Ryan Blaney wants to become the first driver to win back-to-back Cup Series titles since Jimmie Johnson but he knows he must overcome some pretty steep odds to do it. The seven-time Cup Series champion achieved the feat when he won five titles in a row from 2006 to 2010. But why hasn’t anyone gone back-to-back since then?
Advertisement
Blaney believes that the competition in the sport is so high these days that you have to be a special talent to get the job done. Then there’s the whole element of the playoffs. No driver has won two titles in a row since the current format was introduced in 2014. The last 10 races of the season are as unpredictable as things get and extraordinary title challenges can end through a single bad race.
These races have to be executed perfectly and even if they are, luck does inevitably play a role in the outcome. Blaney explained to the press recently, “I think that just shows you how hard it is to do. It’s a lot easier, I feel like, to win back-to-back in other sports because you’re one vs one pretty much in these games.”
“In racing, there are so many other competitors it’s like trying to win the master’s back-to-back. You’re competing against so many other people that it’s just hard to do it perfectly two years in a row.” Blaney hopes to defend his title despite being aware of the difficulty. His fans will be waiting with bated breaths for his form to pick like it did last year.
Reigning champion Blaney is hungry for a rare NASCAR feat
The Team Penske driver has faith in himself and his team to win a second straight championship. He believes that everyone on the No. 12 team is hungrier to win the second title than they were to win the first. Tasting blood can do that to intense competitors.
He added, “I’m confident with our group and that’s not from a cocky or arrogant standpoint. I have faith in our group that we can do it and we’re good enough to where we can do it again, and I just have so much faith in our team and our guys. I’d like to, obviously. I think we’re in a good position. We just have to keep doing what we can and keep staying hungry.”
His next challenge is at the Charlotte Roval this weekend. The reigning champion won at the track back in 2018 and has four top-10 finishes in six starts. He currently sits 25 points above the Round of 8 elimination line but needs to ensure that he doesn’t wreck himself in Charlotte. Doing so would all but end his chances of progress.
