Ryan Blaney vs Max Verstappen: Who Should Win the Best Driver Award at the ESPYs?

The driver of the #12 Ford Mustang fielded by Team Penske, 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney is American stock car racing’s entrant into the 2024 ESPY awards this year. The accolade which is presented to sportspersons from all walks of competitive sports around the globe is handed out by the ABC Network after having taken over from ESPN in recent times.

This year’s entrants from global motorsports include F1 world champion Max Verstappen, IndyCar driver Alex Palou, Cup Series full-timer Blaney as well as NHRA’s Matt Hagan competing for the Best Driver award.

The two clear nominees for victory this time seem to be Blaney and Verstappen, both having won the ultimate prize in their respective genres in 2023.

While both drivers achieved the ultimate goal in their respective motorsport genres, both NASCAR and F1 championship formats as well as either driver’s peak performance during the year varied to a great extent.

While Ryan Blaney has three wins to his name during the 2023 season, Verstappen has 19 under his belt. The Red Bull Racing driver is on one of the sport’s most dominant streaks in history.

While the #12 Ford Mustang driver clinched his first championship trophy of his career, the dutchman managed to take home his third championship trophy since 2021, a season world all over the world by fans across all genres of motorsport.

If sheer stats were to decide the winner for this year’s Best Driver ESPY award, it would surely have to be Max Verstappen. However, if an upturn in form at the correct time during a season growing out of his teammate’s shadow and realizing his potential is to be accounted for, Blaney might take the cake.

In the end, it depends on the people who vote for either driver to decide to win.

How did Ryan Blaney perform during last weekend’s NASCAR Cup race in New Hampshire?

NASCAR’s running on a damp New Hampshire Motor Speedway saw the #12 driver finish in P25 on a day where Team Penske was not quite up to their usual marks. Running their Ford Mustang entries on the alternate wet weather tire at the track after a lengthy rain delay, Roger Penske‘s crew and drivers did not seem to be able to adapt to the damp conditions.

Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano also languished outside the major positions in P19 and P32 respectively. With Cindric and Blaney having confirmed their spots in the playoffs, 2022 champion Joey Logano remains the sole driver from the outfit to do so.