NASCAR analyst Kyle Petty is pretty well known for his candid and sometimes critical assessments. One of those earlier this year was of Ryan Blaney‘s performance on the racetrack, which while Blaney may not have appreciated, he chose to remain silent.
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However, all that changed on Sunday when Blaney emerged as the victor of the NASCAR Cup Series 2023 championship. In a moment of triumph, the newly crowned champion found the perfect opportunity to deliver a powerful and resounding response to Petty’s past criticisms.
While speaking with Sirius XM NASCAR Radio after winning his championship, Blaney was asked about how he wanted to win the championship, to which the Team Penske driver responded, “Ever since I was a little kid, right? I grew up admiring the Jimmie’s and Tony’s and Jeff Gordon’s of the sport and all those guys are champions, right? And as a kid, you just wanna be like those guys. So it was super cool to finally see it come full circle. I worked so hard, it takes a lot to be good in this sport.”
“I know Kyle Petty says that I never do anything. But hopefully proved him wrong tonight.”
Kyle Petty admits defeat after being called out by Ryan Blaney
Not so long after the interview surfaced over social media, Petty responded to Blaney. The analyst reshared the clip with his response and stated, “As well he should have! I deserve it!”
As well he should have! I deserve it! https://t.co/qzN1cYqV0K
— Kyle Petty (@kylepetty) November 6, 2023
So for Blaney fans, it must’ve been great to see Petty accept that he was wrong with his judgment against the Team Penske driver. And in a way, it was also satisfying for many to see Blaney prove Petty wrong by claiming the biggest prize any NASCAR driver would want at the end of the season; the championship trophy.
At the end of the day, with the championship title in hand, Blaney was finally able to let go of what he had bottled up within him for so long. He can end the season knowing that he proved all of his doubters wrong and go ahead preparing for the next season with a new perspective and build upon his legacy as a NASCAR champion.
