Ryan Blaney surprised the racing world when he won the 2023 Cup Series title. Not even the most seasoned experts and analysts had confidently picked him to be a champion. But he turned the table and proved them all wrong.
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A year later, he is on the verge of doing it again. Following another mediocre season, Blaney has made it into the Championship 4 and will look to defend his title in Phoenix.
His name will be marked in history, twice as strong, if he is successful in this mission of winning back-to-back titles. The last time a driver won consecutive championships was when Jimmie Johnson went on a five-season streak between 2006 and 2010. This also presents Blaney the opportunity to be the first one to achieve the feat in the Next Gen era.
Before Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon defended his title in 1997 and 1998. Before him, it was Dale Earnhardt Sr. Interestingly, the Intimidator did the job more than once. He won the 1986 championship and defended it the next year. He won the 1990 championship and retained it in 1991. His name found its way on the trophy again in 1993 and 1994.
Can Blaney join these legends? His race in Phoenix holds all the answers. But getting to this point wasn’t an easy task. He was 38 points below the elimination line heading to Martinville last Sunday.
Winning was the only way for Blaney to advance to the final round of the championship battle. Hence, throughout the race he fought against the likes of Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, ultimately taking the lead with 14 laps to go and scoring an incredible victory.
Other drivers who have won back-to-back Cup Series titles
Pushing the rewind button to before Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s time lands us in the 1981 season of Darrell Waltrip. He won the title and defended it successfully in 1982. His third championship was in 1985. The 1970s were largely dominated by two names. Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough. Both these yesteryear legends have won and defended their titles.
Petty did it in 1971 and 1972, before repeating it in 1974 and 1975. Yarborough’s achievement is a tad bit more special. He won the title in 1976, 1977, and 1978, and became the first driver to win thrice consecutively. Further beyond these drivers, not many are on the list.
David Pearson (1968-1969), Joe Weatherly (1962-1963), Lee Petty (1958-1959), and Buck Baker (1956-1957), mark the end of the distinctive group. Blaney stands to join them soon.
