole, that is great. It fires them up that we have two chances.”

While all seems well outside the car between the two teammates, both Blaney and Logano have been known to have fiery personalities when they get behind the wheel.

It will be interesting to see how well they work together if the situation arises this weekend, and most importantly, how fairly they race each other when the curtains finally fall on the 2024 season.

How aggressive will Blaney be during the title-deciding race?

Aggressive driving and on-track contact between drivers has always been a part of NASCAR. However, as touched on by several in the past, the current Playoffs format has certainly increased the levels of aggression amongst the field. This in turn often results in drivers blatantly pushing others to win in a way that has not been seen in the sport before.

Veteran drivers have often touched on the gentleman-like conduct and a code amongst themselves as to what is acceptable and what is not when racing. This line, however, is different for each driver. Things seem even more blurry when a title is on the line. Ryan Blaney recently explained where he finds himself on the topic.

“I’ve always been a pretty huge believer in, I’m not going to send somebody out on purpose. But, you know, if you do have to possibly get aggressive and nudge people out of the way I mean that’s just what it is. You got to understand what you’re going for.”

It remains to be seen how civil the four championship contenders can remain once the green flag drops at Phoenix Raceway this coming Sunday.